Need help !!!! floor supports for 260g tank

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Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jan 1, 2007
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Hi, I am planning to put a 220g and 40g sump on the first floor. Below is my basement and the tank going to sit right on top of the square box. It is a 6ft long tank and so one side is on top of the beam and the other side is close to the wall. Do you think I need a floor jack on the side close to the wall?. or it would be ok without. The tank is sitting on top of three parallel supports and I am not sure it strong enough to hold a 260g of water plus rock and sand.floor.jpg

floor.jpg
 
I believe the black pipeline is for your gas, just that alone would not try to jack the joist up, or put the aquarium in that area.
 
Little over 2100 lbs+.......I'd consider building load bearing walls underneath and blocking the joist solid......that's alot of weight on 2 or 3 parallel joist

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Looks like you are putting it over a gas line... It also looks like those are engineered joists and not solid wood. I don't know the strength ratios, but if you had notched a solid joist like that (at the bottom and not in the middle) you would have weakened the integrity of the joist. Sounds like a bad idea to me, but I am not a structural engineer, and that is who you should be asking imo. :)
 
Yep, the joint are not solid wood and that is why im worry. One side of the tank is sitting on top of a solid beam so that should be good. Im thinking on the other side i can use a 2x6 going from the wall out to 3ft and have a floor jack there.
This is the strongest place in the house because it right on top of the beam. The black pipe is the gas line and you are right, if the floor crash and break that line then im in big trouble
 
appak said:
Looks like you are putting it over a gas line... It also looks like those are engineered joists and not solid wood. I don't know the strength ratios, but if you had notched a solid joist like that (at the bottom and not in the middle) you would have weakened the integrity of the joist. Sounds like a bad idea to me, but I am not a structural engineer, and that is who you should be asking imo. :)
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+1. Perhaps 2 railroad ties right up against the subflooring supported by 4 joist jacks
 
fast said:
The black pipe is the gas line and you are right, if the floor crash and break that line then im in big trouble
Click to expand...
Perhaps there's an option to reroute the pipes
 
rayguy84 said:
Little over 2100 lbs+.......I'd consider building load bearing walls underneath and blocking the joist solid......that's alot of weight on 2 or 3 parallel joist

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Click to expand...

You thinking building a 2x4 wall on the other side of the tank near the wall?
 
I am going the other way. I think you are in fairly good shape. That type of joist is actually stronger than the dimensional lumber that would be used in place of it. Holes in the web of 1.5" or less are generally not a problem. The glue lam beam on one end of the tank is the main reason I think you are in good shape. It makes for a short span with three joist under the tank. The only thing I might be concerned about is the joist hangers on the other end. I would probably put up a 2"x6" header spanning 4 joist and two jack stands at that end. You can make the header with 2 2"x6"s and a piece of OSB in the middle of them. Drive nails in at an angel on both sides to make the sandwich then install with the 6" side vertical, so you can see the OSB on the bottom of the beam.

I looked at the picture again and it looks like the joist are setting on the seal plate and not using hangers. If that is the case I would not change anything. But you should do what you think is best. I might be missing something just from looking at a picture.

I would not try to sister directly to the joist. The way they are made will make it hard to do much good with a sister joist. If you can fit an extra joist between each of the existing ones, going from the glue lam beam to the foundation, it would make for good insurance.
 
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