Will this hold or buckle in the middle?

[Keithb22]

Hey everyone, has been a while since I have had a tank and this time around the kids and wife surprised me with a freshwater instead of salt. So as most of you know, when you get bit you get bit . Planing for a 55-60 gallon instead of the 30 but was curious on everyone’s take to whether this spot will hold? It’s two kitchen cabinets with a piece of granite counter top on it. A 55 will be roughly 48” long and should put each end smack dab in the middle of the cabinets.

My concern in for the center that looks to be unsupported under the granite. Do I toss a piece of plywood w a load bearing jack or is it sufficient ?

I appreciate any help, have a great one

Regards,
Keith

 

[TX_REEF]

should be fine, if you're sure the cabinets can support the weight.

 

[Troylee]

I’d be more worried about the cabinets holding the weight than the granite.. those are normally just particle board and not built to hold 500 pounds.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Short answer:
Most of the weight will be transferred vertically to the cabinets. The vertical side panels of the tank will prevent significant load on the span.

That said, granite is not "solid" and is full of micro cracks and fissures. It has very poor strength in bending. So I would not (under any circumstances) use it unsupported. If it DOES fail, it will do so catastrophically and that may cause the tank to fail in the same manner.

I don't agree with the posts above. Those cabinets can hold the weight without issue in vertical compression and have decent lateral stability.

 

[BeanAnimal]

In fact, I would not sit on that span. No two pieces are the same. One may hold just fine and the other may end up in your lap as you butt hits the floor between the two cabinets. The rule of thumb for that thickness of granite is 8" to 10" unsupported. Yes, we span 24" dishwasher spaces, but typically use a support runner on the wall side.

 

[Keithb22]

Hey everyone thanks for the speedy responses. I thought that mid section could present the problem area. Do you think a ply wood board cut to shape to fill in the underneath and then use a load bearing jack would be sufficient?

 

[TX_REEF]

only if you're certain the cabinets are sturdy enough to support 500+ lbs

 

[piranhaman00]

Yes easily

 

[Keithb22]

The cabinets drawers and faces are plywood, the sides look to be plywood as well. I have made the mistake of getting mdf cabinets wet when a child spills the dog water and instantly realize the down side. These don’t look to be mdf sides or feel like such.

 

[BeanAnimal]

The cabinets drawers and faces are plywood, the sides look to be plywood as well. I have made the mistake of getting mdf cabinets wet when a child spills the dog water and instantly realize the down side. These don’t look to be mdf sides or feel like such.

It doesn't matter. MDF will carry the vertical load as well. There are 4 vertical columns stabilized by 2 backs and 2 face frames and 2 bottoms.

 

[resortez]

You will be ok. I’ve seen some rough setups, literally glass top table with center support & somehow the owner had it going for 15years with out cracking the glass or flipping the table. But I would be more worried about that outlet underneath, electrical fires & that I have seen plenty of because of negligence. A friends house burnt down because of not running a gfi on a fridge hooked outside under a porch. Also small fires from tanks.