New build house floor load.

[Foxy Bingo]

Hi I haven't posted before and have been reading through this and other forums for help.
So Hi to everyone, and if this isn't the right section please let me know.

First, when you read other people's stories they don't matter as much, but I'm very worried for reason's below. And would reallly ask even if I seem rediculous, If anyone reading can take it seriously.

I recently moved into a new build (2006ish made) and although it's in normal condition and is very heat efficient. I can hear the neighbours talk from 3 doors up/down like they're outside my own window. That's not the problem, but just to understand why I'm worried.

I want to have a fish tank upstairs and the room dedicated to just this and accesories. But it will weight about 450KG.
I've read as many posts as I can and the building regs. But I can't help think the house is so flimsy cos I can hear everything in my street like it's right outside.

The main probs are, I don't know for sure which way the joists go, I'm no good a DIY, nevermind propper work so don't want to take the floor up to find out.
I read the basics on 150kg per square meter and to use something to distribute the weight like MDF. and to keep it near an external wall. Can do all that.

Next I only assume the joists go width ways as the house is very narrow from the external wall to the shared property wall (Semi detatched). About a third of the floor is short joits due to the stairs. the tank will be in the corner side and back wall, if the joits go width ways, then half of it will be on the same joists as the toilet and half the bath.
It's a separtate room but ALL the wall are internal walls.

So the bath is up against the shared wall / back wall corner, the sink / toilet is next to it on the back wall next to the room to use as the fish tank.

I have no Idea if this means / needs to be calculated into everything else.

OK, The real worry I have though is, this is the internet, I don't know anyone so you could say anything. I have confirmed the 150kg /m2 thing. but that's it. And the reason I'm worried is there are so many schitzophrenics on forums who think they are giving good advice but are oblivious to consequences of the things they are making up. because they are in some fantasy world where they are experienced and being helpful, and then they genuinely feel reward for telling lies.

You can only find them out because they'll only speak in fantasy story senarieros or copy and paste data if you keep asking them things.
This site doesn't seem to have them, but since this is more a serious subject and consequence And I've never had to deal with this before, I'm being really cautious.

Thank You to everyone who managed to read all that.
And thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

 

[Swwils]

How big is the thing holding the tank?

As the saying goes an elephant on a thumbtack is an issue but spread out no problems...

 

[Deluks]

There are so many schitzophrenics on forums who think they are giving good advice but are oblivious to consequences of the things they are making up. because they are in some fantasy world

Lads, we've been rumbled!

 

[Foxy Bingo]

Hi.
I was going to BnQ to get 8' by 4' sheets. My problem is I only have a car. so they have to be cut down.
I was going to use an 11mm OSB on the top and 18mm OSB on the bottom.

From what I gather from other posts the softer top layer will take the crush (Elephant/Thumtack) from the feet. and disperse it a bit.
Then the thicker stiffer bottom should disperse it more. Again, This sounds logical/plausible, but I have no idea in principle/pratice.

So I was going to get 2 sheets, cut them into 4 pieces of 4' by 2', so four pieces each. Then lay them on top of each other so that the lengths go perpendicular on the top sheet. Then screw them down (to each other Not the floor).

Because of the room shape the the finished platform will be sort of "L" shape or a 6' by 6' square that is missing a 2' x 2' corner.

The overall square footage would still be 8' by 4'. But the weight wouldn't be exact central on the platform.

All of this, is meant to be "OK" by other previous posts, but I've never considered this before, and when I take these numbers seriously in my house that's when I get worried. Then when I'm picking up the individual tank, bags of gravel etc. All I can think is, there's no way.

The only real worry is that whenever anyone comes on here or other sites. They never / or I can't find any updates from anyone saying this advice works, or they have had their tank, or whatever setup for a year or more and things are fine.

OK, hope that helps.

 

[Deluks]

With the information you've given us, nobody can really offer solid advice apart from: if you're concerned, get a structural engineer to have a look.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

They never / or I can't find any updates from anyone saying this advice works, or they have had their tank, or whatever setup for a year or more and things are fine.

