Supporting the weight of large tanks

[tttnjfttt]

One of my friends wants to set up a large tank, 100+ gallons. I know with larger tanks, you need to be concerned with will the floor support the weight. So how can he find out if his floor can support his tank?

 

[Angry_Platy]

If he can get hold of building codes and/or plans it may help. I think it lists there the maximum weight the structure can handle. if it in a ground floor and the ground floor isn't timber then it should be fine. Second stories are a different story tho.

 

[andywg]

Unless the second story is a concrete floor (like mine ).

Basically you need to find out what the floor is. If it is suspended wood and not concrete then you really have to look at shoring up the floor to ensure it can take the weight.

Other methods are to make sure it goes in the same direction as floorboards so that it rests on a number of joists instead of just one or two.

Lastly, always try and place it near a load bearing (exterior) wall as this will better cope with the weight.

 

[annka5]

Personally, unless you've good building knowledge, or it's fairly obvious it'll be OK (e.g. ground floor, concrete) i'd say you get someone to have a quick look at it - it might cost but will be cheaper than fixing any damage.

 

[rdd1952]

If you have a crawl space under your house, go under and see what it looks like. It is always better to put the length of the tank across the floor joists rather than running parallel with them.