I have no idea...

[Juxtaroberto]

...what these are called. I hope someone can tell me their name... They're normally used for holding cars up, I think. They have a metal base, I think it's painted orange, and the part that actually holds stuff up looks kind of like an enormous screw. You turn a lever and this "Screw" rises and pushes up whatever is above it. I really suck at describing. No idea what it's called, but if you know what I'm talking about... would this be a viable option for supporting a floor? There is a crawl space beneath where I plan to put a big tank, and I'd like to use cinder blocks and "these things" to support the floor from beneath. I really hope someone knows what I'm talking about.

 

[joe jaskot]

Screw jack. http://www.ellisok.com/ellisok/rescon.html

 

[skjl47]

Hello; That will be an expensive way to brace a floor. If you use cinder blocks, it may be best to place them with the holes facing up and a piece of plywood laid on top and then the screw jack. A less expensive way may be to cut 4x4 or 6x6 posts to sit on top of the blocks. There are pre formed metal brackets made to tie these posts to floor structure. You may also want to sister some additional boards to the existing floor joists.
You do not say how much height you have in the crawl space. That will be a big factor with regard to how difficult it will be to work under there.
Talk to the folks at one of the big hardware stores, they may point you in a good direction. Good luck.

 

[docturtle91b]

They actually make jacks to go under homes and support the floor that stay in place. I think the ones that we used support 2500lbs or so each. Check Home Depot bc that is where we got ours. Good luck and next time I'm under the house I'll try to get a photo for you so you can see how we did it.

 

[skjl47]

They actually make jacks to go under homes and support the floor that stay in place. I think the ones that we used support 2500lbs or so each. Check Home Depot bc that is where we got ours. Good luck and next time I'm under the house I'll try to get a photo for you so you can see how we did it.

Hello; I have three of those in place in my basement. They are about eight feet long, set into the cement floor and have an adjustment bolt threaded into the top. That is why I asked about the height of the crawl space. It may be that shorter one exist that can be used in a crawl space. Great minds thinking along the same lines??

 

[docturtle91b]

Our house in on a hill so the crawl space so some of the crawl space (under my fish room) is about six feet with the rest being around 3-4 feet.

 

[Juxtaroberto]

Our crawl space is about 3 ft. Thanks for all the replies.

 

[Juxtaroberto]

The tank will be 8 ft long. Couldn't I buy four or five of these (http://www.homedepot.com/buy/tools-hardware/auto/1-5-ton-screw-jack-two-stage-70943.html) and pace them at regular intervals right beneath where the tank will be? Each one is rated for 1.5 tons, whereas the tank will have about 6500 lbs of water, plus decoration. If one holds up 1.5 tons... shouldn't two hold up 3 tons?

 

[deeda]

No you cannot use that type as a permanent floor support because it is oil filled and can potentially 'bleed off' and slowly retract.

You are actually looking for something called a lally column or pole.

 

[Juxtaroberto]

No you cannot use that type as a permanent floor support because it is oil filled and can potentially 'bleed off' and slowly retract.

You are actually looking for something called a lally column or pole.

I wouldn't even have guessed that was the case. Lally pole seems to be it... would it be possible to use lumber vertically for this? Any step by step instructions?