Floor support

[withoutaclue]

I’m sure this has been asked before but not for a manufactured home that I can see. Our new home is going to be delivered in a couple months and I will have a dedicated fish room with in wall 350g diy plywood reef tank. The house is going to be on a permanent foundation. The floor joints are 2x8 ( yes I know this is not enough to support the weight). My question is can I support the floor joists with beams and teleposts/block the length and width of the room or should I also sister the joists which would involve putting down all the insulation. Does anyone have different ideas?

 

[Quietman]

Disclaimer: Not an engineer or architect.

I would think if you can put sistered braces 2 x 8 or better crosswise to the floor joists and then transfer the load to the foundation with posts (I'd go with steel house jacks) it would support quite a bit of weight.

That said you are talking about nearly two tons of weight in a small area. And getting a structural engineer opinion could possibly save you much heart ache, sleepless nights and insurance issues any damage the large tank of water caused. Think that'd be worth the cost of the opinion.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

@Troylee

 

[bob88884]

I’m sure this has been asked before but not for a manufactured home that I can see. Our new home is going to be delivered in a couple months and I will have a dedicated fish room with in wall 350g diy plywood reef tank. The house is going to be on a permanent foundation. The floor joints are 2x8 ( yes I know this is not enough to support the weight). My question is can I support the floor joists with beams and teleposts/block the length and width of the room or should I also sister the joists which would involve putting down all the insulation. Does anyone have different ideas?

I was a mobile home installer several years ago. You said manufactured home, so not a modular. You have two steel rails running the length of the house. Those sit on block pillars. Depending on the home brand, the distance between those rails will vary. Probably 96 inches, depending on the brand and the spacing between the piers, which is typically eight feet. Hopefully, your tank will sit across the joists, not parallel to them. That said, the tank will be near the rails or the exterior walls so that the weight is distributed relatively evenly. You said it was on a permanent foundation, but it's most likely sitting on piers with a brick or block skirt. If that is the case, it carries no weight. Either way, I would go under the home and place some crawl space jacks with 4x4s to spread the load. I would put those under the tank and not try to do the complete room. Be sure to get some support under the exterior edge of the house, as that will be the weakest area. You can use jacks or build piers from 8-inch dry-stack blocks and a handful of wedges from Home Depot to tighten them. If you have any questions, please ask. Also, you might ask the installer if they will build you some piers where they need to be while they are under there working anyway. They have the block, wedges, and the know-how. You are probably looking to give up a six-pack of cold beer to make that happen.

 

[withoutaclue]

I was a mobile home installer several years ago. You said manufactured home, so not a modular. You have two steel rails running the length of the house. Those sit on block pillars. Depending on the home brand, the distance between those rails will vary. Probably 96 inches, depending on the brand and the spacing between the piers, which is typically eight feet. Hopefully, your tank will sit across the joists, not parallel to them. That said, the tank will be near the rails or the exterior walls so that the weight is distributed relatively evenly. You said it was on a permanent foundation, but it's most likely sitting on piers with a brick or block skirt. If that is the case, it carries no weight. Either way, I would go under the home and place some crawl space jacks with 4x4s to spread the load. I would put those under the tank and not try to do the complete room. Be sure to get some support under the exterior edge of the house, as that will be the weakest area. You can use jacks or build piers from 8-inch dry-stack blocks and a handful of wedges from Home Depot to tighten them. If you have any questions, please ask. Also, you might ask the installer if they will build you some piers where they need to be while they are under there working anyway. They have the block, wedges, and the know-how. You are probably looking to give up a six-pack of cold beer to make that happen.

I actually did ask the installer and they will pour piers for me. They don’t want the liability so that’s as far as they’ll go. My plan is 4x6 beams across the room with either jacks or block (probably jacks as they can be easily adjusted)

 

[bob88884]

I was a mobile home installer several years ago. You said manufactured home, so not a modular. You have two steel rails running the length of the house. Those sit on block pillars. Depending on the home brand, the distance between those rails will vary. Probably 96 inches, depending on the brand and the spacing between the piers, which is typically eight feet. Hopefully, your tank will sit across the joists, not parallel to them. That said, the tank will be near the rails or the exterior walls so that the weight is distributed relatively evenly. You said it was on a permanent foundation, but it's most likely sitting on piers with a brick or block skirt. If that is the case, it carries no weight. Either way, I would go under the home and place some crawl space jacks with 4x4s to spread the load. I would put those under the tank and not try to do the complete room. Be sure to get some support under the exterior edge of the house, as that will be the weakest area. You can use jacks or build piers from 8-inch dry-stack blocks and a handful of wedges from Home Depot to tighten them. If you have any questions, please ask. Also, you might ask the installer if they will build you some piers where they need to be while they are under there working anyway. They have the block, wedges, and the know-how. You are probably looking to give up a six-pack of cold beer to make that happen.

I actually did ask the installer, and they will pour piers for me. They don’t want the liability, so that’s as far as they’ll go. My plan is 4x6 beams across the room with either jacks or blocks (probably jacks as they can be easily adjusted)

I can understand why they wouldn't want the liability. They will probably leave some blocks and wedges for you. Jacks will be easier to handle, and you are correct on adjustability. Your plan should be more than sufficient. It sounds like you have it under control.