Can't believe it's been a year already - need floor support?

It has been a year since I have shut my tank down till I could find a home to relocate to. That time has finally come, as of July 25th. Now that I am settled in, and have figured out where I'd like this tank to go, I now need some structural knowledge about the floor.

I started reaching out to a structural engineer to get exact numbers, but I'm trying to steer away from that, due to the expense for a quick yes or no response. I figured I asked this same question in the past, with success, so why not ask again. :fun4:

Little run down on the house. The home is 70 years old. Has plaster walls :facepalm:, has a full basement, and has hard wood floors.

Where I'd like the tank to go, is in the corner of exterior walls. (On two sides of the tank). Below the tank, in the basement, is 2x10 floor joists, and they span roughly 16" on center. I don't think it matters with the location of the tank, but you'll see a red line in the image I am attaching. That represents a steel beam that runs perpendicular to the floor joists. It's a ways away from the tank, so I don;t think it helps me any.

I am not sure how far away from the wall I want the back of the tank. I don't recall ever needing to go back there for any reason, so having it tight against the wall might not be a bad thing. But obviously, If I ever have to get a fish that escaped or if I drop something behind it, I would definitely need access to it. But the clearance on the ends of the tank will be rather minimal, so I couldn't even walk behind it anyways. There's always access through the back of the stand. I will be redoing the skin of the stand that has 2x4 construction, so I can make this access hole as large/small as I need. But I am still tinkering with that. I could always shove the tank over to the left as far as it would go, then that would also buy me some room on the right of the tank and possibly allow me to bring it forward a tad without interfering with access to the kitchen.

For the purpose of this thread, can anyone look at the layout I'm attaching, and tell me if I would have anything to worry about with the floor joists not being able to support the tank?

I will have other threads created once I determine where this tank can go. I am limited on walls, but will also consider downsizing if need be. But I'd certainly like to avoid that since I have everything to get this back up and running.
 

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get a structural engineer, there are to many variables for a novice to consider, do the floor joists run across the top of the block wall or butt into it, what size is the steel beam and do the joists run over it or butt into it, your talking about 1500 pounds of water weight alone in a 70 year old home. How much weight is the steel beam already supporting and can it take the addition load? All the exterior walls and the steel beam are "load barring" , meaning they carry all the weight down to the foundation, and there my be (probably are) other load barring walls in the home. Better to spend the money on a structural engineer then to have the floor cave in 1 or 2 years later because you listened to a armature.
 
Welcome back!

Your tank is only a 125, and sitting perpendicular to the floor joists as you have it should be just fine. Is the basement finished? If not, pick up a couple floor jacks at HD/Lowes. If you sandwich a piece of 3/4 ply between a couple 2x6's and use that as a DIY support beam with the floor jacks you could easily double the size of the tank and not worry about it.

JM.02
 
thanks. I know I do have a good amount of time before I'll get water in the tank. But the fun begins. Again.

There is more wood mixed into the image I attached, but wasn't sure how much of it helped. You know what, here are some images. This might see what's going on a little better. There is a horizontal board lying across a section of the vertical floor joists. I tried getting a close up of that.

I'm thinking worse case for everything. DT, sump, stand, tanks themselves, rock, and sand.

I'll finish dry-locking the basement walls, but for now, they'll remain as you see (not that that has anything to do with anything).





 
The next thread I will start will be how the hell to get the pvc piping up the wall, in between the exterior/interior plaster wall WITHOUT ruining the floors! (from the photos I attached, there isn't much room)
 
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Start with a larger hole than you think you'll need behind the tank, use a long small drill bit and drill down. When it punches through, leave it in place so you can find the hole from below and then upsize from there. Drywall is easy to fix after you are done.

FWIW - I did it while the wife was away for the weekend so she couldn't see what I was doing to her living room! Drill an extra hole or two so you can easily run a dedicated circuit or two while you're making the mess.
 
A friend did his hole with a rectangular floor grate used for heat/ac.
Claims it was easier for routing hoses(more room) and can be covered with the grate if he ever moved.
 
A friend did his hole with a rectangular floor grate used for heat/ac.
Claims it was easier for routing hoses(more room) and can be covered with the grate if he ever moved.


^^^Good idea^^^ Right through the floor instead of the wall. It will also save you several 45/90's. Work smarter not harder.just set the tank 6-8" from the wall and there will be plenty of room.

And FWIW - a tank right up against the wall will end up destroying the drywall behind it due to splashes, etc.
 
The stand that I have is 24" wide, and the tank is 18" wide. The tank sits towards the front of the stand. So that leaves me 6" of space on the back side. How much further passed the tank on the back side, should I leave from the wall to avoid damage? (walls are plaster)

Also, in the OP, if you look at the layout of the first floor, where the tank is. You will see two windows. Will those need to be completely blacked out (tint or blinds), and windows shut?
the window on the left is in a breezeway and gets zero sunlight that comes through. The window on the top is facing the north.
I don;t believe sunlight will be an issue at all, but what do I need to plan for since windows are in the vicinity? damn, just thought.....the window on the north will be completely blocked due to height of tank / stand. So that window will always be shut. damn :headwallblue:
 
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Best bet is to use FRP on the wall. Fibreglass reinforced panel. Screw it to a few studs & paint same color as wall. Now the wall is covered & protected. Comes in 4 x 8 sheet.
 
Best bet is to use FRP on the wall. Fibreglass reinforced panel. Screw it to a few studs & paint same color as wall. Now the wall is covered & protected. Comes in 4 x 8 sheet.


^^^This is a great idea as well. I've got it down in the fishroom behind the frag tank. Works like a charm.

As for how much space you should leave? Yes. However much you think you need. I like at least 4-6"
 
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