how much weight is too much?

Ok so im getting ready to upgrade to either a 120 wide 48x24x24, or a 125 long 72x18x22 I believe. Now I have a basement but was wondering how much weight is too much on my living room floor before I should think about some type of beam reinforcement( don't want it falling through the floor). I'm just paranoid about the weight. So it would be the 120, or 125 approximatley 1400 lbs or so full plus a 30 gal sump will I be fine, or is the wife gonna hire a hitman after it crashes through the floor?

 

Most floors should be able to carry these loads. However if you want to be safe you could put something under the tank that would spread the load out. If your stand just has 4 point loads (4 Legs) on the floor, it could cause a problem but if your load is spread over the area of the tank I would doubt this would case any problems.

 

I cannot say that I agree that you'll be fine.

Obviously this is an issue with which caution should accompany you every step of the way.

Check out this link - I read it when installing my 150 gallon system. I def went with sub-floor supports to tie me into a concrete slab for support. Meant for cichlid tanks but water is water and weight is weight.


http://www.african-cichlid.com/Structure.htm

If there is no obstruction below the floor and above the concrete slab, then 100% spend the $120 at Lowes or HD and get some floorjacks. They will give you peace of mind because depending on the structure and the orientation of the tank/joists - you may or may NOT be ok with that using no supports.

Using supports, you would not have to worry about your wife sending the goons out for you because that tank will not collapse through the floor with supports.

 

If you have a refrigerator still above the floor line then a tank this size would not be of any concern . The stand will distribute the weight over several joist where as the refrigerator is the heaviest load you can put on an average floor as it all punched down on 4 sq inches . I would find which way the joist run and set it so that the stand runs long ways across the joist .
Second heaviest appliance is the washing Macheine they have a large water capacity and a heavy concrete counter balance block and they beat the floor . and again all tht weight is setting on 4. 1 inch feet.


QUOTE=Aaron.Herk;1123856]typically in the past things were overdesigned.[/QUOTE]

LOL Not any type of engineer but having been in construction for close to 50 yrs I'd say go look at a 2x4 or 2x10 from mid 50's back and see the difference the wood was in the old days .
Working in the old Richmond Va. Homes we had to use chain saws to cut the old beam for remolding of the buildings and none of the buildings sat on a concrete foundation just cords of brick setting on the bottom of the dirt ditch and up the brick walls went 2 and 4 stories .

 

You are welcome to disagree. However I am a structural engineer and if it was going on a concrete slab then I would say there would be no issues. Concrete is extremely strong in compression. As long as your columns aren't spread out a large amount I think you would be wasting your money. However pics of the floor and the support would make things a little easier. As would when the house was built. Today floor loads themselves typical can easily carry loads that we would associate with fish tanks because the loads are dispersed over a large area. If it was built a long time ago there could be problems however typically in the past things were overdesigned.

 

interesting article so here are my options spend $$$$$ on a nice setup and be a cheapass dont worry about it then lose $$$$$$ IF....... something did happen or dont be a cheapass take the proper steps to secure it and not worry about waking up like John Bobbit. I think I like option 2 better

 

If you are worried you could always use plywood to spread out the weight.

 

Aaron - if I read the OP correctly, he is setting this up on a floor above the basement. He said he has a basement but from what I read it looked like he was asking if it was OK to install on his living room floor, which is above the basement, I assume.

I agree that if it was going directly on a concrete slab - of course there are no problems at all and I believe it's the best way to setup a tank - right on concrete.

But I cannot disagree with you any more that it is a "waste of money" to support the underside of a 2000lb tank when it is on a structure that was NEVER designed to carry that sized dead load. I am not saying that if he fills up his tank it will go crashing through the floor. But what about the stability of the floor in a live-load situation? Will not the elasticity/deflection of the floor be great affected? If you have a few people running across the middle of the room in front of the tank exerting a tremendous dynamic live load which will in turn be confluenced by the dead load of the tank perhaps producing lethal oscillations in the vertical orientation of the tank by the floor deflection even 3/4" or less! Again, this would depend entirely on the structures design, construction, and condition as you indicated.

This is why I profer that it is not the best advice to say that he will probably be fine without knowing all of the parameters and that it is FAR better to err on the side of caution than to rely on an engineer (or anyone for that matter) who has never seen the site to tell you its likely not going to be a problem.


I would be very curious to see some kind of written or even anecdotal evidence that suggests that residential structures are designed with the parameter of having a 250 psf dead load in mind. A dead load which can and often does persist for years.

No disrespect to your field of work - engineers are brilliant individuals, but in an arena where we are trying to offer the best advice for the benefit of fish and people alike, I will always err on the side of caution and assuming the worst-case scenario.

 

correct I am putting it in the living room above the basement. I was looking to put it against the wall where it appears to be the strongest point where it would sit on the brick structure of the basement wall, and across 5 beams

 

Oh yea btw I currently have 90 gal sitting on the opposite wall on top of only 1 beam because I was not thinking when I set that up, which worries me so im tearing it down and replacing with the longer/bigger volume tank in a better more stable spot