That's because they've all been crushed to death.

 

[Foxy Bingo]

Lads, we've been rumbled!

LOL. I dunno if it sounds stupid. But I used HotUKDeals forum for years, then I foundout that loads of loonies were posting comments that they had this or that and telling people advice.
That's just buying stuff, but after about 4 years of reading people's fantasy stories, and finding out they're all freaks.

I've even had the police round cos 1 loony had about 20+ accounts on multiple forums, and I was having a conversation with 1 person using about 7 accounts, pretending to help while also trolling me. They were at his flat and said it was a dump, living like a weird tramp but had fastest broadband and a propper pc, 3 iPads, 2 smartphones and other stuff, hadn't left the house in years. And spent everyday on the net like a fulltime job.

The crackers thing was, the police said he'd been unknowingly stalking me for years, on different forums cos he had so many accounts, and was answering so many people's queries. That I had ran into him about 6 times over 6 sites. And becuase I would ask for detail on his answers, he would then use other accounts to troll me because he thought I was abusing him cos I wanted info from his fantasy stories and thought the abuse would pressurise me into believing him.

I'm totaly freakied out now when I need serious help / advice like with this.
Like if I walk into a Curry's or Halfords, and I ask a question that needs detail, and the staff say in a blah-se and overconfident way, "Oh yes, it'll work" with no detail, all I can think is do you even know what your talking about.

I'm probably trying to convey more, that I'm worried and my worry of no real world evidence is my worry.
And I'm trying to polietely ask if people could do more than just say this is ok or that is ok.

 

[Foxy Bingo]

That's because they've all been crushed to death.

LOL... Please don't make jokes. For people who have done this / similar. Or are joiners / trades, it's all easy for you.
I don't really know, and am totally worried.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

People being crushed to death is no joke. It's the fish I feel sorry for though.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

What size/shape is the tank, will it go along a wall? 450kg is really only like 4 fat blokes standing in a row. Your floor won't collapse.

 

[Alec_t]

If you're that worried about floor loading couldn't you use a smaller tank, say one of half the capacity you're proposing? A custom tank with decent width and height, but limited front-to-back dimension, could still provide a good pictorial view of fish. Think not-quite-flat-screen TV.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

@tony1851
@RonnyRaygun

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I'm probably trying to convey more, that I'm worried and my worry of no real world evidence is my worry.
And I'm trying to polietely ask if people could do more than just say this is ok or that is ok.

Free advice on any public forum, is always exactly worth just what you pay for it.

Me personally, there is no way I would risk loading up my suspended first floor, with a 450Kg tank, without serious paid for advice. The risk of it all going wrong and the cost of such a disaster, make it not worthwhile, and the insurance would not cover the damage.

 

[jeds]

First floors are designed for a live load of 1.5kN/m² - which is basically 150kg. But that load is based on intermittent universally distributed loads (UDL) and is not supposed to be a concentrated load, as would be the case with a heavy water tank.

In theory you would need to distribute your tank load across a minimum of 3m², which you could do with additional joists across the original joists. But, I would personally aim for much more than that and, if possible, transfer some of the load into walls with beams or joists. That would be a bit of a mission, but worth it if achievable.

Just a note on large loads; they ain't necessarily going to make the floor collapse. What they will do is make the joists deflect excessively, which may or may not be immediately noticeable. But, over time, timber joists (well, any joists/beams really) suffer from a phenomenon called 'creep', which means the deflection, instead of being temporary, becomes permanent. And once permanent it will creep some more and become even more deflected.

PS, where a bath is installed, the joists are doubled.

 

[Foxy Bingo]

If you're that worried about floor loading couldn't you use a smaller tank, say one of half the capacity you're proposing? A custom tank with decent width and height, but limited front-to-back dimension, could still provide a good pictorial view of fish. Think not-quite-flat-screen TV.

Hi, I'd done my homework on here and other sites and understood the figures. And went and bought it already, it was just the feeling the weight of the individual stff in my hands that's made me think.