How much weight can garage floors hold?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
TaylorD;4351343; said:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071018214447AAiZaVg

really hope this helps... had some time to burn, figured this was exactly what you were looking for
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This is somewhat helpful, but I was told a while back that code did not always require garage floors to be reinforced until. At our last place, the floor was completely cracked into quadrants due to the Whittier earthquake many years ago. I guess code has changed, but this would certainly have been built before that.
 
you'll definetly be fine, houses weigh between 50 and 300 tons (short tons for the internationals) and will have the wieght mostly around the exterior walls. (so in concentrated areas on the slab, unless it's post tension where it will be more evenly distributed than regular slabs)

your tank/pond will be a drop in the hat in comparison.

be sure to post pics!
 
yogurt_21;4351487; said:
you'll definetly be fine, houses weigh between 50 and 300 tons (short tons for the internationals) and will have the wieght mostly around the exterior walls. (so in concentrated areas on the slab, unless it's post tension where it will be more evenly distributed than regular slabs)

your tank/pond will be a drop in the hat in comparison.

be sure to post pics!
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When the time comes, I promise to have a thread. Meanwhile, I'm working on other stuff (literally still getting silicone off my hands), and will start an updated thread on the 600 in probably a week or so.
 
standard concrete is 2500psi. If you think about it your car sits on 4 tires that are around 1 sq. foot each, your car weighs roughly 3000 Lbs. So the floor is holding 750 Lbs per sq. foot. This will not be a problem. If you dug around the edges of the floor you found the footing which is always thicker than the slab as the footing holds the weight of the structure. you can determiune the thicknes by drilling a small hole through the floor. Look at Johnptc's thread on his build it's directly on the slab without a footing. You will be fine!
 
johnny potatoes;4351501; said:
standard concrete is 2500psi. If you think about it your car sits on 4 tires that are around 1 sq. foot each, your car weighs roughly 3000 Lbs. So the floor is holding 750 Lbs per sq. foot. This will not be a problem. If you dug around the edges of the floor you found the footing which is always thicker than the slab as the footing holds the weight of the structure. you can determiune the thicknes by drilling a small hole through the floor. Look at Johnptc's thread on his build it's directly on the slab without a footing. You will be fine!
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So, I'm looking at a perimeter? I really don't want to drill into the concrete. The garage is a well finished room with crown moulding. I'd hate to jack up the floor.

Actually, I did look at John's thread, but given that I'm not living over an industrial workshop, I wasn't so sure that the same rules would apply for my foundation. :)
 
i will hold the wait i myself would make sure i had alot of different points of contact to the floor the more you can spreed the weight out the better but any concrete over 4 inches should be able to hold up a really big tank reinforced or not but like i said just make sure the weight is spreed out
 
IMO, Wet Whiskers...
you are totally over analyzing this... some really good point have been brought up.. and I can TOTALLY respect you feeling better safe then sorry.

If you have a garage thats approximately 60 years old, that does not have a fault line in it yet... I think your sitting pretty.

Just think construction, (for the most part) years ago buildings were way 'over' built, being.. Built to last. Sit back and try to think just how much has been stored in that garage of yours. An how much different things have been.. being tools, or trucks, or cars, or furniture, or well anything.

Cement for the most part.. is built to last, and to hold.. a LOT, the perfect examples above.. a car, or.. your House.

The thing with pools/ponds/aquariums ... Sure they weigh a LOT.. but its a LOT over a very large space..

I really think (honestly) .. sit back, take a breath .. laugh, then go ahead an build the best darned home for fish you can build :)

Either way.. Good luck, and Subscribed


Taylor
 
Drill a small hole 1/4" max it will be under the pond anyway. What type of construction will the pond be? Concrete block or wood framed?
 
TaylorD;4351545; said:
IMO, Wet Whiskers...
you are totally over analyzing this... some really good point have been brought up.. and I can TOTALLY respect you feeling better safe then sorry.

If you have a garage thats approximately 60 years old, that does not have a fault line in it yet... I think your sitting pretty.

Just think construction, (for the most part) years ago buildings were way 'over' built, being.. Built to last. Sit back and try to think just how much has been stored in that garage of yours. An how much different things have been.. being tools, or trucks, or cars, or furniture, or well anything.

Cement for the most part.. is built to last, and to hold.. a LOT, the perfect examples above.. a car, or.. your House.

The thing with pools/ponds/aquariums ... Sure they weigh a LOT.. but its a LOT over a very large space..

I really think (honestly) .. sit back, take a breath .. laugh, then go ahead an build the best darned home for fish you can build :)

Either way.. Good luck, and Subscribed


Taylor
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This is a family home (that I just took a giant mortage out on). I'm sure not going to be the one to jack it up after 60 years of wonderful care! Besides, my bedroom is just downhill of it. I have to make sure I do this perfectly, or not only could I end up with a cracked floor, but a cracked tank and a flooded house.:WHOA: :nilly:

If I didn't think there was a really good shot at it being okay, I wouldn't be entertaining the idea. Also, analyzing every angle and everything we put into a project is just what my husband and I do. We try to make sure we prevent problems from happening. We will be putting several thousand dollars into this as well as my beloved catfish, so no half way or guestimating is going into this project. :)


johnny potatoes;4351547; said:
Drill a small hole 1/4" max it will be under the pond anyway. What type of construction will the pond be? Concrete block or wood framed?
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I'm not sure. I kind of figured that I'd start with the floor and work my way up. I'd love to go concrete block, but I have a lot to look at before any decisions are made. There is a strong possiblity that is going to be our one and only home, so putting something fairly permanent in isn't out of the question.

Oh, and the 600 gallon and the 180 are sitting where the pond would be going so I'd have to drill somewhere else. I'll go into the attached office, pull up the corner of the carpet and see about drilling there.
 
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