How Heavy is too Heavy?

"Sunshyn" wrote in message
. net...
Obviously the answer to this question will vary depending on the house
but..... at what point do you all think that a tank is heavy enough to
require added support to the floor (ie: bracing the floor from the
basement?)


Wow, wasn't expecting so many responses so quickly. Thanks.

I am currently renting the first floor of a Victorian style house built in
1887. The outer foundation is approx. 12-16" thick rough cut stone with a
few interior walls (also stone) dividing the basement into sections. I
can't see the floor because the basement ceiling is dropped and plastered
over. All I can see is parallel beam spaced approx. 5 feet apart supported
by 6"x6" cement pillars. On closer inspection I've now noticed that the
basement wall beneath the spot I had intended to place the tank is actually
more that 2 feet thick (stone.) So I'll probably be just fine.

I have not yet decided on the exact size of the tank I'm getting, somewhere
between 55 and 90. (The debate in my house rages on, as I too am guilty of
the conspiracy to buy fish that I knew would eventually outgrow their tank
and require a newer and bigger one...) I asked such a general question
because, although I am not too concerned about my current living
arrangement, I do plan to move within the next year or two, so I am
wondering what to look for in my next home.

Thanks again for all your suggestions. I don't know why it never occurred
to me to consult a structural engineer.

"Shane Kennedy" wrote in message
om...
you can use a little common sense calculations w/o the need of a
structual engineer
a gallon of water equals about 8 pounds
i have a 75 gallon aquarium w/ a 5'x1' footprint
75gals = ~600 lbs
i figure 3 200 pound men in stand next to one another in a 5'x1' area
w/o the floor caving in
so i'm safe

Not to nit pick (but I can so I will), but water is closer to 9 lbs per
gallon, the weight of the tank was omitted, gravel & rocks are heavier
than water (or they would float ;~), and this is only a static load
calculation. If a floor can't hold 600 lbs, then the house should be
condemned. The bigger problem is the dynamic load. A tank installed in
the centre of a room will behave very differently from one against a
structural wall perpendicular to the floor joists. If you ever see a top
heavy 750 lb aquarium rock back & forth from foot traffic, you will have
a better sense of what kind of structural integrity I'm talking about.

cheers
NetMax

"~Vicki ~" wrote in message
...
There is no such thing as a "silly question" only the lack in asking.
Or so I tell my students.

snip
But if you buy a new home the wood is new and stronger.

Here is a bit of trivia. Many of the newer homes are built from wood
which had been planted in rows and grown for cultivation. The structural
ratings have been adjusted as these modern trees are not as strong as the
wild trees, so for homes with similar condition of the wood, common
spacing and dimensions, it is more likely for the older house to be
stronger than the newer one ;~)

NetMax


Vicki

In article , Marcus Fox wrote:

In the UK, building regulations state a floor loading of no greater than 1.5
kN/sq m

snip

If you have a limit of 1500 N, you can have a maximum of (1500/9.807) 152.95
litres for every square metre of tank base area.

The math does not work that way. The floor loading of 1.5 kN/sqm is a
design guideline for the static load of the whole floor. You can if
you wish put more of that load in one area then in another. Consider a
person carrying another. Given a generous footprint of 30cm X 30cm
according to the 1.5kN/sqm figure those two people can weight no more
then 135N == 14kg == 30lbs! Even one person is bigger then that.

At the same time the loading figure does not allow you to put the
whole load of a large room on a small footprint.

The 1.5 kN/sqm loading figure is a magical design number which assumes
an evenly distributed load to make the math easier.

You should have mentioned that you are a school teacher and should have
known the answer before you asked. But like millions of other school
teachers you lack common sense.


"~Vicki ~" wrote in message
...
There is no such thing as a "silly question" only the lack in asking.
Or so I tell my students.

