Big tank, wooden floors?

[Sean]

Can anyone advise me regarding what size tank is safe on the normal wooden floor boards? For example would a 6-7ft tank be OK on the normal floor boards - especially if the tank is running accross the beams. My concern is the enormous weight of water, that the floor boards would have to bear, in 6-8 ft tanks. Is their a need to contact a building inspector to see if the boards would take the weight, wouldn't like to come home to a flood and unhappy fish.

[Dave76]

Hi Sean

I had similar concerns when I set my 8x2x2 up. My uncle is an structural architect - I sent him a drawing of where my beams, joists, stumps etc were with measurements, construction materials, where the tank would sit, estimated weight etc. They had software they just put the data into.

Mine came up ok (just) but I wanted to replace a couple of boards underneath where the tank was sitting (burnt patches from previous owner's fireplace) so while they were ripped up I concreted a few piles of bricks underneath the beams & joists to be on the safe side and distribute the weight to the ground a bit more - haven't had any problems so far (touch wood) ;)

Regards

Dave

[pitchblack]

my worry when I moved into my new place was the weight of the tank of the floor. My mate is a builder so we got underneith the house and placed a solid beam parallel to the floor underneath where the tank sits, dug some holes and placed new beams underneath the parallel peice of wood add some quick set cement problem solved...

[jstefani]

generally speaking these floors are designed with quite heavy dead loads in mind, (over engineered in the old days). you will most likely have a joist and bearer floor system. follow the nails in the floor boards to locate the joists and try to get your tank stands contact points as close to these as possible. you may need to consider a little less furniture in this area though as the weight will add up. i have a 1930s home with timber floors and have no problems, just need to pack the stand to level as the boards are never perfect. :wink:

[funkyfish]

i have been building houses for 10 years the easiest way to tell how strong the floor is set up a smaller tank bout 30gal or so get in the middle of the floor and start jumping the more the water moves the weeker the floor if the water does not move u should be ok. keeping it close as possible to a running footer .the running footer is under the out side walls of the house . i have a bunch of 75gal tanks on a wood floor no prob

[Sean]

Thanks for the tip - I will give it a go.
Cheers
Sean

[flukes]

Had a post about this some time ago, if you can be bothered taking a look back there was some great discussion.

Main things are, go across the beams not along them. And try get it as close too an external wall as possible..