How much weight can my floor support?

[as1720]

How do i find out how much weight my floor can handle? We might pick up a 100 gal tomorrow but we would like to make sure our floor can handle it.

 

[returnofsid]

Answering how much weight your particular floor will hold would be impossible without a complete inspection of your home's construction and condition.

 

[Myteemouse]

Sids right.
How far apart are your floor joists, what size are they how old are they
whats your sub floor look like. is it first floor or second floor,
too many questions need answered before we can give a proper decision.

 

[Maylin2]

It wouldn't tell you if your floor can support it, but you can do some math to figure out pounds per square foot on the floor. I know my husband did it. We have an OLD house and we were worried our 75 gallon would crash through, so we worked with a six foot solid wood dresser (no legs, every inch if it on the floor) to distribute the weight better. We ended up being more likely to crash through the floor than the tank with such a wide distribution (considering an average person is like 100-200 lbs on just your feet).

 

[loohunter]

How do i find out how much weight my floor can handle? We might pick up a 100 gal tomorrow but we would like to make sure our floor can handle it.

your floor will be fine with 100 gal tank

 

[noonesname124]

100 gallon tank is like 6-7 people standing in one spot. Any house should handle that. You can also reinforce it to make sure.

 

[as1720]

Didnt think of it like that.

 

[West coast kid]

Most homes are constructed to handle large weight loads. If your home is older and you have concerns a piece of 5/8" plywood under the tank will distribute the weight more evenly over the joists. problems are usually with the subfloor sometimes the legs of the stand punch through the subfloor if it is in poor condition. If your home can't handle that, you have major construction issues with your home.

 

[returnofsid]

Keep in mind that a lot depends on how the stand is built. If the sand has continuous support, along all 4 sides, it distributes the weight along it's entire footprint. IF the stand has 4 or 6 "legs," all the weight is concentrated in those spots.

 

[as1720]

ok well the house was built in 1962. We just re-did our hardwood floors first time its ever been done! The stand hascontinuous support around all four sides. We would probly replace the stand but it would be the same continuous support. the joints i think are 2 feet apart.

 

[jezzeaepi]

I find that this site explains the issue very well:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/aquarium_weight.php

 

[as1720]

Well we have decided to re-inforce the floor (Just to be safe) any one around Tacome any good at it or have any tips?

 

[Saltyfish]

All I have to say is if a floor in your house cannot support a 100 gallon tank it might be time to be looking for a new place to live.

The older homes (most of them) were built with much better dense lumber. Also when they said 2 by 12 it was a true 2" X 12". Not like today where they take off 1/4 for the cut and they have tree farms to grow the lumber fast.

So 1970 and above house can hold this easy. I have a 300 gallon in my living room, about 3000 pounds with water rock equipment etc. It has been there for about 5 years now with no problem. Ok once I over filled it and got scared but no problem since.

100 gallon tank is about 1000 to 1200 pounds, spread out over the square inchs of your stand.

in short you should be fine unless it was built with 2X4 floor joist

 

[mattleycrue76]

Or unless your house has wheels.....

 

[returnofsid]

A lot of "generalizations" are being made while other things need to be taken into consideration. Is the tank being placed near a bearing wall? If not, you might run into issues. Make sure to place it near a bearing wall and perpendicular to floor joists. If your floor joists are experiencing any dry rot, that will weaken them. I do believe that with a 100 gallon aquarium, you SHOULD be just fine. However, to answer your original question of "How much weight can my floor support?" is just impossible without a thorough inspection.

 

[as1720]

We are going to add support to it anyways as i think you should having that much weight on the floor for a long time. So now we just need help doing it, my boyfriend would but he has a bad back and cant go under the house. We would be willing to pay some one for there help, or if you would just like to be a part of setting up our 100 gal dream tank and would be willing to do itfor free that would be wonderful!

Any volunteers!?! Would be willing to BBQ you a burger and buy some beer of your choice!

 

[Saltyfish]

If your floor joists are experiencing any dry rot, that will weaken them.

As stated above:

if a floor in your house cannot support a 100 gallon tank it might be time to be looking for a new place to live.

 

[as1720]

I am sure my floor can hold it i understand that, but i would like the extra support that way i never have to worry about it no matter how long the tank is there. i am more so worried about long term effects and what th flooring will be like years down the line sitting in one place like that.

 

[returnofsid]

Sounds like a great plan. Weight that sits over long periods of time does have different effects, so it's a good thing to consider!! BTW, get the help to do the construction help BEFORE the BBQ and BEER!!

 

[daveysmart]

I am an architect and could give you some guidance here. Adding proper support underneath the house is going to be difficult. I would think of it as a last resort. You will want a good foundation there to spread the weight over the ground otherwise the wall might just sink into the dirt, some concrete pier footings might do the job if your soil is good. If you give more detailed information about the condition of the floor joists and supports, the size and spacing and proximity to bearing conditions then I could probably save you alot of time, effort, and bbq.