Will My Floor Take The Weight And Presure?

[GeordieFishLover]

My floor in my bedroom should take the weight of a 6ft x1.5ft x2ft shouldnt it?

 

[tom_os]

what floor is it?

 

[liamg1285]

if its concrete yes if it wooden floor joists i wouldnt think so but depends how big the joists are i suppose

 

[K-Holed]

That's about the weight 7 full grown men. Most house's floors should be able to take that weight. The trick is to spread the load over the greatest surface area possible and go across the joists if you can. My bath hasn't fallen through the ceiling yet and that's pretty darn heavy when full and with me in it.

 

[Geoff1991]

That's about the weight 7 full grown men. Most house's floors should be able to take that weight. The trick is to spread the load over the greatest surface area possible and go across the joists if you can. My bath hasn't fallen through the ceiling yet and that's pretty darn heavy when full and with me in it.

Yeah but the floor under the bath is reinforced for that reason...

 

[K-Holed]

So ... remove the bathroom and convert it into a fish room! Problem sorted! But in all seriousness, if the weight is spread across several joists, there's a good chance it will be fine. I would add a caveat though and say, if in any doubt, always consult a professional. There's no way of knowing what condition your floor is in, or what specific support there is in place. We could offer opinions all night, but I guess the underlying answer is what would you do if it fell through your ceiling? Would the insurance cover you or would you even live to ring the insurance people once the home owner got hold of you?!

 

[-SPB-]

I would get a professional in to inspect the floor, i'd rather pay a fee and get a definate yes or no, rather than have roughly half a tonne of water on top of me lol!!!!!

 

[Amunet]

I would get a professional in to inspect the floor, i'd rather pay a fee and get a definate yes or no, rather than have roughly half a tonne of water on top of me lol!!!!!

Ditto that!

 

[GeordieFishLover]

well my last tank was 4ft it took that

 

[youngfisher]

Yeh but its another 2ft extra. What I would do, is ring someone up for a quote about somthing the similar weight. most people do free call out quotes. so get a quote and just dont call them back

 

[bagu]

get a structural engineer round, my mate had too

 

[youngfisher]

You get what you pay for.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

you undoubtedly should consult a professional such as a structural engineer.

most houses are now built to minimum building reg standards to keep costs down, minimum building reg joists will not support that weight long term, I did some calcs on it once (used to work in construction) and I was amazed how little weight houses actually have to support now. If you are in an older house then none of us can comment on the standards it was built to or weather anything has happened such as the deterioration of the joists etc.

People also need to bear in mind that the long term stagnant weight of a fish tank is a completely different kettle of fish than the same weight in people stood there for a short term. The stresses on the joints are totally different so it' nto a viable comparison. Likewise baths are not permanent and there is usually extra re-inforcement built in to it.

A consultation with a structural engineer will probably cost you a couple of hundred quid, just think of the cost if it doesn't support it and it comes through the ceiling - particularly as your home insurance may not cover for it as you would not have shown due care and attention by putting something of that weight upstairs without consulting with a professional first.

there is only ever one answer to this question -speak to a professional, none of us have seen your house or inspected the construction, we cannot possibly give a value judgement as to weather it would be OK or not.

 

[Macko1968]

Well put Miss Wiggle.

I've seen a few threads were people give advice like "my tank is on the 1st floor & it's fine". Houses are different, built to varying standards & each needs to be professionaly assesed.

Miss Wiggle rightly points out the potential damage a tank will do coming through a ceiling. Just spare a few seconds to imagine the scene if your nearest & dearest was sat directly beneath it when that happened. Funerals cost a lot more than structural surveys.

 

[GeordieFishLover]

My floor in my bedroom should take the weight of a 6ft x1.5ft x2ft shouldnt it?

got my stepdads mate round here to my house and he says its all fine so im happy