Ryan S February 4, 2015 Share February 4, 2015 If someone wanted to put a big tank on the third floor of their house, do we have any actual engineers or folks with that training/experience that could actually go to a house and confirm whether or not the tank would be structurally sound/safe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 5, 2015 Share February 5, 2015 concrete or wood floor? spacing of floor joists? tank size and weight? Easy enough to figure out just by looking at some structural analyses of wood or concrete. How much weight already on floor in same room? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nextlevel808 February 6, 2015 Share February 6, 2015 Doesn't really go by total weight for a room but more wight per sqft. But all those questionnaire right answer those and that will be a start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 6, 2015 Share February 6, 2015 If the room had another large heavy object near another heavy object, then it certainly will affect the new object and the floors' ability to hold both of them. The floor would already have an existing load which takes away from the total capacity that the floor can hold. This is evident in a room where simply walking by an object causes it to bounce which shoes that the joists are flexing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Lazar February 6, 2015 Share February 6, 2015 I used Dave Hall Engineering to do our calculations and draw up plans. I filed the permit, and the Fairfax Country inspectors were happy with the plans. He's not an active reefer, but used to have a saltwater tank. He understood there's a difference between a floor being able to support a load without failing; and being able to support a load without bending so much that the tank fails. Or that the tank jiggles too much when you walk past it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S February 22, 2015 Author Share February 22, 2015 concrete or wood floor? spacing of floor joists? tank size and weight? Easy enough to figure out just by looking at some structural analyses of wood or concrete. How much weight already on floor in same room? wood floor. the floor joists are 24" apart. They aren't solid 2x8s, or 2x10s. They are wider on the ends and narrow in the middle, like a 2x2 board on top and bottom and a 1" piece of plywood in the center, like a letter I ("eye") shape. Not sure what they are called. I have attached some photos. I am guessing they are not very strong? tank size 150g-300g... thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madweazl February 22, 2015 Share February 22, 2015 Hmm, I've never seen that before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind February 22, 2015 Share February 22, 2015 They are called, engineered wood I joists. Very common and they help to reduce floor squeaking because they don't flex or shrink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S February 22, 2015 Author Share February 22, 2015 Here's info I find on them: http://forums.jlconline.com/forums/showthread.php?6197-silent-floor-system http://www.trademate.co.uk/services/joists/ So could they hold a 300g DD? If not, maybe a 180g? Smaller? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madweazl February 22, 2015 Share February 22, 2015 (edited) Some info on them here. Looks like someone beat me to it Edited February 22, 2015 by madweazl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khh27 February 22, 2015 Share February 22, 2015 You could sanwich them with 2×10's and run carriage bolts thought.and if in doubt us those basement steel basement jacks. I'm assuming that's a basement underthere. But all this said "I DON'T DRIVE TRAINS" ( ENGINEER) lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind February 22, 2015 Share February 22, 2015 How far is the span? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S February 22, 2015 Author Share February 22, 2015 (edited) Thanks mad. I have the tji 110s, 11 7/8". Based on the numbers in the pdf you linked, which doesn't mean anything to me, can someone tell how strong they are at 24" apart? A 6' tank would hit 3 of the joists. Edited February 22, 2015 by Ryan S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind February 22, 2015 Share February 22, 2015 How far is the span? Distance from one end of the joist to the other as it sits either on an outside wall, load bearing wall, or steel beam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S February 22, 2015 Author Share February 22, 2015 10' from side of house to an interior wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 22, 2015 Share February 22, 2015 A 180 is 6 sq ft and will weigh around a ton when filled. Thats 333psf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S February 22, 2015 Author Share February 22, 2015 (edited) Based on page 5 of the pdf, the joists are rated at 152psf I think? Edited February 22, 2015 by Ryan S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madweazl February 22, 2015 Share February 22, 2015 A 180 is 6 sq ft and will weigh around a ton when filled. Thats 333psf. Arent most 180s 72x24? That would be 12' and half the PSF, correct? Spread across three joists it would be somewhere around 50 PSF, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind February 23, 2015 Share February 23, 2015 Correct 12 sqft. The pressure doesn't just sit on three joists as some of it is spread out via the floor decking to the nearby joists. 10' is a short span so that is in your favor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefer_Madness February 23, 2015 Share February 23, 2015 TJIs are significantly stronger than solid wood joists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 23, 2015 Share February 23, 2015 whoops bad math error Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctenophore February 23, 2015 Share February 23, 2015 My dad owned a roof & floor truss company but sold it a few years ago, so I don't have access to his engineers for these sorts of questions any longer. But, FWIW, I used those same size joists for the floor in my FL greenhouse equipment shed. Inside was a large 10'x3'x3' sump and we also kept pallets of salt (2500 lbs) right next to that sump. Never noticed any deflection in the floor or sump (which was fiberglass so more resilient than regular glass). They look flimsy but they are actually very strong, probably on par with steel beams sometimes seen in residential floor systems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopeitlives February 23, 2015 Share February 23, 2015 To lower the impact of the pounds per sf, you could build a platform that was much longer than the tank, like a "stage" that the tank would be on and that would deflect the weight over several more joists with the larger footprint. I did calculations and my tank is on a second floor. The basement is finished so I could not reinforce the joists. The largest tank I calculated that would work was a 120 on a larger riser we built with the tank on the outside wall. All homes are built to a code. Find out in your county what that is. Then do your calculations. Remember it's total weight so a 120 is really 150 with the sump plus the weight of tank and stand. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Lazar February 23, 2015 Share February 23, 2015 The issue isn't that the floor will suddenly collapse from the weight of a big tank. The issue is that these calculations tell you how much weight the floor can bear with a deflection (sag) that's "acceptable" for the typical resident. But how much deflection is acceptable before an aquarium cracks? Your tank will crack long before the floor breaks. A 1/4" deflection in a floor is probably acceptable for a refrigerator, or an entertainment unit, or a waterbed. But would you put a big tank on a stand that had a 1/4" sag in the middle? Floor loading calculations for aquarists should identify (1) how much deflection will there be, and (2) how much deflection you think your tank can handle. If you just ask whether the floor will safely support the weight of the tank, you're only asking part of the question. Or you can just wing it. Lots of people do without splitting a seam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctenophore February 23, 2015 Share February 23, 2015 Go with box steel stand and I doubt you'll have any deflection issues for the size tank you're talking about. Just orient it across as many joists as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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