second story tanks?

[cudamaster13]

wat is the biggest tank in gallonage that can be kept on the second floor of an house or office building with refugium sump and live rock?would a 150 or 180 be okay on a second floor?

[lilredwuck]

I worry about my 125 on the first floor and it's just freshwater.

[ryeguyy84]

Figure ten pounds per gallon, that's a lot if weight. Might be best to ask a contractor or architect.

[Reefir]

depends on how crappy the place was built . the answer could be 10 gallons or a million gallons . office buildings can be built out of steel and with concrete floors . some houses fall apart when you walk across the floor ....

[lilredwuck]

This guy lives in California. I would say it will hold a million gallon tank, till the quake hits. But, seriously, it does all depend on what materials were used to build it, support walls below it, placement of tank, who is below you, etc. Are there basements in California?

[cudamaster13]

This guy lives in California. I would say it will hold a million gallon tank, till the quake hits. But, seriously, it does all depend on what materials were used to build it, support walls below it, placement of tank, who is below you, etc. Are there basements in California?

not really nobasements in cali i will contact a contracter

[lilredwuck]

Where is the tank going? Your apartment, office, home? Is there someone else that owns rents below you?

[kcinnick]

Bathtubs full of water are on the second floor? You can keep any size tank as long as the floor under it is braced properly.

[Sean16420]

I had a 100 gallon room divider tank on the third floor of my house in my bedroom and never had an issue with it. Just check your cieling braces and possible reinforce it.

[ggentles]

Always a good idea to consult with a contractor or engineer unless you know the floor supports. If you center it on a beam or bearing wall it will be good to go.

Gary

[lilredwuck]

Bearing walls are usually carried through to the roof in most homes. In all I have lived in anyway. Yes, bathtubs are in houses, but bathtubs don't sit full of water all the time, wiegh 300 lbs by themselves, are filled with rocks, or hold 180 gallons of water, plus the wieght of the stand, sand, sump full of water, etc. Fill a tank in the middle of a room and watch as the floor starts to get the "bowl" effect. That is if shear force doesn't happen first.

If someone is living or working below that tank, and something happens. It's all about safety. Tanks can be replaced. Lives can't.