We currently live in a 1940 rancher on a 12 in slab so I don't worry
about the weight of my 55 g. But that can change once we decide on a
new house. As any one who has ever bought a house knows, you hire an
inspector to look at the house before you sign the papers. If you are
buying a 100 year old house than it is reasonable to think that you
would need some extra support for the tank, just by virtue of the (our
last house was built in 1919 and I didn't feel safe with a 20g in there)
age. But if you buy a new home the wood is new and stronger.

Having said that it was still a good question and the answers were
great.

Vicki

"Bousch" wrote in message
news:PDUTa.26240$Ne.13158@fed1read03...
You should have mentioned that you are a school teacher and should have
known the answer before you asked. But like millions of other school
teachers you lack common sense.

what ever happened to Hank? him and this guy would have gotten along well, they
have so much in common.

Many houses built today use trusses of various shapes and forms for
their floor support. Also, consider that a 100 year old house has had
plenty of time to develop problems from rot, insects, etc. A thorough
inspection of any house is essential to avoid buying someone else's
problem.
I helped fix up a house built in the late 1800's once. The first/second
floor/ceiling was supported by beams that spanned the width of the house
- probably 20 feet. The beams were rough sawn 20x4s on 24" centers.
There was no bounce in that floor.
--
Jim Esler




I would like to see that house. We have friends who just finished the
renovations of their 1895 house. It is just wonderful. They use it as
a restaurant and it is very popular.

Vicki

"Bousch" wrote in message news:8pzTa.23440$Ne.6702@fed1read03...
"~Vicki ~" wrote in message
...
I didn't think it was a silly question. In fact it is a very good
question and I am looking forward to seeing some answers.

Vicki

currently looking at homes. This will help me decide on either a slab
built home or one with a crawl space.


But you can't get 'good' answers. If you go for a slab house will the usual
4" of concrete support the weight? Or do you need 6" where the aquarium
goes?

Crawl space? 16" centers or 18" centers. What kind of wood for the aquarium
area? Parallel or cross joist?

It's still a silly question. You need a strualal engineer to give an answer.

ISP Notified! ***Confirmed Troll Alert***

"Bousch" - if that is really your name, after all - you have trolled
this groups long enough and your posts are becoming abusive and
tiresome. I have notified you ISP of your abuse. I suggest you
desist in your derogatory remarks and apologize, ot face the
consequences of having your email account revoked.

PLEASE read the FAQ before posting next time!!!

Hank Newmeyer
=============
"The beatings will continue until morale improves."

Hey--Hank is back! I suggest that everyone notify
their ISPs that they'll be hearing from him, just to
make things run more smoothly...

-coelacanth

"Hank Newmeyer" wrote in message
om...
"Bousch" wrote in message
news:8pzTa.23440$Ne.6702@fed1read03...
"~Vicki ~" wrote in message
...
I didn't think it was a silly question. In fact it is a very good
question and I am looking forward to seeing some answers.

Vicki

currently looking at homes. This will help me decide on either a slab
built home or one with a crawl space.


But you can't get 'good' answers. If you go for a slab house will the usual
4" of concrete support the weight? Or do you need 6" where the aquarium
goes?

Crawl space? 16" centers or 18" centers. What kind of wood for the aquarium
area? Parallel or cross joist?

It's still a silly question. You need a strualal engineer to give an answer.

ISP Notified! ***Confirmed Troll Alert***

"Bousch" - if that is really your name, after all - you have trolled
this groups long enough and your posts are becoming abusive and
tiresome. I have notified you ISP of your abuse. I suggest you
desist in your derogatory remarks and apologize, ot face the
consequences of having your email account revoked.

PLEASE read the FAQ before posting next time!!!

Hank Newmeyer
=============
"The beatings will continue until morale improves."

"D&M" wrote in message
...
I've always wondered what a mess 90g's of water makes....


I had a 110gal break years ago. It's bad. Real bad. If it ever happens to
you, a shop-vac will be your new best friend.

levittd