Does pound for square feet matter on the second floor?

[kcinnick]

I want to put an aquarium in a pier and beam house. The location is going to be in the corner where two large beams come together perpendicular to each other. I have seen some recommendations to spread out the weight by going shallower with a larger footprint and others claim total weight is the only thing to consider. I am looking at going with a 175-200 gallon tank with 12-16 sf of surface area.

 

[ZoWhat]

Location location location

If butted up into a corner where the two walls are exterior walls, I wouldn't worry about it.

But if one of the walls is an interior wall, different story.

* You look at thickness of subflooring (3/4in?)

* If the joist are 16in on center, or tighter

* Which way the joists are running

* Where is the main support interiorly and how the joist are tied into that main support

* You would want as many joist under your tank as possible, as close to the main interior support as possible

.

 

[Roosterjack]

I will defer the structural engineering portion to those far more qualified, I would, however, take into consideration what is underneath that area. That is a lot of water and in the unlikely event of a serious leak then what that water might end up spilling onto/into becomes something to consider.

 

[kcinnick]

Location location location

If butted up into a corner where the two walls are exterior walls, I wouldn't worry about it.

But if one of the walls is an interior wall, different story.

* You look at thickness of subflooring (3/4in?)

* If the joist are 16in on center, or tighter

* Which way the joists are running

* Where is the main support interiorly and how the joist are tied into that main support

* You would want as many joist under your tank as possible, as close to the main interior support as possible

.

Don't know the subfloor thickness, my best guess would be 3/4 ply based on the age and construction of the house (1972 build)

I can't measure joists now but they are not further apart than 16"

Well, I am looking at a square tank so either way they would both be parallel and perpendicular!

Not sure what you are asking, but the tank would be in the corner of two beams, the beams are huge. Storage is under the location of the tank, it is not a living area.

I will defer the structural engineering portion to those far more qualified, I would, however, take into consideration what is underneath that area. That is a lot of water and in the unlikely event of a serious leak then what that water might end up spilling onto/into becomes something to consider.

We are having a civil/structural engineer look at things, I just thought I would see what people thought about PSF. The house is pier and beam, so under the house is pretty much just storage area.

 

[Subsea]

[U.S. building codes specify a uniform live load of 40 pounds per square foot (psf) for most residential floor designs. This load is intended to account for the large number of loadsthat can occur in a residence. In reality, these loads do not typically take the form of uniform loads.]

Using 200G of salt water with rock & substrate, I estimate 1800 lbs max over 16 square feet which is 113 lbs per square foot.

Live load limit is in middle of room. Because you are in corner next to structural beams, you should have no problem.

 

[kcinnick]

[U.S. building codes specify a uniform live load of 40 pounds per square foot (psf) for most residential floor designs. This load is intended to account for the large number of loadsthat can occur in a residence. In reality, these loads do not typically take the form of uniform loads.]

Using 200G of salt water with rock & substrate, I estimate 1800 lbs max over 16 square feet which is 113 lbs per square foot.

Live load limit is in middle of room. Because you are in corner next to structural beams, you should have no problem.

I hope you are right, I was just assuming the middle of the floor was going to be the weakest part and that the beams with posts under them would be the strongest part of the floor.

 

[Subsea]

I hope you are right, I was just assuming the middle of the floor was going to be the weakest part and that the beams with posts under them would be the strongest part of the floor.

Focus on 200 pound man’s live load. All of his weight is on a footprint less than 1/2 square foot bringing his live load to 400 lbs/square foot, which is 10 fold building code. Get your architect friend to confirm that for you. I am a Marine Engineer and don’t know much on residential building code. I did the same thing in my home 30 years ago, but it was a new build in which I was there to see structural flooring.

 

[G Santana]

When all else fails ask an engineer or a trusted contractor!