180 Gallon Floor Reinforcement

[Robulus153]

Hello Folks,

I'm searching to upgrade my 125 fish tank for a 180 gallon fish tank. I know 125 is about the limit for a foundation house. I would like advice on how to brace the floor underneath. I will attach a few picturces and add a description of the flooring. I'm looking for you thoughts and idea's and please hold the "talk to a civil engineer and contractor."


The beams are 2x10's and the room is 13'5" by 11'.

I've attached two photos to give you and idea of the space.

The main support beam is 5 2x10's attached.

Here is the fish room from above:
The wall behind the 125 is the where the support beam underneath the house is (pic above).


The window behind the 45 fish tank additonal support and have a picture below.



Here is what the rest of the floor looks like

I also noticed i have water and sewage right underneath the tank. Does that work in my favor for setting up a drip system for a possible rectic ray setup?



I have a couple other photos but don't know if they would he helpful. I can get addtional information if needed.

Thanks

 

[pops]

what direction do your joists run in relation to where you want the tank, I personally had no issues with my 180, its against a load bearing wall. you can shore it up with some cement piers and 4x4 if worried about it. cheap and easy.

 

[blindkiller85]

The plumbing aspect, yes you're spot on there. How to create it, well that can be done several different ways. Regardless you need a hole in the floor and cutting the sewage pipe (Yummy) to connect in a line for the overflow within the drip system, keeping the sewage smell out, you've got me stumped other than doing a P-Trap. Getting water back is nearly the same. Taking a pressurized water line to another hole in the floor to your tank and putting in the necessary valve(s) to add water back in. Could be done a few different ways. Reducing ball valve, could do a float valve for a refill next to the drain. And I'm sure there are other different innovations that people have done here that are different and possibly superior.

The floor itself, honestly without being there I cannot and will not give you advice. Nor should anyone. Though this is a public forum, everyone that has a functioning brain knows that if we tell you "Yes you're fine to put a 500g tank on that floor" and you do so and it causes serious damage, we are liable for your mistakes. Because we approved it. So I would have to tell you what you don't want to hear. Talk to someone who deals with this, knows this and is in your area. Because if they approve, they are liable. And you know where to find them. We all know from others experience in the past that being next to the load bearing wall is where you want your tank. Because it has little distance to travel and disperse the weight and takes little reinforcement to get it ready for a heavier tank. But I can't tell you to do it or not.

 

[Robulus153]

what direction do your joists run in relation to where you want the tank, I personally had no issues with my 180, its against a load bearing wall. you can shore it up with some cement piers and 4x4 if worried about it. cheap and easy.

Pops - they run parallel to the side of the house, meaning the tank will be over several joists. The tank sits just above the load bearing wall in the first picture. I may try adding another pic to clarify.

BlindKiller- Thanks for the drip system advice. I still have a lot to learn about them but think it should be easier since i have the connections right below the tank. I won't hold any one liable as its my ultimate decision. I think i will be able to ask a builder but still like the the idea's of other people who have done this before.

Adding sister joists with blocks may be the best route.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; I agree with the advice to get someone with knowledge of structure to have a look at your floor. A good contractor with experience and references should know. Be sure to check out any suggestions by us on this or any other site.

You look to have a fairly common floor. Looks like it is on 16" centers. I am guessing that your crawl space has a dirt floor so whatever you decide to do to brace the floor will likely require some sort of footer. That is a hole filled with cement on which you can place some sort of brace.
A brace from the footer to the floor could be made from wood such as 4x4 dimensional lumber or perhaps steel lolly poles that have a screw jack built in to help adjust the length.
On top of such a brace a 4x4 can be run perpendicular to the floor joists to catch the floor.
You can also box the existing floor joists with lengths of dimensional lumber to help tie the floor together.
Your lumber is blue tinted so it is likely treated and I would use treated lumber for any additional bracing.
All that being said, if you are not experienced with doing such work there will be a risk. Get someone with experience to help you or the results could be bad.

I think this is a link to what can happen

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...-out-there-Question-about-reinforcing-a-floor

Good luck and again get someone with knowledge to help.

 

[Robulus153]

Thanks for the advice and It's certainly something that if i can get the advice i will. I'm going to do it with my Father and he has done a lot with house's in his time.

That link caught my eye before i bought my hosue and decided to move forward with the upgrade. It looks like he didnt run his tank opposite of the joists run and the whole thing was built of particle board. I think that should work the way you described, but i will be sure to update with the final product.

Please keep commenting. I thought there would be more people to reinforce floors on here.

 

[skjl47]

hello; In past threads about floor structure I have posted that no one on this forum can give you good advice sight unseen. Someone with knowledge of structure needs to have a look see first hand. I have placed the link in my last post in several such threads since it showed up on the forum a while back. The number of "go ahead it will be fine" posts have been less since that thread.

If your father has the experience to do such work, then you are in luck. I have been amazed at times at the things I have found in houses which show no basic understanding of structure. Watch the Mike Holmes or other home repair shows for examples.

What you want can be done. There are a number of ways to go about it. Some can be very elaborate and difficult while others can be quick and risky. You could place a board (or cinder block) on the dirt and wedge a brace under the floor in a short time but at best this will be somewhat risky. Over time the soil can compress, the board can move or some such and you could lose the support.

What ever method you choose, a good base may be worth the extra effort involved. You are in SC and should not have to go too deep for a footer like further north. Some will depend on the type of soil. There will be recomended ways to do this in the local codes.

If you have not worked in a crawl space, be prepared for everything to be very difficult.

The concept is simple; A strong verticle brace to catch the extra weight of a big tank. The materials you use and the execution will be the difference. I would still suggest that you consult a knowledgeable person at least with your plan. Even then without knowing what your skills are, it will be hard to know how things will turn out.
I have done many things for the first time and often have made errors simply because I was not familiar with how things worked. The devil is in the details. To many people pouring a footer is simple because they understand how it is supposed to go. The details can make a difference. How much water to use? (the amount of water can affect the strength) What mix to use? Do you need to add reinforcement? How deep? What size footprint? Do you put wood ditectly onto cement or do you need to sink a metal bracket into the wet cement?

Good luck