Moving houses, need opinions on floor bracing

[Sasq40]

Originally Posted by WarDog

I use Flikr. It's free for up to 1000 photos.

If by 'sidewalk blocks', you mean some type of concrete paver, I wouldn't use that. It will shatter. Instead, place your jacks on top of some wood. It will absorb and distribute weight more evenly.

I'll post the photo I got from when I was at the house last. The only reason I say side walk block is to just get the wood off the dirt, but now I'm thinking sistering the 2 joist under the tank, maybe a few after, using something like a 4x4 concrete base with a 4x4 and one of those threaded elevated post braces to get it nice and snug

[WarDog]

Originally Posted by Sasq40

I'll post the photo I got from when I was at the house last. The only reason I say side walk block is to just get the wood off the dirt, but now I'm thinking sistering the 2 joist under the tank, maybe a few after, using something like a 4x4 concrete base with a 4x4 and one of those threaded elevated post braces to get it nice and snug

IMHO concrete is overkill, and costly. A wood base under the jacks is plenty. You can always place some vapor barrier between the wood and soil.

[Sasq40]

Originally Posted by WarDog

IMHO concrete is overkill, and costly. A wood base under the jacks is plenty. You can always place some vapor barrier between the wood and soil.

I auctally have a few concrete desk posts that I had from a pergola thing I built but took down to move to the new place, so I already have the concrete and 4x4 to make posts. I auctally sent a email to Kevin @ African-cichlid.com and have based my current plan on his suggestions, with some tweaks using material I have on had.

What my current plan is to make another 2x10 beam that will span the center of the room, with 4x4s on cement post bases with a adjustable base on top to make sure my new beam is nice and tight. once this is done I need to move onto the sump system. I plan to run either sumpless till I finish the new setup or my current sump setup if I can save the plumbing.

My goal here is to have as silent of a tank as possible as this will be in our living room

I'm thinking of during a bean animal with pipes coming from behind and use my current corner overflows as the drains. Am I correct in assuming as long as my sump is lower then my lowest drain in will drain?

Next question is what should I use as a sump? I'd prefer to use something that can be closed up as my current plan is to stick it in the corner of my garage, which I use for wood and metal projects so there is often dirt in the air. Another option is for me to build a small room in the garage corner thst will contain the sump equipment. Then I guess I need to figure out what kind of hose / pipe setup will be best

[Ryanerickson]

Total overkill in my opinion but if it helps yeah sleep at night why not.

[Sasq40]

Originally Posted by Ryanerickson

Total overkill in my opinion but if it helps yeah sleep at night why not.

Over kill is better then a wet floor lol, there used to be a big tv stand with doors there and when you walked by the doors would shake,so there's some play there

[Frogger]

Originally Posted by Sasq40

Am I correct in assuming as long as my sump is lower then my lowest drain in will drain?

Yes water will always find a level and it will drain if it is lower, however as I stated before when installing drainage you have to maintain a minimum of 1 to 2% over the entire distance. If there are any low points there is the potential for debris accumulating and eventually blocking the line. Blocked line = wet floor. A 1" main line and a 3/4" backup line will not move a lot of water if you only have a 1% grade.

What the distance and we can calculate out the minimum elevation change required?

[Sasq40]

Originally Posted by Frogger

Yes water will always find a level and it will drain if it is lower, however as I stated before when installing drainage you have to maintain a minimum of 1 to 2% over the entire distance. If there are any low points there is the potential for debris accumulating and eventually blocking the line. Blocked line = wet floor. A 1" main line and a 3/4" backup line will not move a lot of water if you only have a 1% grade.

What the distance and we can calculate out the minimum elevation change required?

Let's see if this works
Fish tank layout by Kael Short, on Flickr

[gregzz4]

If you really want a sump in the garage, a 1' drop and 8' away means you'll need about an 8" drop. More is better. 1/8" per foot is close to code but I prefer to go overkill.
The bottom of your drains need to be, in this case, at least 8" higher than your planned sump. If you can, put your tank on a taller stand.
I was having flow issues with my old setup. In my case, my drain pipes were too small @ 1"
My bulkheads used to be 30" from the floor and now are 40".
I run at least 6' long and use 1-1/2" pipe. Everything has been great for nearly 3 years now.

As for your structural stuff, if you're going to put footings down in the soil, you'll need to dig down at a minimum of 24". 12" is for the footing and another 12" is to clear the frost line. In my opinion it's not worth it. Don't use jacks without a proper concrete footing. It will fail with frost heave if you don't dig it down and pour a proper bed.
Sistering the joists is a good enough plan as you won't get much deflection without them, so I don't see much floor movement once you add material.
Ensure you sister properly. Both sides of each joist need material, and go 100% past your required area.
Use glue and decent screws and leave it alone for a few days to dry.
I'll bet sistering is all you need.

Good luck !!

[Frogger]

One thing to note is if you want a perfectly quiet tank a long somewhat horizontal run could be noisy as there will be air with the water running through the pipes. You may have to insulate the pipes to reduce the noise. You could also build a trap at the other end of the run so that you reduce the air in the pipe, however this could result in clogging and reduction in flow