Reinforcing Floor?
- Thread starter Zoregon
- Start date
billdogg
Well-known member
~ 8 pounds/gallon
It will depend on way to many factors to say "yes you need to reinforce" or "No, don't worry about it"
Will the tank be located on a load bearing wall?
Perpendicular to floor joists?
Spacing of said floor joists?
Construction of same?
Age of building?
etc
etc
etc
some pictures of where you plan on putting it and the area underneath would help considerably. If the basement is unfinished, it can't hurt to use a floor jack or two anyway.
It will depend on way to many factors to say "yes you need to reinforce" or "No, don't worry about it"
Will the tank be located on a load bearing wall?
Perpendicular to floor joists?
Spacing of said floor joists?
Construction of same?
Age of building?
etc
etc
etc
some pictures of where you plan on putting it and the area underneath would help considerably. If the basement is unfinished, it can't hurt to use a floor jack or two anyway.
anthonys51
New member
i would see how far apart your support joist are also
you want to make sure you lay the tank across the support beams not with it
also saltwater weighs about 8.6 lbs per gallon, plus tank plus rock plus sump and your probably looking around 1500 lbs maybe more.
now your floor wont cave in, but might give causing the tank to crack over time.
you want to make sure you lay the tank across the support beams not with it
also saltwater weighs about 8.6 lbs per gallon, plus tank plus rock plus sump and your probably looking around 1500 lbs maybe more.
now your floor wont cave in, but might give causing the tank to crack over time.
D
Deleted member 336650
My 2 cents. When I was putting everything together & realized the investment in my tank, I added a little more to my budget. A carpenter got under my house & used mobile home jacks & cinder blocks in a couple of spots.
I might never have needed it, but it is one less thing to worry about. For the $100 it cost me, it was well worth it.
I figure my 120 weighs no more than 1800 lbs
Will the tank be located on a load bearing wall? YES
Perpendicular to floor joists? YES
Spacing of said floor joists? 12 INCHES
Construction of same? 2x12 CYPRESS
Age of building? 68 YEARS
I might never have needed it, but it is one less thing to worry about. For the $100 it cost me, it was well worth it.
I figure my 120 weighs no more than 1800 lbs
Will the tank be located on a load bearing wall? YES
Perpendicular to floor joists? YES
Spacing of said floor joists? 12 INCHES
Construction of same? 2x12 CYPRESS
Age of building? 68 YEARS
Yes to load bearing wall, perpendicular to floor joists. The rest I have no idea.
1,500 pounds is a lot. I think it may be worthwhile to have DH look at the joists.
I had a 90 in the same spot and when the kids ran by the water would slosh..... Mind you it was also only a steel frame stand at the time - not the most sturdy.
1,500 pounds is a lot. I think it may be worthwhile to have DH look at the joists.
I had a 90 in the same spot and when the kids ran by the water would slosh..... Mind you it was also only a steel frame stand at the time - not the most sturdy.
Here's something to think about too. I'm going to assume that you are talking a 6' 125 gallon and that your previous 90 gallon was a 4' tank.
Using the above estimate of 11 lbs/gallon you arrive at the following numbers.
90 gal - 990 lbs over 6.33 sq ft of floor coverage (48"x19")
125 gal - 1375 lbs over 9.5 sq ft of floor coverage (72"x19")
Using these numbers you end up with 156.4 lbs/sq ft for the 90 and 144.74 lbs/sq ft for the 125, so yes you are putting more weight on the floor overall but it has 50% more surface area to spread the weight over resulting in less lbs/sq ft.
Personally, I have the worst scenario for my 125. Non-load bearing wall with tank running parallel with the joists. The only thing I did get lucky on was the fact that my house is old and the 2 joists that it runs with are 8" wide x 8" tall hand hued beams. I did go ahead and put 2 adjustable floor jacks under the floor for peace of mind on my end.
Using the above estimate of 11 lbs/gallon you arrive at the following numbers.
90 gal - 990 lbs over 6.33 sq ft of floor coverage (48"x19")
125 gal - 1375 lbs over 9.5 sq ft of floor coverage (72"x19")
Using these numbers you end up with 156.4 lbs/sq ft for the 90 and 144.74 lbs/sq ft for the 125, so yes you are putting more weight on the floor overall but it has 50% more surface area to spread the weight over resulting in less lbs/sq ft.
Personally, I have the worst scenario for my 125. Non-load bearing wall with tank running parallel with the joists. The only thing I did get lucky on was the fact that my house is old and the 2 joists that it runs with are 8" wide x 8" tall hand hued beams. I did go ahead and put 2 adjustable floor jacks under the floor for peace of mind on my end.
JMorris271
New member
I have 125 gal tank that's 4 ft long . In the crawl space there are the joists running parallel to the outside wall. I added 4 floor jacks on blocks to keep thing in place. Now I can sleep nights.
Bl4ckDr4g0n
New member
For the amount of $ you are going to invest in a tank that size, the livestock in it, along with the investment of your home just call a structural engineer and have them crunch the numbers. People do wake up to tanks in their basement. CYA.
Dont call a general contractor and ask him what he thinks, if he tells you he knows he is lying.
Dont call a general contractor and ask him what he thinks, if he tells you he knows he is lying.
