Do I need to reinforce the floor?

mike31154 · #1 08-31-2011, 05:04 PM

I've been gathering the pieces and planning for a set up somewhat similar to what you have in mind with basement sump. Decided to build a bit of a fish room more or less under the area the display will sit. It's about 6' x 5' and in addition to housing sump, fuge, etc etc, it should take care of any support issues that may arise. The floor joist span in that area is 9' & goes from outside wall to another support at the central chimney. Each side of that the span is longer, 11' to a wall that separates the basement roughly in half down the center. Joist support where they meet the chimney blocks looks a little iffy, appears there's just a cross member attached to the longer joists each side of the chimney. This is another reason I feel better about having the extra support the fish room framing will provide. Here's a pic, not great but should give an idea.

The plan is for a custom tank in the 5' range & it will be positioned above the far wall framing in the photo. This is a 5' span & top framing is directly under the joist, so should be well supported. Left side of photo you can just see the last 2x4 of the 6' wall. Anyhow, it appears you're still in the planning phase & with basement sump I thought I'd throw the idea out there for a fish room, two birds with one stone. Either way, I'd recommend some additional support.

Gripenfelter · #2 08-31-2011, 05:14 PM

Thanks Mike. We eventually will frame in the basement but the problem is I was told that you should never let the basement framing touch the ceiling because the floor is a floating floor and can move. As the house settles the basement floor can crack and move but the upper floors don't. But if you attach the basement framed walls to the floor and joists they will push or pull on the upper floors.

Our house is only 2 yrs old so a lot of settling still involved.

mike31154 · #3 08-31-2011, 05:17 PM

Aha, yeah, my old place was built in the late '50s, so barring earthquakes, I think it has done it's settling.

Gripenfelter · #4 08-31-2011, 05:38 PM

Just heard back from the contractor.

He said the way they would do it would be to throw in another joist and connect the other joists together with 8 foot 2x6s and then support the joists with one or two teleposts. The concrete floor will support 2000 lbs per square inch. As long as the telepost has a wide food print it should be ok.

mike31154 · #5 08-31-2011, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gripenfelter

Just heard back from the contractor.

He said the way they would do it would be to throw in another joist and connect the other joists together with 8 foot 2x6s and then support the joists with one or two teleposts. The concrete floor will support 2000 lbs per square inch. As long as the telepost has a wide food print it should be ok.

Ok, sorry but now I'm getting confused. In an earlier post you mentioned you had been told about not allowing basement framing to touch the ceiling (I assume that means joists). Something about floating floors and things settling etc. Your contractor now suggests adding joists & teleposts with wide footprints. The way I look at it, my wooden framing is a rather long, albeit narrow footprint and it is made of wood, therefore does have some room to flex no matter where it's attached. Also, as mentioned my basement already has framing supporting the joists down the center for support. How is that different than adding additional framing to support more weight. I'm certainly no expert on these matters and you have me wondering if what I'm planning is sound. Just trying to understand all the different angles here.

Gripenfelter · #6 08-31-2011, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike31154

Ok, sorry but now I'm getting confused. In an earlier post you mentioned you had been told about not allowing basement framing to touch the ceiling (I assume that means joists). Something about floating floors and things settling etc. Your contractor now suggests adding joists & teleposts with wide footprints. The way I look at it, my wooden framing is a rather long, albeit narrow footprint and it is made of wood, therefore does have some room to flex no matter where it's attached. Also, as mentioned my basement already has framing supporting the joists down the center for support. How is that different than adding additional framing to support more weight. I'm certainly no expert on these matters and you have me wondering if what I'm planning is sound. Just trying to understand all the different angles here.

I guess I should elaborate.

The telepost is not bolted to the floor or the ceiling. Once a year you use a level to make sure the post and joist are still straight. If it moved you can adjust it via the nut at the top and loosen or tighten it accordingly to keep it straight. You can't do that with wood.

kamil · #7 09-08-2011, 02:01 AM

How large a tank can I get safely?

The house is from 1970.

The tank is to go perpendicular to 2"x8"joists which are 16" apart.
Parallel to the tank, (in the wall) is a beam composed of 4 2"x10"
Under one corner (of were the tanks is to be) there is a telescoping
support under the beam.

This seams strong, but ..
The 20 + 15 gallon tanks I have on a 4 legged metal 3/4" square tube stand ripple when a person or dog walks by.

Cheers,

Kamil