Newms118 November 17, 2013 Share November 17, 2013 After filling up my 65 gallon with fresh water, I'm trying to check and make sure its structurally stable in its location. The tank sits in the corner of a kitchen which is the corner of the building, and i am on the third floor. I tried to determine the orientation of the floor joists by determining their direction in the ceiling. I couldn't use a stud finder on the ground, but the metal detecting feature was able to find repeating studs running the length of the ceiling, and this orientation was found in the living room adjacent to the kitchen. So based on this i put the stand perpendicular to the floor joists and filled it up. Now if i go next to the stand and jump in front of it, i notice a slight wobble from from to back, which to me makes sense if the stand is on multiple joists and my jumping is adding a bending motion to them. Now if i go to the side of the tank and jump, i don't see any movement on the tank, which to me says that I'm on an independent joist not under the tank and so my jumping doesn't add any weight to flex the joist. So basically my question is, if you jump next to the tank and it moves, does that reflect that you are on the same joists as the tank, or does the tank dampen the effects of your jumping and so if you then jump and don't see movement, you are on the same joist as the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef November 17, 2013 Share November 17, 2013 ummm first off...dont do that... secondly whether or not your on a joist i would stry your stand to the wall somehow...because the joist could be floating ...alot of times in newer construction it happens over time...that the joist comes away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newms118 November 17, 2013 Author Share November 17, 2013 ummm first off...dont do that... secondly whether or not your on a joist i would stry your stand to the wall somehow...because the joist could be floating ...alot of times in newer construction it happens over time...that the joist comes away So you suggest tying the stand to the wall, what are some common ways if doing that? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef November 17, 2013 Share November 17, 2013 there are metal straps, like for water heaters that depending on how the back of your stand is you can make an inverse L shape and attach it to the side or inside top of your stand and the wall.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt November 17, 2013 Share November 17, 2013 They make an attachment for stoves to secure them to the wall. Hit Lowe's and ask there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM November 17, 2013 Share November 17, 2013 Secure the stand to the wall. I went way overboard strengthening the joists under my tank and it still bounced a bit. Then I tied the stand to the wall and it is rock solid. Here is what I did. The screws going into the wall are toggle bolts which have little spring loaded ears that grab the drywall really well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion November 18, 2013 Share November 18, 2013 My 30 gallon stand didn't seem as secure as I wanted it to be so I used an L shaped bracket, and anchored into the stud in the wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave w November 23, 2013 Share November 23, 2013 I wouldn't do anything, your tank is in no danger. Your tank only weighs about 500 pounds and your floor joists are rated for 40 pounds per square foot of combined live load and static load, and that's all the way out in the middle of the floor. If your room is 10' by 15', you could put 6,000 pounds on it. That's the equivalent of parking several SUVs in your room and still not exceed the rated load of the joists. If your tank is right next to a wall or a corner your joists will take much more weight than that because the load is transferred to the posts in the wall. Some flex in the floor joists is common because the depth of the floor joist was cut down a little so cheaper joists could be used. But the amount of flex is standard and will not change over time. You are not in danger of having your tank tip over. I've never seen a joist 'float' or come away from its wall attachment, (they have several inches of overlap), unless both the builder and the county inspector were on drugs. Possible, but not too likely. Sorry if I sound preachy, but one of the few things I know a little about is 'struction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimboy123 November 24, 2013 Share November 24, 2013 I wouldn't do anything, your tank is in no danger. Your tank only weighs about 500 pounds and your floor joists are rated for 40 pounds per square foot of combined live load and static load, and that's all the way out in the middle of the floor. If your room is 10' by 15', you could put 6,000 pounds on it. That's the equivalent of parking several SUVs in your room and still not exceed the rated load of the joists. If your tank is right next to a wall or a corner your joists will take much more weight than that because the load is transferred to the posts in the wall. Some flex in the floor joists is common because the depth of the floor joist was cut down a little so cheaper joists could be used. But the amount of flex is standard and will not change over time. You are not in danger of having your tank tip over. I've never seen a joist 'float' or come away from its wall attachment, (they have several inches of overlap), unless both the builder and the county inspector were on drugs. Possible, but not too likely. Sorry if I sound preachy, but one of the few things I know a little about is 'struction. I agree with Dave W and Smallreef. You should be fine and are you really planning to jump next to your tank on a regular basis? " My clowns laid eggs! Yippee!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimboy123 November 24, 2013 Share November 24, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM November 24, 2013 Share November 24, 2013 Even floors rated for a larger static load than the tank weighs can be too springy and annoying. They won't collapse, but bounce like heck. Want rocks tumbling or water splashing? Tie it to the wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmerek2 November 24, 2013 Share November 24, 2013 I have a 125 on the 1st floor above basement. Because its so much more weight than yours, I had to place it along a load bering wall (the middle wall with the steel I beam) I also placed it perpendicular to the joists so the 6' tank would go over as many joists as possible. Im lucky enough to have a drop celing in the basement so I could tell which way they are going. Can you look at your unfinished HVAC system celing to find out? Can you see your steel I beam or is there a crawl space you can peak into? I personally think you could stick this 65 where ever you want since Its not as much weight as my tank but if there is a big sump its a great idea (long term) to move it. I know floors are rated for a lot of temporary weight but Has anyone ever seen sagging floors from a tank that sat for years and years? I dont do jumping jacks in the house so I tried after seeing this post. Mine bounces also and I also need to consider the stabilization other users suggested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave w November 24, 2013 Share November 24, 2013 If you're on the third floor of a multifamily building it is most likely that your floor joists run from your back yard side to your front yard side. You will probably have a bearing wall running down the middle of your apartment/condo from one side yard to the next side yard. I know this is a simplistic explanation, but your condo probably has a long side and a short side. The joists run parallel to the short axis of your residence, perpendicular to the long axis. There are many different floor plans out there but this simple description should fit 90% of them. Sometimes your utility room has an unfinished ceiling so you can see what direction your roof trusses run, your floor trusses most likely run the same direction. They will almost run along the shortest span possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave w November 24, 2013 Share November 24, 2013 I meant to write they will ALMOST always run along the shortest span possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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