Old house-----Heavy Tank

Curtswearing · 12-23-2003, 09:33 AM

Lets say you had an old house and wanted to put a big tank in it. Obviously weight concerns are high on the list. What would your recommendations be and why?

johnlewis · 12-23-2003, 09:45 AM

Well I wound want to know the following, what floor is it going 1st, 2nd. Is it going parallell with the joists, or perpendicular ? How old is the house more than 60yr ? If more then 50yrs old what type of electrical cable is used for the outlets, plan on running a new one ? Does the house have a basement crawl or pour concrete foundation ?How is the ventilation ? Old house are either very open, or very closed they don't tend to have good air circulation and mold could become a problem. House the hose ever been infested with termites ?

tankgirl · 12-23-2003, 09:52 AM

Hi Curts,
A lot of old houses don't have level floors. Not sure what you could do about that except maybe custom build a stand to compensate?

Plus additional bracing under the part of the floor where the tank will be. We're going to do that.

BigReepher · 12-23-2003, 09:53 AM

I was gonna say what John said. How big you talkin Curtswearing?

F355GTB · 12-23-2003, 09:59 AM

Level flooring is a problem with the house I live in. And I think it's mostly due to house settling (still after 100 yrs). Thats another reason I'm skeptical to put in a large tank.

SaltyQueen · 12-23-2003, 10:05 AM

My parents house is a 120 year old victorian, and they have a 55 gallon freshwater tank in their living room (first floor). The electrical has all been updated since they moved in. The floor is hardwood, and is not quite level, so my dad has used wooden shims (small wooden wedges) under the front edge of the tank to keep it from leaning forward. Not sure if it's parallell or perpendicular with the joists- their house is very structurally sound, so I don't think it really matters. Their basement isn't poured concrete, but the walls of the foundation are over a foot thick, it looks like some sort of huge concrete bricks (not cinder blocks). Old doesen't necessisarily mean it's not structurally sound- it all depends on how the house was maintained. If you've go an old house with foundation that's caving in & floors that are rotted or sagging, I'd worry about fixing that before even attempting to put an aquarium in.

mwrager · 12-23-2003, 10:15 AM

A lot of old houses don't have level floors but you can use used wooden shims to help. Check the electrical that could be your biggest problem.

johnlewis · 12-23-2003, 10:21 AM

Salty the reason for asking if the joist are perpendicular or parallel is that if the tanks is parallel all the weight is on a single joist and in some cases that can cause it to break even in a new house.

You are right on about getting the structural problems taken care of before a tank.

12-23-2003, 09:33 AM	#1 (permalink)
Curtswearing Golden Moray Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 2,596 View Gallery Karma Komment	Old house-----Heavy Tank Lets say you had an old house and wanted to put a big tank in it. Obviously weight concerns are high on the list. What would your recommendations be and why? __________________ In memory of Fluffy, please pause before hitting enter---being nice is free. Click for ReefKeeping FAQ'S Click for Product Reviews Click for Photo ID Gallery http://curtcpapfs.com/downloads/1Curt.jpg

12-23-2003, 09:53 AM	#4 (permalink)
BigReepher Scopas Tang Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 474 View Gallery Karma Komment	I was gonna say what John said. How big you talkin Curtswearing? __________________ I'm not a doctor but I'll take a look.

12-23-2003, 10:15 AM	#7 (permalink)
mwrager Elegance coral Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Gilbert AZ Posts: 1,068 View Gallery Karma Komment	A lot of old houses don't have level floors but you can use used wooden shims to help. Check the electrical that could be your biggest problem. __________________ Mark Some days I realy feel old! http://www.reefsanctuary.com/Banners/RS_banner3.gif

12-23-2003, 09:45 AM	#2 (permalink)
johnlewis Scopas Tang Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Brighton, MI USA Posts: 448 View Gallery Karma Komment	Well I wound want to know the following, what floor is it going 1st, 2nd. Is it going parallell with the joists, or perpendicular ? How old is the house more than 60yr ? If more then 50yrs old what type of electrical cable is used for the outlets, plan on running a new one ? Does the house have a basement crawl or pour concrete foundation ?How is the ventilation ? Old house are either very open, or very closed they don't tend to have good air circulation and mold could become a problem. House the hose ever been infested with termites ?

12-23-2003, 09:52 AM	#3 (permalink)
tankgirl Reef Lobster Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: So. Ca Posts: 1,476 View Gallery Karma Komment	Hi Curts, A lot of old houses don't have level floors. Not sure what you could do about that except maybe custom build a stand to compensate? Plus additional bracing under the part of the floor where the tank will be. We're going to do that.

12-23-2003, 09:59 AM	#5 (permalink)
F355GTB Fire Coral Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Eastern PA Posts: 61 View Gallery Karma Komment	Level flooring is a problem with the house I live in. And I think it's mostly due to house settling (still after 100 yrs). Thats another reason I'm skeptical to put in a large tank.

12-23-2003, 10:05 AM	#6 (permalink)
SaltyQueen Scopas Tang Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 400 View Gallery Karma Komment	My parents house is a 120 year old victorian, and they have a 55 gallon freshwater tank in their living room (first floor). The electrical has all been updated since they moved in. The floor is hardwood, and is not quite level, so my dad has used wooden shims (small wooden wedges) under the front edge of the tank to keep it from leaning forward. Not sure if it's parallell or perpendicular with the joists- their house is very structurally sound, so I don't think it really matters. Their basement isn't poured concrete, but the walls of the foundation are over a foot thick, it looks like some sort of huge concrete bricks (not cinder blocks). Old doesen't necessisarily mean it's not structurally sound- it all depends on how the house was maintained. If you've go an old house with foundation that's caving in & floors that are rotted or sagging, I'd worry about fixing that before even attempting to put an aquarium in.

12-23-2003, 10:21 AM	#8 (permalink)
johnlewis Scopas Tang Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Brighton, MI USA Posts: 448 View Gallery Karma Komment	Salty the reason for asking if the joist are perpendicular or parallel is that if the tanks is parallel all the weight is on a single joist and in some cases that can cause it to break even in a new house. You are right on about getting the structural problems taken care of before a tank.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)