Fish Tank Leak

[Joshwainwright]

I'm wanting to make my loft into a fish room...

Would home insurance cover any damage if a tank leaked?

 

[TheBigEasy]

doubt it.

 

[Joshwainwright]

ah...

 

[Colin_T]

I'm not sure the floor in a loft will be strong enough for a lot of fish tanks. You might want to get it checked by an engineer to make sure it can support the weight of all the tanks you want to get.

 

[pippoodle]

the only way to check is to phone the insurance company and sometimes they'll charge you to add this on to your policy , i had it added to my policy to cover normal furnishings and electrical goods that might be damaged by fish tank leak as reading the small print many home contents insurance policies DO NOT cover leakages from fish tanks - i paid extra £50 a year but it's worth it IMO

 

[-SPB-]

I should imagine the joists in a loft would need supporting to hold the weight of the tanks from a fish room. Best way to find out would be to get a structural engineer round and see what they said.

Best to check with the insurance company as said above, last thing you'd want is an entire floor wiping out, only to find out your not covered.

 

[karigupi]

agreed with the above, if you want to keep a tank in a loft you should invest in a survey to check the strength of the floors, also I would imagine there will be problems with access to do water changes & other maintenance?

 

[mixmaster jay]

the floor struts wont take the stress of the tanks if you do a normal loft conversion you need to add extra trusses to the floor to make it stonger and the insurance i very doubt will not cover you i dont think it would be financially viable to do it personally

 

[Joshwainwright]

I really want to get this project going...
I'm not calling it off.

A engineer will cost too much, I might just go ahead and do it, I will only be having 8 10Gal tanks...
I think the structure is strong enough to hold that...

 

[mixmaster jay]

a general guideline for freshwater is around 1 kilo for 1 litre so work out all the weight from that and then add the wieght of the tanks and stands and then ask a builder as a general question that way it wont cost you in serveying fees if you want to go and doit anyway

 

[pippoodle]

just be careful cos if you damage your house then you'll be paying a lot more than getting an engineer out - having to repair it safely

see if there's a local builder that will come around and have a look for you for a few quid - worth it in the long run

 

[karigupi]

how does the saying go?
'act in haste, repent at leisure'

I think its a lovely idea & could look stunning, noone wants you to have to give up on your dream, but I really do think its worth getting an opinion on the strength of your boarding. As Pipoodle says, a local builder would probably help for a few quid or a pint in the pub lol.

Do you know anyone in the building trade who could offer a friendly opinion.

It would be such a shame to go ahead & then the worst happens, can you imagine the damage to your house? What if tanks came through at night, who would be underneath all the glass?

 

[youngfisher]

Josh, you said you want to do this all properly. In the long run it will be werfit matey

 

[Joshwainwright]

8 ten gallon tanks, they don't weigh that much, its like 8 of me I think...

 

[saz326]

As long as you make the floor watertight to deal with a leak then you shouldnt worry too much.

Look at your setup. If an external filter leaks then there is the posibility of a whole tank emptying - the same as if a tank itself goes *pop*. So position the tanks above an area that is prepared to recieve water. Design the setup to be ready for when a tank or filter goes. If 60 litres of water were to spill out into an area 1 metre square, it would only be 6cm deep (100cm x 100cm = 1metre square = 10000cm. 1 ml fits into 1cm cubed. so 6 "layers" of 10000cm cubed)

..if that makes sence.

So to survive the flood for a 60 litre tank you would need to build a "tray" to catch water 1 metre squared and at least 6 cm high. You can easily line a floor with something watertight like vinyl, but make sure it also goes up the walls a little way. Do it decoratively and ensure the joins are either "welded" or strongly made with something like silicone.

There is no reason why a tank or two collapsing on you should be a household disaster. Keep it a fish room disaster and save the telly.