who has a fish tank on a second floor?
- Thread starter D-Nak
- Start date
Thanks guys, I'm starting to feel a little bit better!
The tank will sit in the corner of the room, against 2 load bearing walls. I went under the house and noticed that the joists are going in 2 different directions so I don't know which way the joists are going where the tank is going to sit (unless I rip out a chunk of the ceiling below, or get the plans to the townhouse -- I don't think I'm going to do either).
About the grand piano... is my logic wrong here? Since the grand piano is approximately 6 feet wide and 6 feet long (I'm guessing since I don't know how big a grand piano is) even though the contact points are really small they are still at the corners of the piano, so the weight is spread EVENLY over the entire area (imagine the corners of a square has the most pressure) right? Therefore, the area of the fishtank at 4' x 2' is still small right? Besides, doesn't a grand piano weigh a lot less than a 120 gallon reef tank?
Anyone hear about floors failing or sloping due to the weight?
Thanks again everyone.
D-Nak
The tank will sit in the corner of the room, against 2 load bearing walls. I went under the house and noticed that the joists are going in 2 different directions so I don't know which way the joists are going where the tank is going to sit (unless I rip out a chunk of the ceiling below, or get the plans to the townhouse -- I don't think I'm going to do either).
About the grand piano... is my logic wrong here? Since the grand piano is approximately 6 feet wide and 6 feet long (I'm guessing since I don't know how big a grand piano is) even though the contact points are really small they are still at the corners of the piano, so the weight is spread EVENLY over the entire area (imagine the corners of a square has the most pressure) right? Therefore, the area of the fishtank at 4' x 2' is still small right? Besides, doesn't a grand piano weigh a lot less than a 120 gallon reef tank?
Anyone hear about floors failing or sloping due to the weight?
Thanks again everyone.
D-Nak
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by D-Nak:
<strong>
The tank will sit in the corner of the room, against 2 load bearing walls. I went under the house and noticed that the joists are going in 2 different directions so I don't know which way the joists are going where the tank is going to sit (unless I rip out a chunk of the ceiling below, or get the plans to the townhouse -- I don't think I'm going to do either).
About the grand piano... is my logic wrong here? Since the grand piano is approximately 6 feet wide and 6 feet long (I'm guessing since I don't know how big a grand piano is) even though the contact points are really small they are still at the corners of the piano, so the weight is spread EVENLY over the entire area (imagine the corners of a square has the most pressure) right? Therefore, the area of the fishtank at 4' x 2' is still small right? Besides, doesn't a grand piano weigh a lot less than a 120 gallon reef tank?
D-Nak</strong><hr></blockquote>
You can find the direction of your joists by tapping on the floor (assuming it's not carpeted.) You'll hear a firmer, less hollow sound when you're over a joist. Or you can use a stud finder...about $20 at HD...if you are really concerned.
Not to protract a slightly off-topic conversation, byt no, the weight of the grand piano is not distributed over it's total area. In fact, it is possible that each leg could be sitting between a different set of joist; in which case, 1/4 of the weight would be entirely supported by the underlayment (typically 3/4" plywood) and possibly hardwood (1/2"). My point is only that homes built to typcial (U.S.) code are more than structurally sound enough to handle the 1200 lbs or so of the aquarium.
And, yes, the tank does weigh more than a grand piano. Grand pianos typically way about 700-800 lbs. Of course, if Elton John and perhaps a friend are lying on the top of the piano, it might be pretty close to 1200lbs.
Good luck with the tank!
<strong>
The tank will sit in the corner of the room, against 2 load bearing walls. I went under the house and noticed that the joists are going in 2 different directions so I don't know which way the joists are going where the tank is going to sit (unless I rip out a chunk of the ceiling below, or get the plans to the townhouse -- I don't think I'm going to do either).
About the grand piano... is my logic wrong here? Since the grand piano is approximately 6 feet wide and 6 feet long (I'm guessing since I don't know how big a grand piano is) even though the contact points are really small they are still at the corners of the piano, so the weight is spread EVENLY over the entire area (imagine the corners of a square has the most pressure) right? Therefore, the area of the fishtank at 4' x 2' is still small right? Besides, doesn't a grand piano weigh a lot less than a 120 gallon reef tank?
D-Nak</strong><hr></blockquote>
You can find the direction of your joists by tapping on the floor (assuming it's not carpeted.) You'll hear a firmer, less hollow sound when you're over a joist. Or you can use a stud finder...about $20 at HD...if you are really concerned.
Not to protract a slightly off-topic conversation, byt no, the weight of the grand piano is not distributed over it's total area. In fact, it is possible that each leg could be sitting between a different set of joist; in which case, 1/4 of the weight would be entirely supported by the underlayment (typically 3/4" plywood) and possibly hardwood (1/2"). My point is only that homes built to typcial (U.S.) code are more than structurally sound enough to handle the 1200 lbs or so of the aquarium.
And, yes, the tank does weigh more than a grand piano. Grand pianos typically way about 700-800 lbs. Of course, if Elton John and perhaps a friend are lying on the top of the piano, it might be pretty close to 1200lbs.
Good luck with the tank!
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