Jump to content


Photo

How Much Can A 2nd Floor Support?


  • Please log in to reply
20 replies to this topic

#1 Mini-Mad-Craig

Mini-Mad-Craig

    Crazy About Metro's

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 9,298 posts
  • Location: Travelling in a fried out Kombi

Posted 12 March 2010 - 03:31 PM

Hey,

As per title really bit of a question. I know nothing about our house >_< other than the fact that its around 25 years old. When i get my new job i'l be investing in another fish tank so that some of my tanks aernt so overstocked. The problem is, i want it upstairs ideally. We have this big white block type structure that seems to be part of the stairs, hard to explain, but it takes up about a meter square of my room in the corner. That has a 40Gallon fish tank on has done for 10 years now, its holding out fine. Im after another one around 40 gallon, (125ish liters?) but im just wondering if the floor will hold up. Ive got 2 other fish tanks up here, smaller ones, 10gallons each. Tv, Computer. Stereo, 6 guitars, guitar amp and bed and loads of models but they dont weight alot. I know we have some housey type people on here so im wondering if anybody knows how much my floor can hold out on roughly?

Thanks :)
Craig.

#2 Mini-Mad-Craig

Mini-Mad-Craig

    Crazy About Metro's

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 9,298 posts
  • Location: Travelling in a fried out Kombi

Posted 12 March 2010 - 03:38 PM

A little picture

#3 roofless

roofless

    Sticker Pimp

  • Traders
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 7,215 posts
  • Local Club: central minis

Posted 12 March 2010 - 03:47 PM

depends on what your joists are made of, their condition, and spacing.

you then need some calcs by a structural engineer and bobs your aunty flo at weekends.

#4 Mini-Mad-Craig

Mini-Mad-Craig

    Crazy About Metro's

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 9,298 posts
  • Location: Travelling in a fried out Kombi

Posted 12 March 2010 - 03:55 PM

Sounds complicated? >_<

#5 davidv

davidv

    Flowers of JOY.

  • Banned
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 416 posts

Posted 12 March 2010 - 04:16 PM

My dad had a big tank when i was young and spread the weight out by putting extra floor boards on top of the original ones and much longer than the tank so all the weight went shared on the beams.Post us all some more pictures of you frogs and fish.Visited my mate with his Marine hobby the other day and he has scailed down to a small tank.Still looks great.So far he has 3 great fish and a living Coral.His last one was about 8ft long but he sold it.Cost to much for him in the end.Like 18g+.

#6 reffle

reffle

    Stage One Kit Fitted

  • Noobies
  • PipPipPip
  • 80 posts
  • Location: Chalfont St. Giles

Posted 12 March 2010 - 06:57 PM

The 40 gallon fish tank will be ~180kg when full, as long as you spread the weight over several boards (recommend having a solid base for the stand rather than pillars as this will further distribute the weight) they should be able to take it. You could always see how well the floor takes the weight of 3 people to start with.

#7 2lrminivan

2lrminivan

    Mini Mad

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 276 posts

Posted 12 March 2010 - 07:29 PM

a bath in new houses has to be on 48mm tung and grove chipboard to spread the load.

#8 davidv

davidv

    Flowers of JOY.

  • Banned
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 416 posts

Posted 12 March 2010 - 07:37 PM

Craig just over bord the floor and spread the weight.Hope you still have the sealing drain hole incase of another leak.Feal sorry for you dad.Fit a drain pipe in your last home Mod. Outside. ;)

#9 secondopsman

secondopsman

    Super Mini Mad

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 661 posts

Posted 12 March 2010 - 08:11 PM

depends on what your joists are made of, their condition, and spacing.

you then need some calcs by a structural engineer and bobs your aunty flo at weekends.


Standard floor joists are every 16" thats what the little diamond is for on the tape measure.
HTH
Pete

#10 The Matt

The Matt

    You don't escape that easily.....

  • Admin
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 17,232 posts
  • Name: Matt
  • Location: Overton, North Wales
  • Local Club: Welsh Border Minis

Posted 12 March 2010 - 08:59 PM

There's 4.54l to a UK gallon.

Each litre of water is 1kg, plus the weight of the tank and stand.......

About 200kg total, maybe 210.

to be honest, it's not that heavy. I'm 130kg (ish) and I've never fallen through a ceiling! ;)

How wide is the base of it? I'd guess it's more than 16" wide? If so, the load will be spread over two joists minimum.

Also, it'll be near a wall? Rather than in the middle of a room, yeah?

#11 mike.

mike.

    Crazy About Mini's

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 6,176 posts

Posted 12 March 2010 - 09:07 PM

It depends which way the joists run through your house, My tank used to be against one wall, which me and my dad worked out, put all the weight on one joist. The floor started to sag slightly and the plaster on the ceiling underneath started cracking slightly.

We moved the tank to the wall next to it, meaning the tank was over a few joists and its been fine there since.

You'll have to pull up floor board to be sure unless you know which way they run...

#12 roofless

roofless

    Sticker Pimp

  • Traders
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 7,215 posts
  • Local Club: central minis

Posted 12 March 2010 - 09:55 PM

There's 4.54l to a UK gallon.

Each litre of water is 1kg, plus the weight of the tank and stand.......

About 200kg total, maybe 210.

to be honest, it's not that heavy. I'm 130kg (ish) and I've never fallen through a ceiling! ;)

How wide is the base of it? I'd guess it's more than 16" wide? If so, the load will be spread over two joists minimum.

Also, it'll be near a wall? Rather than in the middle of a room, yeah?

you're not a permanent load though - you move around..........imagine the tank, water, ornaments and now 4 adults the size of me and you standing right next to it looking at the pretty fish - suddenly you've got a static load of around about half a metric tonne :P

#13 Mini-Mad-Craig

Mini-Mad-Craig

    Crazy About Metro's

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 9,298 posts
  • Location: Travelling in a fried out Kombi

Posted 12 March 2010 - 10:07 PM

Wow thanks for all the replies everyone, i would reply to them all but it'l take ages, but i have read them all and taken all onboard, il pass them onto dad ;)

David, if all the moves go smoothly i expect one of the downstairs could be a marine eventually, yours sounds brilliant! wish i had room for a big one :P

And Matt, it will be where the 10Gallon/pc is at the moment not on the pretty carpet in the center of the room :thumbsup: so against a wall for sure. Luckily ive just "inherited" a big sony telly type thing that used to be my brothers, since hes got a flat hes getting a new one even though he only bought it last year! so i can now get rid of my portable telly and CRT monitor and have it all going through that >_<

#14 shorty

shorty

    Short Guy

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 3,606 posts

Posted 12 March 2010 - 10:13 PM

if your brother has moved out
put the big fish tank in his room ;)

waste not want not as they say haha

#15 Mini-Mad-Craig

Mini-Mad-Craig

    Crazy About Metro's

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 9,298 posts
  • Location: Travelling in a fried out Kombi

Posted 12 March 2010 - 10:37 PM

;) We had the garage converted to a bedroom which is where he lived ;) we're knocking the wall through in a couple of weeks so my mini can have a warm house to :w00t: good idea though Guy :)




1 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users