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Determining how much weight your upstairs can maintain

J

Jon

NJRC Member
So I’m trying to determine if I can upgrade to a larger tank and keep it upstairs at my house. I currently have a 65 gallon tank with a 29 gallon sump and all seems to be well.

The tank that I have my eye on is the waterbox 125.3. The tank itself weighs 187 lbs and the cabinet weighs 211 lbs. which is a whole lot heaving than my current setup. I’m not sure what my current set ups weighs Not only that…. I am also adding an additional 60 gallons of more water in weight.

My house was built in the late sixties and the tank would be about a foot to the side of a beam that spans the length of my house downstairs.

Any help / advice is much appreciated.
 
H

horseplay

NJRC Member
Not an engineer and I am sure the floor won't collapse right away. But still I would not do it. I would get a frag tank with similar footprint but less weight.
 
Goodair

Goodair

There are so many factors, but residential floors are built for 40 lbs/sf. I'm not sure how long this was the building code, so really if you want a peace of mind, you gotta hire a professional. If your sitting on a load bearing wall, your able to hold more weight than being away from one. Also depends on what else is in the room and the how the tank is aligned with your floor joists.
 
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radiata

radiata

NJRC Member
Then there's the beer test...

Calculate the worst-case weight scenario for your proposed setup. Divide that number by 200 to calculate the number of friends needed to reach or exceed the worst-case scenario's total weight. Invite than number, or more, of friends over for a "Beer Blast" (preferably with a keg of beer). When your friends are successfully inebriated, have them all stand in the area where your tank will be placed, and then have them jump up and down in unison at least 50 times.

Check the area under where the proposed tank is being placed for structural issues. If any of your drunken fiends have fallen into that area, or if there are cracks in the wall or ceiling you should reconsider the placement of your tank.
 
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