5Ft X 2Ft X2Ft Tank

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stephen57911

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hi i have just bought a 5ft x 2ft x2ft tank that im planning on setting up but i live in a first floor maisonette the floors are concrete but im not sure how thick they are would it be safe ????
 
hi i have just bought a 5ft x 2ft x2ft tank that im planning on setting up but i live in a first floor maisonette the floors are concrete but im not sure how thick they are would it be safe ????


Nobody here can give you a answer to that, even if we have qualified structural engineers or architects on here, they would need a site visit to tell you. So if you are looking for lots of "yeaaaaah no worries, it will easily support it" you wont get any and if you do, you should ignore them. So, if you are concerned, I'd be looking in the phone book for a local builder/engineer to point you in the right direction.
 
only wanted some advice i thought another forum member might of had the same issues with one of there setups i didn't want a full surveyors report
 
Even if they had they wouldn't be using the same floors as you so couldn't give a definitive answer. Only an engineer could (well an answer that would give you some insurance anyway)
 
Even if they had they wouldn't be using the same floors as you so couldn't give a definitive answer. Only an engineer could (well an answer that would give you some insurance anyway)

Fill your bath up, get in it then get your mrs in with you... Does your floor break through..?

I think not, problem solved :)
 
Wait so are you on the ground floor ( I know you said first but the flors wouldn't be concrete if there was a floor below ?)

If its concrete and under that concrete is earth it's fine ( unless I've read this completely wrong I don't see a issue ) :blink:
 
I am a structural engineer and I would not take any direct advice saying it will be fine as it depends on plank spans and location of tank. Also wall construction below would be something to consider.

Wait so are you on the ground floor ( I know you said first but the flors wouldn't be concrete if there was a floor below ?)​

Most flats and maisonettes have concrete floors as generally the spans can be greater, it is easier to install on large sites and sound regulations are easier to conform too due to the nature of the construction. Cost also plays a factor but timber and concrete actually works out pretty similar to each other.

On a note though assuming that the building has been built in the last 15 years then it is feasible that the floor should be able to support the tank but you have to get someone to do a structural survey unless you can find out yourself which way the floor spans, what size are the floor planks, what dead and live load the floor has been designed to support. Explain where you are placing, i.e. close to structural wall or to a partition wall (99% will also just be partition or nothing below) which will need to be factored.

Fill your bath get in it then get your mrs in with you... Does your floor break through..?​

Lets work out why this doesn't work.

The floor in the flat again will 99% be the same throughout the building which means they have done dead load checks and know the weight of a bath that is full to capacity. Assuming that the bath is 5ft in length 2ft wide and 1ft deep (standard bath size) then you can see that is only supporting half the load that the tank will be holding in water without additional weight of the cabinet, external filter/sump.

On another note if you do get in the bath with your misses stand up as that will displace the minimum amount of water while adding maximum weight. Although the bath itself may not like that so stand apart rather than next to each other to spread the load. (Don't recommend this as the bath itself is not designed to support a full bath of water and two people standing up in it)

Now for some basic maths. Assuming that you weigh in at a tidy 11stone and your mrs weighs in around 9 stone giving a total weight of 20 stone or 280pounds, your bath is 10 cubic foot. One cubic foot of water is 62.5 pounds so the bath water weighs in at 625 pounds when full.

Your tank water is double that approximately which works out at 1250 pounds without the tank, cabinet or external filter/pump. The tank glass weighs in around 250 pounds, the cabinet weighs around 125 pounds. So that is totalling around 1625 pounds.

You, your mrs and the bath are only weighing in at 905 pounds. The tub itself weighs in around 30 pounds assuming that it is a standard modern bathtub. So your total is 935 pounds.

Between your bath and the tank there is a good 690pounds or another bath and a bit of water weight your floor may not be designed for.
 
Not forgetting the fact that most baths are placed near a load bearing wall and not plonked next to the bed in the bedroom / in the center of a span.

I guess you are getting the idea now, too many factors for anyone here to say yes or no, regardless.
 
Even if they had they wouldn't be using the same floors as you so couldn't give a definitive answer. Only an engineer could (well an answer that would give you some insurance anyway)

Fill your bath up, get in it then get your mrs in with you... Does your floor break through..?

I think not, problem solved :)

That comparison holds no water, as in a nonsense comparison...

A typical bath (but they come in many sizes) will hold ~225l, which will weigh a fraction over 225Kg (allowing for minerals dissolved, pur water is 1Kg/l)
The scientific "standard man" weighs 70Kg, so that is 140Kg, but when you both get in the bath you will displace some water out of the bath
If the bath is the old cast iron style, it will weigh ~100Kg (an old job of mine involved taking these to scrap merchants)

So the "bath/ 2 standard man system" will weigh a fraction over ~250-300Kg (very rough figure, based on unknown water displacement) , spread over ~5 foot.

A 5x2x2 tank holds ~566l, weighing ~566Kg.
The tank itself will most likely weight well in excess of 150Kg (it took four people to carry my 5x2x2 tank)
What weight is the tank stand? Lets say 30Kg, but it can vary massively
Then there is the sand/gravel; boulders; bogwood, that will add more weight to the system (but will displce some water)

Could eaily be 800Kg, spread over 5 foot, that is staying in place for years most likely.

So the tank will be exerting over twice the pressure onto the floor. This was one of the reasons my 5x2x2 is in the garage instead of in our first floor maisonette. ;)
 
i live on the first floor Not the ground floor and the building is prefab concrete and my floor is concrete?
 
i live on the first floor Not the ground floor and the building is prefab concrete and my floor is concrete?

You won't know without having someone come around. No one here is going to be able to advise you any further without full structural details on your building

I hope that the maths shows that you really need to get someone experienced to take a look if you are not sure yourself.

Kind Regards,

Adam
 
[/quote]
(Don't recommend this as the bath itself is not designed to support a full bath of water and two people standing up in it)

[/quote]

better not let the missus see this!!
 
Sorry Stephen. I think you can see that none of us competent to evaluate the loading is going to give you an answer that you would like without an on-site inspection. As has been said repeatedly, there are just too many variables. If you want to place a large load in any building, not typical furniture and people loads, you need to either have the expertise yourself or find someone who has it to evaluate the load you propose to add. Do not forget that simply filling a tank in your home and finding that the floor does not fail immediately is also no guarantee that it will continue to hold that load. There are both long term and short term problems with excessive loads. Many structures will carry a load short term but eventually fail if subjected to that same load over a long period of time, like you would have with an aquarium. In those cases, a marginally acceptable load will gradually deform the structure until it finally fails. Anything but a direct support by a typical concrete slab on undisturbed soil is going to be affected both by the short term ability to carry a load and the longer term effects of creep due to the sustained load. Even concrete poured directly on undisturbed soil can creep if the soil structure itself is not one of the more stable ones.
Get professional advice please.
 

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