Skyscrapers and Large Tanks

[sleizure]

Hello, I know I need to contact someone to get their full opinion - however I'm tossing some ideas around in my head to move to a hirise (20 floors) residence and have a large tank inside. I understand that it may not be possible, but wondering what sort of large tanks that may be in these sort of buildings?

I have a 230 empty that I was planning on working on.

 

[invincible569]

Re: Skyscrapers and Large Tanks

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8676756#post8676756 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by daveatwinterpeg
Hello, I know I need to contact someone to get their full opinion - however I'm tossing some ideas around in my head to move to a hirise (20 floors) residence and have a large tank inside. I understand that it may not be possible, but wondering what sort of large tanks that may be in these sort of buildings?

I have a 230 empty that I was planning on working on.

Its definitely possible. Your best bet is to find an area where there are some support columns that hold the building in place. This is where you want to add your tank as its the strongest support. In our building (work), we have so much heavy equipment. One of them is a HUGE UPS system full of batteries. You may want to check with building management to make sure this is possible.

 

[JCURRY@WESKETCH]

You may also want to investigate how much the building sways back and forth in the wind. It probably isn't an issue with a 20 story building but the sloshing water could make you sea sick.

 

[Tigger240]

the building was designed to meet a floor area loading requirement. A little digging into the city records should provide you with this number, in sq ft. in all honesty, if you have concrete floors, and you put the tank on a bearing wall, as long as its not 10' high, (some rediclous tank size that has a very high weight psf rating) then you should be ok.

 

[Mr.Furious]

Id be more worried about how your gonna get it in there than if it will support or not. Elevators are not that big.

 

[CMReefer]

A highrise should have no trouble holding the weight of a large tank. My main concern would be getting water up there for initial filling and water changes.

You'd definitely want a 50 gallon reservoir attached to a R.O. unit if you have the room for it.... among other things...

Just my 2 cents.

 

[hahnmeister]

I have a good friend near me in a penthouse (26th floor I think) with a 150g. No problems. The floors are all concrete, so placement isnt a problem. Getting enough pressure to the RO can be though. How big are you considering going?

 

[PITSTOP]

I have been in executive offices in NYC that have HUGE tanks on upper floors.

All buildings have service freight elevators - no problem.

Post pics!

 

[invincible569]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8681974#post8681974 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mr.Furious
Id be more worried about how your gonna get it in there than if it will support or not. Elevators are not that big.

Freight elevators and cranes. You would be surprised the things people can do. It's all about how much you want to spend.

 

[iansilv]

If you have concrete floors, you are ok. My former boss is building a condo tower in Las vegas (one that actually got built) and it has a 6 story parking structure as its base floors. You could park a car on any fo the floors. I think the only problem you will have is people not liking you if you don't post pics

 

[Alphabet]

What about the pools in some of these hi-risers on the top floor!!

 

[waynemk]

I live on the 29th floor of a concrete building. My floor had a grade of about 3/4ths of an inch over 4 feet sloping towards the center of the building. this presented a challenge to leveling a stand as well as where spills and leaks flow. I learned that the hard way as my tank was on the lowest wall and water drained into the neighbors appt.

Be sure to talk to you insurance before you need to make a claim.

 

[Tigger240]

umm just because you have concrete floors does not mean they will support anything. buildings are designed to meet certain clear floor loading specs, and hirises with pools have been specially designed and supported for the 120,000+ extra pounds of the pool.

 

[hahnmeister]

But they usually do. Taller buildings have to have higher tolerances because they cant take the chance that someone will want a waterbed, or large fish tank, and end up having major structural damage or liability because of it. The fire codes alone often require more substantial support. Also consider that most houses, esp now, arent designed to last more than 30-40 years... so if someone wanted to reinforce a floor, you just rebuild it if its serious. But with taller buildings, they are built to last longer... 100 years or more. And in that 100years, they have to assume the possibility that its role might change over time. Who knows... it might have started as a warehouse, then condos, then machine shops, etc... Even residential designs that are tall enough consider the idea that the buildin's role might change to offices or something more commercial/industrial in the furure. And having things go through the floor when you are 20 floors up is not a risk they can take.

 

[corwando]

Hire a structural engineer if you want a tank larger than a readily available glass tank (180, 210, etc). Fire code does not increase structural capacity where I live, btw... Office buildings are not as flexible for large loading such as large tanks, high density file storage, etc. as one might think. Passenger vehicle design loads are not too far from regular office building design loads.

Engineers in my firm analyze floor structure (and designs the retrofits, if needed) in high-rise buildings for aquariums every once in a while, so it is a big concern if the building was not originally designed for it.

 

[Wryknow]

I'd go for it. Asking questions will give you nothing but trouble in this case. If the floor collapses under the weight of the tank you (or your surviving family) will be millionaires after the settlement (emotionally damged from the trauma, pets brutally murdered, childern's lives endangered, can't ever go into a high rise building agian, etc, etc.) They didn't tell you that it was dangerous to install a fish tank in the lease or sale agreement did they? A fish aquarium is a foreseeable use for a residential development.

Jason

P.S. I am joking around about this (sort of.)

 

[hahnmeister]

Good point to take away from that though. Many condos rent/own do include rules in the agreement regarding large bodies of water like hot-tubs, aquariums, waterbeds, etc. You should check, because you may not even be allowed to have a fish-tank.

In which case, if anything happened, everyone would be go after you, and I doubt your insurance would back you up even. Some insurance policies may not even cover you.

Better check out those two things first.

 

[sleizure]

This is excellent information, thank you very much. I have all the equipment, have been planning this for about a year now, just waiting for my current house to sell so I can move! Will keep you posted.

 

[x-link]

find out if the condo complexe alows it ,if the tank craks and releses all that salt water it will find a way down you will be responsible.

 

[JazzMan]

you should have no problems with a 230. I know someone in NYC with a 360 Gallon on the 52nd floor.