400 gal on second floor .....

[Lentzjj]

Ok so I recently inherited my dad's house that has a unfinished second floor above the garage. I want to do a built in reef since I have to put walls in anyways. The question I have is if anyone know what kind of wieght the floor will support.
It has 22" floor trusses on 16in centers and where the tank would be going it's a 24' span. Unfortunately I do not have any load bearing walls that I can take advantage of.
I was hoping to view the tank from 3 sides so a large square tank is ideal. Even though I know a longer tank spread over more of the trusses would probably be better.
I've tried looking online for the strength the trusses can support but not having alot of luck.

 

[Coastie Reefer]

Saltwater is about 8.5 lbs per gallon so you're going to have roughly 3400 lbs of water alone. With a tank, equipment, stand, etc... I'd guess you're looking at 2 tons or more (or roughly a Ford F150). There's no way I'd consider putting a tank that large on a second floor without support directly below it. That's just my .02 though.

 

[Antics]

Even if this thread is 5+ pages of people telling you it will be ok, I think at the size you're talking about you most definitely need an engineer to give you a professional opinion.

Don't try to save a few bucks by mortgaging your peace of mind.

 

[Lentzjj]

Even if this thread is 5+ pages of people telling you it will be ok, I think at the size you're talking about you most definitely need an engineer to give you a professional opinion.
Don't try to save a few bucks by mortgaging your peace of mind.

I really don't totally disagree with you I was really hoping for someone that actually has a clue to chime in. If someone on here was to expeirence this situation as far as strength of trusses. I'm not opposed to going smaller but idk if much smaller would be worth doing. I just dont want to waste money on a engineer to just get a not a chance.

 

[ShawnSaucier]

IMO, would you want that much weight being over your family without knowing that it is completely secure. There are many factors involved (how old is the house, is there termite damage or water damage from the past, did "Bob the builder" not cut corners on that day when he/she built that section of the house). Just factor in the cost of an engineer/improvements as needed into you tank budget. If you are set on a 400g, might as well do it right, as you would building the actual system. Just my thought.

 

[Coastie Reefer]

Do I know the specific engineering, no. I've got years of experience framing houses though. Wood is a lot stronger than people seem to think, but your garage was not designed to hold that much weight for that amount of time. It's your choice, but I wouldn't recommend it. My piece of mind wouldn't be worth having to repairs to the house or a vehicle that may be crushed by structural failure. Not to mention 400 gallons of flood damage.

 

[Lentzjj]

Do I know the specific engineering, no. I've got years of experience framing houses though. Wood is a lot stronger than people seem to think, but your garage was not designed to hold that much weight for that amount of time. It's your choice, but I wouldn't recommend it. My piece of mind wouldn't be worth having to repairs to the house or a vehicle that may be crushed by structural failure. Not to mention 400 gallons of flood damage.

I get that I do know the trusses were made to be on 24" centers my dad built the garage and he over killed everything but unfortunately he no longer around to talk about if they were stronger.

 

[themcnertney]

I have my 220g DT+110g sump+50g on the first floor (I have a ranch). My basement had to be reinforced with 2x10's with I steel pole added. I am pushing the boundaries of this setup and would never do anything larger.

 

[sc8kv123]

There's a lot of good information here that helped me out.

 

[Lentzjj]

I have my 220g DT+110g sump+50g on the first floor (I have a ranch). My basement had to be reinforced with 2x10's with I steel pole added. I am pushing the boundaries of this setup and would never do anything larger.

That's the thing it's on trusses which are way stronger then 2x10s I just don't know the weight limit of a dead load.

 

[Lentzjj]

I really don't have the option of reinforcing the floor unless I give up a parking spot. I'm willing to go smaller but I want the biggest feasible option for a built in

 

[Lentzjj]

IMO, would you want that much weight being over your family without knowing that it is completely secure. There are many factors involved (how old is the house, is there termite damage or water damage from the past, did "Bob the builder" not cut corners on that day when he/she built that section of the house). Just factor in the cost of an engineer/improvements as needed into you tank budget. If you are set on a 400g, might as well do it right, as you would building the actual system. Just my thought.

