Floor Reinforcement?
- Thread starter tywtly13
- Start date
ophiura
Active Member
This is tough to answer because it depends on a lot of things, like my first floor is concrete slab because we don't have basements here. It depends on the floor configuration (eg a tank in the middle of the room against a non-load bearing wall) or which way the floor joists run relative to your tank (are you parallel or perpendicular). So I know it is complicated...and I know that there are better pros to answer it than me!
toomanytoys
Member
i would reinforce anything over 100 gallons on a second floor but thats me unless there is a wall under desired area
socalnano24
Active Member
Originally Posted by tywtly13
http:///forum/post/3200384
At what gallon-age would you recommend reinforcing the floors? Like, if the floors are "healthy", not run down or old or anything?
Susan pretty much hit it dead on.... if its a slab on grade( i.e. not a raised floor with a crawl space) you should be fine pretty much no matter what you put on it.
For a second floor or more, your best bet is to have the tank at the ends of a span of floor joist with the joists running perpendicular to the tanks long direction over a bearing wall. [for most framing geometries this would mean putting your tank on the longer wall of a rectangle not the shorter wall).
Oh yeah, and most exterior walls will be bearing (preferably located without a window or door jamb below it).
http:///forum/post/3200384
At what gallon-age would you recommend reinforcing the floors? Like, if the floors are "healthy", not run down or old or anything?
Susan pretty much hit it dead on.... if its a slab on grade( i.e. not a raised floor with a crawl space) you should be fine pretty much no matter what you put on it.
For a second floor or more, your best bet is to have the tank at the ends of a span of floor joist with the joists running perpendicular to the tanks long direction over a bearing wall. [for most framing geometries this would mean putting your tank on the longer wall of a rectangle not the shorter wall).
Oh yeah, and most exterior walls will be bearing (preferably located without a window or door jamb below it).
chrisnif
Member
Nice thing about a 125 is it's 6 feet long (72 inches) which means you will almost always hit 4 joists whereas a 4 foot tank actually hits up to 3, but that's only if you place it PEFECTLY. *this is based on standard 16" on center floor joists*
A 125 gallon tank is about 1125 pounds (figure 9 lb/gallon to include rock and stuff, but this can vary a bit) which is less than 1 pound per square inch (0.83 actually). To put this into perspective a 90 gallon is about 810 pounds and exerts .94 psi, so actually a 90 is more a worry than a 125.
Personally I'd be VERY careful putting anything over 55 gallons on a second floor (ie checking beam direction etc)
My 2 cents
A 125 gallon tank is about 1125 pounds (figure 9 lb/gallon to include rock and stuff, but this can vary a bit) which is less than 1 pound per square inch (0.83 actually). To put this into perspective a 90 gallon is about 810 pounds and exerts .94 psi, so actually a 90 is more a worry than a 125.
Personally I'd be VERY careful putting anything over 55 gallons on a second floor (ie checking beam direction etc)
My 2 cents
small triggers
Active Member
a fire wall is nothing more than 1/2 inch drywall rather than 3/8.....doesnt do anything really for load...other than that,, being in construction and apartments (and living in a condo myself) I had a 150g 5 ft long tank on my second floor and it was fine.... truely it helps to know if your home was constructed properly and if you can check the joists where the tank is going to sit (mine was above my garage so I could check the joists by cutting a bit of sheetrock out) or if its above a basement with an unfinished cealing,, as long as the beams are in good shape and dont have any prior damage you are good. A normal floor SHOULD hold atleast 300 lbs per square foot....
veni vidi vici
Active Member
First off ill tell you im a residential carpenter with 20+ yrs experience.
More info is definitely needed. And I think rather then tell what you can safely put in your home with no info ill just say probably just about any standard tank up to around 200 gallons or so. However there will be some rules and requirements that will have to be applied.
If you can give me more info i will gladly help you as much as i can. First off what size tank do you have in mind? Do you have a blueprint of the home or some pictures of the room and house? This would help would help.
More info is definitely needed. And I think rather then tell what you can safely put in your home with no info ill just say probably just about any standard tank up to around 200 gallons or so. However there will be some rules and requirements that will have to be applied.
If you can give me more info i will gladly help you as much as i can. First off what size tank do you have in mind? Do you have a blueprint of the home or some pictures of the room and house? This would help would help.
small triggers
Active Member
with a 6ft long tank, i think you could do up too a 200g.....but its going to be whatever you are comfortable with in your own home, you may still want to reinforce the floor, or hire an engineer to make sure!!!