Structural engineer
- Thread starter Jdadams
- Start date
Also keep in mind that the weight of the tank, stand, canopy (If there's one), sump, rock, sand, ATO and equipment could easily approach 3000lbs of static/dead load. Now have 3 or 4 adult males in front of the tank and you might have another 1000lbs of live load. So 250lbs/sf dead plus up to 167lbs/sf live right in front of it would give you approx 222lbs/sf mixed load in a 6'x3' space.
Well, With my stud finder it looks like my joist are parallel. Oh well, I guess while I’m buying equipment that’ll give me time to plan a way to support the bottom. There is the wall that separates both bedrooms that will run perpendicular to the tank, it’s directly under where the tank is going.
Seajay
New Member
Homebuilders don't put special supports under your bath tub. A jacuzzi tub can hold a hundred or more gallons of water and 2 full grown adults (or more, depending on what you're into. I don't judge) and nobody asks for advice on filling their bathtub. My very heavy electric reclining sectional sits in the middle of my living room and holds a family of 8. I don't see anybody posting "hey, my friends are coming over and they're kinda fat and will probably want to sit on my couch, should I add floor supports?" Remember waterbeds?? I had one in the early 90s. Pretty sure we didn't add support to the floor under that. I have solid oak dining table that weighs like 1,000 lbs. Should I add floor supports in time for Thanksgiving dinner? Just making the point that just because the live load rating of a floor is 40 lbs per square foot, doesn't mean that if I stand my 180lb body in one square foot of space(which I often do) I'm going to go crashing into the basement.
I'm not an engineer and I'm certainly not trying to dissuade you from consulting one, but I think you're over thinking it. I built a support structure under mine when I was finishing the basement because mine is parallel to the floor joists and only rested on a single joist. If my tank spanned 5 joists, I probably wouldn't have worried about it.
Sagging is the concern. A sagging floor can lead to sagging stand which leads to cracked tanks and failed seams. I would say that making sure your stand is sturdy and is a bigger concern.
If you have the space and you want to play it even safer, you can do like I did and build an 8.5 ft stand for your 6 ft tank and add some storage cabinets at the ends. That will spread the load over two more joists.
I'm not an engineer and I'm certainly not trying to dissuade you from consulting one, but I think you're over thinking it. I built a support structure under mine when I was finishing the basement because mine is parallel to the floor joists and only rested on a single joist. If my tank spanned 5 joists, I probably wouldn't have worried about it.
Sagging is the concern. A sagging floor can lead to sagging stand which leads to cracked tanks and failed seams. I would say that making sure your stand is sturdy and is a bigger concern.
If you have the space and you want to play it even safer, you can do like I did and build an 8.5 ft stand for your 6 ft tank and add some storage cabinets at the ends. That will spread the load over two more joists.