It's not over my family the addition was built in the 2000s there is no termite or water damage. ...I can see the trusses through a spot that hasn't been covered yet

 

[Coastie Reefer]

Is there a prefab truss manufacturer in your area? You could always call one and see what they have to say.

 

[PJS]

That's the thing it's on trusses which are way stronger then 2x10s I just don't know the weight limit of a dead load.

Hello, I am a carpenter with 30 years of nail driving home building experience.

You say that the floor joists are 22" tall?
Are they LVL's or I-Joists or Open Web floor joists?


The only way I would consider putting a tank up there is if you were able to set the tank up perpendicular to the trusses and against the outside wall so that the tank is spanning over several floor joists (assuming it's a 6' tank that would be 5 joists). Even at that I wouldn't put anything more than a 125g in that scenario, a 400g is completely off the table without serious shoring posts below, unless of course you want to be in a future Farmers Insurance commercial.
I hope I helped, Phil.

 

[RamsReef]

You have the option of putting in laminated headers with steel poles holding them up. Get an engineer, diy the plans he gives you, get it inspected, then your insurance is valid.

With 400G you are going to need a lot of extras, like ventilation / humidity control, large top up/water storage, large sump, etc. The investment commitment at 400g is large enough that you should really plan twice execute once. Otherwise you will be on the road to regret.

 

[Joey waid]

I live in Ga. they put cars on top mobile homes to show their strength. That said I would not risk it. Thats a lot of weight. Is there any way you can scab on wood to make it stronger.

 

[Lentzjj]

Is there a prefab truss manufacturer in your area? You could always call one and see what they have to say.

I wish

 

[Lentzjj]

Hello, I am a carpenter with 30 years of nail driving home building experience.

You say that the floor joists are 22" tall?
Are they LVL's or I-Joists or Open Web floor joists?


The only way I would consider putting a tank up there is if you were able to set the tank up perpendicular to the trusses and against the outside wall so that the tank is spanning over several floor joists (assuming it's a 6' tank that would be 5 joists). Even at that I wouldn't put anything more than a 125g in that scenario, a 400g is completely off the table without serious shoring posts below, unless of course you want to be in a future Farmers Insurance commercial.
I hope I helped, Phil.

They are open Web truss and I know when my dad put it up it was supposed to be on 24 in centers but he wanted 16in for extra support. He always overbuilt eveerything. I really wanted to do a square tank but a 6' x4' isn't out of the question. It would definitely not run parallel to the trusses.....
With that said someone with experience I value your opinion over people that "think" it's not a good idea. I leaning towards my wants are impossible.

 

[PJS]

They are open Web truss and I know when my dad put it up it was supposed to be on 24 in centers but he wanted 16in for extra support. He always overbuilt eveerything. I really wanted to do a square tank but a 6' x4' isn't out of the question. It would definitely not run parallel to the trusses.....
With that said someone with experience I value your opinion over people that "think" it's not a good idea. I leaning towards my wants are impossible.

Well if you give me a day I can tell you how much weight per square inch/foot that floor system can carry and what size tank may work for you, of course that number gets affected by furniture, flooring type, type(if any) of finish material on garage ceiling, etc.

 

[Bbaz123456]

That's the thing it's on trusses which are way stronger then 2x10s I just don't know the weight limit of a dead load.

Trusses are slightly stronger than 2x10s. That's why they are used for longer spans. When they were engineered, they were engineered to support the same amount of weight that any residential floor is designed to support, most likely. Without the documentation from the truss Co, you are likely not going to find out what the actual load bearing weight is., unless you hire an engineer. Every truss is engineered and built differently. A 22" truss from your company will be completely different than mine.
Unless you want a 400 gallon in your garage, I would run an I beam under the tank and a post between parking spots.