3,000 lbs on Second Floor?

I want to set up a 220 gallon aquarium which measures 48"x36"x30". The weight of water, glass, stand, equipment etc. will be just over 3,000lbs. I have no way of providing additional support from below.

The beams on the second floor run lengthwise so the tank will be around the center of the beams and will be on 2 or 3 beams total. 12 yr old building.

1. Will the beams hold this tank + people walking by and the eventual removal of bedroom furniture in the nearby room when we walk past? (the bedroom furniture is on seperate beams but I will be moving in 2 years)
2. Will the joints/holding thigns at the end of the beam also support the weight?
3. Will placing the tank over a garage archway provide additional support?

I'm assuming these are 2x6 beams.

Thanks very much in advance!!

The only way to adequately answer your questions is to take plans of your building plus photos, if possible, along to a structural engineer and pose them to him/her.

Mick

hmm, it's a 2 story apartment building made of wood. I'm kind of afraid to ask for plans because then they'll start wondering what I'm up to. hmmm.

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Originally Posted by chrissreef

hmm, it's a 2 story apartment building made of wood. I'm kind of afraid to ask for plans because then they'll start wondering what I'm up to. hmmm.

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If they start wondering what you are up to just tell them you want to set up a fish tank. Can't see any problem with that!

What are those figures in metric?

We haven't used imperial measures since the early 70s, so there will be many people who have no idea what you are talking about.

A large waterbed can weigh over 800kg; this would be spread over 3-6 joists depending on orientation. (based on 450 centers). I think 2kpa is the permanent live load assumed for a waterbed.

With the smaller footprint of an aquarium, and the fact that you are placing it in the middle of the joists (so deflection of the joists may become more noticeable especially if they are a long span) makes me suggest an engineer will be needed to give you a reliable and safe answer.

Thanks for the quick replies =)

in meters, I believe it's 1.21 x .91 meters.

3000lbs is about 1,360 kilos

beams are .5 meters apart

Others have also mentioned waterbeds... but this is about double the weight of a waterbed =(

They said I can have any size aquarium in the apartment... I just don't think they know how big or heavy aquariums can get =)

I'll ask to speak with their mechanical/maintenance manager as well =)

Where am I wrong:?

48" = 1.2M
36" = 0.9M
30" = 0.75M

That comes to 0.81 M3

If a Cubic Metre is 1 Tonne
then the water in the Fish Tank =about 800kG

Yes or :no:

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Originally Posted by Ivan in Oz

Where am I wrong:?

48" = 1.2M
36" = 0.9M
30" = 0.75M

That comes to 0.81 M3

If a Cubic Metre is 1 Tonne
then the water in the Fish Tank =about 800kG

Yes or :no:

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Correct, maybe the glass is 100mm thick. :;

Thank god we went metric.:2tsup:

Which is about 1920 lb's, I think

So roughly double the weight of a waterbed over a third of the area, and if poorly positioned you could have it sitting all on one joist.

Get the plans and talk to an engineer!

You might be able to cheat by knocking up some sort of spreader platform to take the load over more than two of the beams (a supporting plinth or something like that).

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Originally Posted by Brickie

Correct, maybe the glass is 100mm thick. :;

Thank god we went metric.:2tsup:

Which is about 1920 lb's, I think

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1753 lb 11oz actually plus the weight of the glass which assuming 10mm glass would be about 274lb plus the weight of the stand and filter. (assumes the glass is normal which is 161lb per cubic foot)



Second your comment about metric

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Originally Posted by chrissreef

I want to set up a 220 gallon aquarium which measures 48"x36"x30". The weight of water, glass, stand, equipment etc. will be just over 3,000lbs. I have no way of providing additional support from below.

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based on your dimensions (Length x width x depth) and weights, you've got 3,000 lbs on 12 sq.ft or 250 lbs / sq.ft

Even adopting Pusser's weights you're looking at about 2100 lbs on 12 sq.ft which is 175 lbs / sq.ft

"normal" residential loads (in the US) are 40 lbs/sq.ft -- maybe as much as 120 lbs / sq.ft, if you're in an old warehouse


I think you have a problem


can you go for a shallower tank?



ian

I want the US to go metric!!!

The glass is 15mm thick - 4 pieces plus some bracing at the top. The weight comes from 400lbs rock/stand/large filter in the stand (40 more gallons), lighting, glass etc. =(

Is there extra stength over garage doors or near fireplaces by chance? I can maybe put the tank over a spot like this and brace it below since it's my garage and not the neighbors.

We will move into a house in about 2 yrs so I wanted to get a tank that I will have in the house and not something I would have to re-buy when we move. That's why the dimensions are what they are.... =(

I'll see if I can get blueprints - yea, basically 2 waterbeds + anyone near the tank that's looking in.

thanks for all of the replies... it's sounding obvious that I need to see what's under the floor. Maybe there are 2x10's instead of 2x6's (I'm not sure what those metric conversions are... 30mmx60mm for the 2x6 maybe)

You need to know the size and the type of timber to get an accurate idea of the capacity of them. Just from my own experience, I think you will need to provide additional support. You will definately need to talk to a professional and the building manager.

The best way would be to pull up the floor and nail laminate additional timbers to the timbers that will be directly under this tank. Consider having the tank anywhere but in the middle and maybe fit in some trimming members to help transfer the loads to adjacent timbers.

Interesting enough - I spoke to the sales manager and the entire floor is actually cement/concrete. I'll ask the maintenance guy what's supporting the cement and where (if he knows) but I would think a 1.9kilo aquarium would be easy for this type of floor to support b/c of the dispersion (and stronger I would think). There may not be wooden joists at all.

Suspended slab. They are strong but be careful as the slab is only designed to take a certain load and if it is not thick enough it may be prone to punching shear and cracking under the tank. You probably won't see it but the people downstairs would be most annoyed.

Chris - give us your address .... in case we hear something on the news
:D:D:D:D

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Originally Posted by chrissreef

Interesting enough - I spoke to the sales manager and the entire floor is actually cement/concrete. I'll ask the maintenance guy what's supporting the cement and where (if he knows) but I would think a 1.9kilo aquarium would be easy for this type of floor to support b/c of the dispersion (and stronger I would think). There may not be wooden joists at all.

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sorry, but your reasoning is almost certainly WRONG.

A quick Google search suggests that US residential building standards assume 40 lbs/sq.ft
your fish tank will impose a load roughly 6 times this which if placed in the middle of a span would likely lead to noticable deflection and cracking of the slab.
Note: span is related to the distance from load bearing walls not the room size. If your floor slab is prestressed concrete, it would not be unusual for the slab to only be suported at the edges.

it used to be that the "normal" safety factor for live loads was 2, but that was back in the 70s when I went to uni. Since then codes have tended to shift to "Limit State" design (which I haven't needed to keep up with, but I think it relates to the load just before the floor (in your case) fails. It would be unusual for a "limit state" design to be stronger than the old "factor of safety" design — the change was to make building cheaper.

Near a supporting wall, the floor "should" support a greater load but my advice to you is get advice from a person who is familar with local building codes and constructio methods/quality.



ian