Construction Equipment
——————-
I plan on keeping a 50 gallon fish tank upstairs and was wondering if it will be too heavy? With a full tank, equipment, gravel and a stand it should weigh roughly 650-750lbs(maybe more). So I was wondering if this weight, concentrated on a space of 36″x18″ will be a problem. The tank will be along a wall in the corner. The other side of the wall will be outside(I assume outer walls are sturdier). There is also a bathroom on the other side of the wall(I’ve heard that the floors are stronger near a bathroom). The house was built within the last 15 years if that helps. I live in Southern California(earthquakes). Any info would be much appreciated. Thank you!
Thanks for the info so far. Actually I checked online and it says that a full 50 gallon with the given dimensions is 600lbs. Tank itself is 100lbs. It makes sense because I always based it off of 10lbs per gallon.
____________________
Construction Information Services.
Construction Management Related Software Including Scheduling, Estimating And Reporting Software And EBook(R)s As Well Public Interest EBook(R)s.
____________________
Tags: about, Construction, Homes, know, much, Question, those
If possibly believe I would build a closet of about the same diameter in the room below the tank. This will give you much more support. Would place the 2X4s or 2X6s on 16″ centers. A pretty good cost but think of the consequence if the floor does give way.
bathrooms are not stronger than any other room unless they are built specifically that way. what you ask depends on the age of the home a modern home is built with floor joists 16 inches on center and a 50 gallon tank will be an afterthought, in older homes the spacing is farther apart and could be an issue if you are concerned place two 4 x 4s across the joists and use that as a base, you’ll be fine
Fifty gallons of water would only be about 415 lbs so make sure you’re adding up the rest of the stuff correctly. Even at 800 lbs, it would only come to about a pound and a quarter per square inch. I’m betting that four 200 lb guys could stand in a line without the floor giving way.
The floor won’t give way. It takes a lot to snap a 2×8 joist. What will happen is it will deflect causing the sheetrock on the ceiling below to crack. I agree with the guy who used the four 200 lb pound guys as an example. I don’t believe you will have an issue.
750#?????
You must be planning on a lot of gravel.
(50 Gal of water is only about 400#.)
In a well built house there should be not problem with that kind of load.
Water weighs 8 lb. per gallon, so 50 gal. = 400 lb. Add to this the weight of the tank and the gravel to find your total weight. Outside walls are generally sturdier due to carrying a load and in California they will be sturdier than elsewhere in the country due to the building regulations regarding earthquakes. If this tank is resting on the floor you should have no problem because your house, if built properly, was designed to take concentrated loads on the floor. If you are building a shelf or a counter to place it on I would do the following:
1. Attach 2″ x 6″ lumber directly, i.e. remove a strip of the drywall, to the wall studs with 16 penny framing nails. This is to carry the load and transfer it to the wall. Do this for both walls that meet in the corner.
2. Use 5/8″ plywood for the shelf. Attach this to the top of the 2″ x 6″ lumber with either deck screws or framing nails and wood glue. The 2 sides not touching the wall should be reinforced by attaching a 2″ x 4″ stud to the underside of the shelf with the same method.
3. Put a leg at each corner by using a 4″ x 4″ post at the corner not touching the wall and 2″ x 4″ stud at the other 3 corners. These should be attached to shelf by placing 3 deck screws or framing nails in a triangular pattern through the plywood and into the legs. The legs should also be nailed or screwed to a wall stud and the 2″ x 6″ lumber you have attached by nail or screw to the wall studs if they touch the wall and to the 2″ x 4″ on the bottom of the shelf if they don’t touch a wall.
If you do this your fish tank will sit where you put until you decide to put it somewhere else and your house will be fine. After building the structure of your shelf you can dress it up with wood veneer, stain, paint, etc. The final look is up to you!