Tank weight

[Mattyb]

So here's my question. I'm looking at upgrading my tank from 60 gal to 110gallon.my tank runs along the floor joists and not perpendicular to my joists. Do you think it's relatively safe being a longer tank (72). Everyone says it's too heavy to put that way otherwise it will fall through the floor. I've scoured the internet and not once could I find a story about a tank falling through. I wish mythbusters was still on because it would be a good episode lol. Anyone have there tank running parallel to the tank? Did you have issues? Any damage to your home? Advice would be much appreciated. Thanks

[WarDog]

Can you beef up the structure?

[Mattyb]

In what way? Only way would be to take my 60gallon down and remove my laminate floooring and then the sheets of underlay to get at the joists. which I actually thought about doing. Then maybe sistering the joists.

[straightrazorguy]

The idea is to spread the weight of the tank over several joists. Sistering would help, but I would place the tank over a base spanning several joists. You can do this by adding a wider base under the tank, or getting between the joists with some blocking, so the joists work together. Add blocking or cross-bridging between 4-5 adjacent joists, securing it with both glue and screws. Or use Strong-tie bracing. If you can remove the plywood above the joists, you could also glue it before nailing it. That helps with the spreading of the loads...

[Myka]

It won't fall through the floor - that's a bit dramatic. What year was your house built? What type of structure is it? Are there floor tiles anywhere near where the tank will go?

[Mattyb]

It's 7 years old. It's on laminate flooring. Unfortunately I can't turn it so it's perpendicular to the floor joists which means it would sit on maybe two joists. I might pull the floor up and try the blocking. Just sucks that there is no where in my house that I can put a bigger tank

[Animal-Chin]

I've never heard of issues with anything under 125. Your 110 tank full would weigh about 1300 pounds. If you had 6 200 pound men stand there in a row would they fall through the floor? I'd be worried about a 180 gallon but has anyone ever reinforced a floor for a 110?

[Dearth]

If your worried I'd just lay a 1/2 inch sheet of plywood underneath the base to spread out the weight a little more and some piece of mind as well

[Mattyb]

Awesome, thanks guys. I guess the best thing to do is just check the level of the tank every day and see if there is any sag. And if I notice then strip it down before the seals bust. I don't think there would be any issues though. Thanks for all the advice 😁

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Mattyb

It's 7 years old. It's on laminate flooring. Unfortunately I can't turn it so it's perpendicular to the floor joists which means it would sit on maybe two joists. I might pull the floor up and try the blocking. Just sucks that there is no where in my house that I can put a bigger tank

By "structure" I meant is it a house, condo, duplex, etc? Only 7 years old, don't think you'll have any trouble. The tank isn't that big (volume-wise), and it's spread over 6 feet long.

I suggested his to someone else on here recently: if you're concerned, build a stand that's bigger than the tank so you can spread the load over 3 joists instead of just two.

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