Whats the biggest tank I could get with no worries on the second floor of my house? Was thinking 90-125 gallon. The floor is wood and have no idea if its safe.
Biggest tank reccomended on second floor?
- Thread starter AnthonyFish20
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Lifes a gamble. Put in as large as you think the floor can handle. A well constructed floor can handle quite a load if you distribute the weight right
Yes, a well constructed floor can take a surprising amount of weight but unless the OP is a structural engineer how the hell does he know if his floor is indeed well constructed. Without that crucial info it is indeed a very very big gamble. It's certainly not a gamble i'd be prepared to take and I certainly wouldn't advise someone else just to take a gamble on it.
As Tom said, get a second opinion from someone who's knowledgeable in construction.
A 200Gal tank with water would be practically a Ton spread over a few sq ft provided the base is perfectly flat.
Especially true if its an older house, although in this day and age, maybe older houses are more solid..
That's a pretty high stakes gamble, I'd get some professional advice myself......
Hello; If the OP owns the building then it is his risk. However if someone else owns the building and the property is damaged there is a lot of liability. This seems poor advice to me.Hello; I found an old article. Here is a link.
To answer the OP's initial question, this is my take. Without knowing anything about the details of floor structure my comfort zone for tank size stops at 55 gallons. let me give an example. My current home has a typical wood floor on 16inch centered floor joists. The floor joists span 12 feet from a foundation wall to a center support beam. The joists are X braced at the center of the span.
I set up a 55 gallon tank in one room. I placed it in the worst possible position. That being near the center of the span and running parallel with the floor joists. I figured a 55 would be fine at around 550 to 600 pounds even with this poor placement.
The floor did not collapse but I began to note some sloshing in the tank when I walked thru the room. The floor was flexing a bit. Not necessarily a prelude to collapse but not a good sign.
I was lucky in that there was a simple way to add a support under the floor where the tank sits as I have a 2/3 full unfinished basement. I also am fairly handy with some construction experience. I knew what to look for in terms of sound structure and had easy access. My floor is in good shape but the weight of a smallish 55 gallon tank placed in a poor position was enough to need some minor bracing.
If the OP cannot see the underlying floor structure which is common for a second floor room, then how can the structure possibly be known? I figure an experienced contractor will have enough experience to make an educated guess if the structure is visible. But if the structure is covered with finish work even an engineer cannot make an informed guess.
At the most a 75 gallon would be the upper limit if placed near a supporting wall and running perpendicular to the joists. Above that size I would want to have a lot of knowledge about both the style of the construction and the current condition of that structure.
To answer the OP's initial question, this is my take. Without knowing anything about the details of floor structure my comfort zone for tank size stops at 55 gallons. let me give an example. My current home has a typical wood floor on 16inch centered floor joists. The floor joists span 12 feet from a foundation wall to a center support beam. The joists are X braced at the center of the span.
I set up a 55 gallon tank in one room. I placed it in the worst possible position. That being near the center of the span and running parallel with the floor joists. I figured a 55 would be fine at around 550 to 600 pounds even with this poor placement.
The floor did not collapse but I began to note some sloshing in the tank when I walked thru the room. The floor was flexing a bit. Not necessarily a prelude to collapse but not a good sign.
I was lucky in that there was a simple way to add a support under the floor where the tank sits as I have a 2/3 full unfinished basement. I also am fairly handy with some construction experience. I knew what to look for in terms of sound structure and had easy access. My floor is in good shape but the weight of a smallish 55 gallon tank placed in a poor position was enough to need some minor bracing.
If the OP cannot see the underlying floor structure which is common for a second floor room, then how can the structure possibly be known? I figure an experienced contractor will have enough experience to make an educated guess if the structure is visible. But if the structure is covered with finish work even an engineer cannot make an informed guess.
At the most a 75 gallon would be the upper limit if placed near a supporting wall and running perpendicular to the joists. Above that size I would want to have a lot of knowledge about both the style of the construction and the current condition of that structure.
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