Will my floor support it?

[Jflip2002]

Alright, I asked this on the other site. No one was too positive, and I only had a couple responses. I have a 190g, thats only 20" tall. I want this in the extra bedroom we have in our house, rather than our converted garage, which is now another extra room. The side bedroom is lifted off the ground (like the rest of the house), and is hardwood floors. Will this tank fall through? I mean the floor feels solid, but Im 1/10 of what this tank will be lol. Curious if anyone has a real idea.

I was thinking I could put it by the window, which is obviously a supporting wall. Itd be close to the outside of the house, where Im sure theres more support that closer to the center of the house.

[Jflip2002]

Side note: Its only 126 lbs per square foot.

[ScruffyRubicon]

Originally Posted by Jflip2002

Side note: Its only 126 lbs per square foot.

I don't think you will have a problem.

Can you get to the underside of the floor? If your concerned just support the floor joists with boards going in an X shape from the bottom of one beam to the top of the next all across the area the tank covers

[kwdelre]

what is holding the room up? Are they solid beams of wood? Need more information about the actual structure. My first hunch is yes. That's not a lot of weight if the room is supported correctly. But we could use some more info.

[chrischris]

if its supported good youll have no problem putting it there

[Jflip2002]

I took a peak under the house, and they look like a bunch of 2x4 beams. I couldnt see directly under that room, but I dont see why itd be different just for that one room. I will not be going under the house, PERIOD lol. Im allergic to bug bites, and I dont like small places.

[ScruffyRubicon]

2 X 4 seem awfully small. Sure they're not 2 x 6 or larger?

[kwdelre]

Hmmmm 2x4's or 2x6's? If 2x4 then I'm not so confident, but 2x6 will support it flawlessly. But once again we are assuming that the builder did it correctly.

[Jflip2002]

I have no idea if they are 2x4 or 2x6. I couldnt really tell, and I didnt have a ruler lol. they are beams though lol.

[crvz]

If you straddle the beams, it should hold no problem. Would you think twice about putting 20 people in the room? Probably not.

[Jnicho]

How old is the house....newer construction will have been built with codes that require pretty strong floor loading...I've seen older house with only 2x4 floor joints and if that's the case I'd be worried about not adding some extra support.

[Jflip2002]

My house looks older. Id imagine this house was built around the 50s.

[kwdelre]

Originally Posted by crvz

If you straddle the beams, it should hold no problem. Would you think twice about putting 20 people in the room? Probably not.

Yeah but you're talking 20 people distributed throughout the room, not 20 people standing in the spot for the tank. If the house was built in the 50's I personally would not risk it unless I was certain that they are 2x6's or I have added additional support.

[Jnicho]

I don't think in good conscience I can say it sounds OK unless you can be sure of the size of the floor joists. I rehab houses and I've seen lots of older house with 2x4 joists that are cracked. I'm currently working a house that was built in '53 and has 2x8 joists, but from that era building codes will vary a lot geographically, so they could be anything...with tank, water, rock, stand, etc...you're talking 2000lbs or maybe more. Assuming the tank is around 6' to 8' long and the joists are running perpendicular you're potentially putting ~400-500 lbs per joist. If it were my house I would want to get under there and inspect it before I put that kind of weight on the floor. If you're uncomfortable inspecting it yourself I imagine you can get a home inspector to come out and do a "mini" inspection on that area for not a lot of $$$. I'm sure he won't give you a "guarantee" but they could give you an "opinion" and let you know if everything looks structurally sound.

That's my $.02

[Loverotties]

I doubt it's 2X4 but it should be ok as long as you go over a couple of the joists.

[Elegance Coral]

I agree with Jnicho. I also restore historic homes and buildings. I don't know about California, but here in Florida, there are no older houses without some termite damage. Even without termite damage, someone needs to go under the house to inspect the condition of the rim and floor joists. There needs to be a support directly under the tank. If the tank will be parallel to the joists, there may only be one or two joists holding up the tank. Even with the older 2x8's that are really 2 inches x 8 inches, they will sag in time if not supported properly. I don't believe the floor will fail and drop the tank to the ground, but if it begins to warp under the pressure, the glass of the tank will not move with it. The glass will break.