Jasmine Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 As you may have heard I am now in the posession of a 670ish litre tank, 2.1metres long. We realise the floor may need some reinforcing. What are some of the best ways to do this? We do have access to under the house. This is pre emptive, thinking ahead. We've only just got the tank home and still need to set up a stand etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 That isn't much weight spread over quite a length, IMO there's no need to reinforce your floor unless you have very old dodgy floors or your putting the tank in the middle of a room and there are no piles under it. My house is round 150 years old, my biggest tank 800+ liters and only ~1700 long. It has been fine for a number of years now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasmine Posted September 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 Thanks, we're going to put it along the wall, where there is the beans running along, but also like a supporting beam running from end to end of the house, so it would have that kinda cross support? The house is really really really old so I thought because the house is so old it might not be as stable? it's 210 l x 55 h x 60 w. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasmine Posted September 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 Oh, and planning on having a sump with it too, not sure what size sump as of yet.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 The supporting beam running from end to end of the house well be a main beam and will sit on the piles, if your close to this it will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 The supporting beam running from end to end of the house well be a main beam and will sit on the piles, if your close to this it will be fine. Not really. You will need a stand designed to evenly distribute the weight of the tank over the floor joists, rather than putting it on a few points as a stand with feet does. Is the tank going to run across the joists or parallel to them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 don't worry about your floor unless your house is really old & it isn't stable when you stand on it. Your setup will most likely weigh around 800kg, get 8 or 10 large adults to stand where you want to put it & get them to jump up & down. This will look quite funny & i'm have no doubt that it will be fine. Your roof is alot heavier than this & it only has walls to hold it up, they don't spread the weight accross the entire floor, feet on the cabinet will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 If you spread the weight over the total footprint of the tank the load is over the whole floor. If you put the weight down through legs it is over the flooring and will be a lot more force than the flooring is designed to take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 Sorry to burst yur bubble there dude, but sometimes the older houses are stronger. Better wood was used in the old days, and also the joists on the floors are closer together than the newer built houses (so a Builder told me) You are correct, but the key word is "sometimes" there were no or few standards when older houses were build and often the people building them had no idea about structural engineering. Modern houses have to comply with weight ratings for the floors so you can be pretty certain what a floor will safely hold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasmine Posted September 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 There's the one looong one which the tank will be sitting along, and their are the ones running the opposite way, a few of those so they will be underneath the tank if you understand what I mean? I can't see the floorboards, just tried and check, carpet is pretty much stuck down, but here's a pic of under the house roughly where the tank will sit (Ignore the cobwebs!) So tank will be sitting along the beam with the cable running along it. It won't be running along the outside wall, it's an inside one, because the outside has too many windows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morcs Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 Not really. You will need a stand designed to evenly distribute the weight of the tank over the floor joists, rather than putting it on a few points as a stand with feet does. Is the tank going to run across the joists or parallel to them? Stole the words out of my mouth. Yes when you get your stand, if it has legs, chop em off. Make sure its an external wall, and nearer a corner is better too. Personally if it were me in this situation and reinforcing the floor was an option, id do it just for peace of mind, even though it most probably would be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morcs Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 EDIT. Just read rest of the thread... mystic got it all in a nutshell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasmine Posted September 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 Lots of varying opinions :lol: I haven't got a stand yet, yet to get one/make one, as in the stand thread. Would a thick bit of board underneath help to distribute the weight if it were on a few points? I should start a new thread, but need ideas on making a stand preferably cost effective, for a tank that size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasmine Posted September 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 Just talking to someone who's lived here for many many years. Apparently the room I'm going to put the tank in is the strongest, the house is made out of good solid native wood and is only 80 years old and has more joists than some houses, so it should be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos & Siran Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 I'm a qualified cabinet maker by trade, I don't know a whole lot about structural strength as building isn't my thing, but when it comes to the cabinet, the more vertical supports you have that go from all the way from under the top to the floor the better as it will evenly distribute the weight to best effect. As Alan said, don't have legs as it will place much to much weight in those 4 areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkles Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 my fish wardrobe hold 6 two foot tanks, plus storage on top and underneath and is 4ft long - alot more weight per foot of floor space. It has 6 upright 2x3 poles that go top to bottom, with the shelves attached to them, then on the bottom the uprights sit on 2x3s running longways, so the weight of the legs is distributed along the full length rather than the 6 points where the legs would touch the floor. The floor is supporting it no worries, that way the weight is spread across 4 joists evenly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 Sorry to burst yur bubble there dude, but sometimes the older houses are stronger. Better wood was used in the old days, and also the joists on the floors are closer together than the newer built houses (so a Builder told me) The only thing to watch would be if yur house has been re-located etc, or the floor moves if you walk\bounce on it. Also, old houses generally have concrete surrounding the outside of the house, which is wat yur outter bearing walls sit on. Again making it safer, as most newer places dont have this. Yur roof has nothing to do wif yur floor, as it will be held up by yur walls, lol. Plus a roof is spread out along the whole of a wall, is it not? :-) Using feet on large or heavy tanks isnt recommended, as the pressure of that 'point' of foot can cause the foot to go throu the floor. Thats why they recommend using long feet the length of yur tank, so there is no 'pressure points' as such. Better to be safe than sorry! :lol: :lol: i deal with building & house plans everyday, been in the building industry for 13 years & you clearly don't understand building materials or construction at all from those comments. what holds up the walls that hold up the roof? the floor structure supports the whole building so a fish tank will be fine. a tank that weighs 800kg & is 2.1m long will have a weight of 380kg per metre of tank. that is less than standing four 100kg people very close together in a line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricketman Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 the best solution to it all is a solidly built stand, that spreads teh weight over the floor. even if you get a sheet of MDF or similair and pout that on the floor then put the tank/stand on top of that itll spread it abit more. being that you have that huge beam and a heap of struts running off it, it should be fine as it is. hope there is going to be a picture diary of your install and setting up of this tank!! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasmine Posted September 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 Haha will have to eh! Unfortunately it's still sitting in the van and partner had to take scooter to work this morning because of it. Two people, us by ourselves, can't carry it, so have to wait till I have someone else (or two) to help. Took four of us to carry TO the van! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 The static design load for a ground floor on a domestic dwelling is 2 kPa which I think is equivalent to the water in a 400mm high aquarium with the weight evenly distributed over the footprint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwibrick Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 The static design load for a ground floor on a domestic dwelling is 2 kPa which I think is equivalent to the water in a 400mm high aquarium with the weight evenly distributed over the footprint. Not quite true, I'm a structural engineer and deal with this sort of thing all day long. Liveload on a domestic floor is 1.5kPa(150kg per sq m), and that is a temporary load only ie. people Domestic floor joists generally aren't designed for any permanent (deadload) loads which a fish tank is. Seeing that the tank is 2.1m long and 670litres, I guessed the width of the tank at 0.6m, so the base would be 1.26sqm, that gives a load of 5.3kPa, way above the liveload we use. If the tank is installed over the bearer it will 'probably' be ok as the tank is likely to be over 2 piles and most of the weight will be going straight into the bearer and not onto the joists, the bearer only looks to be a 100x75 though which is on the small side for this job I would think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 Thanks for clearing that up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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