Supporting a Water Birth Pool on First Floor

[decentlandlord]

Hi all,

I've got a tenant who has just become pregnant and she wants to give birth at home in a birth pool in the lounge.

She lives in a first floor flat and apparently the weight is 650Kg (0.7 ton).

She's asked if this could be done and I've said as Landlord I have no problem, but it's how to ensure the joists can take the weight safely.

The building dates from 1875, was converted to 3 flats from a full rip out in 97, but the joists are original deep variety (about 9") that run front to back.

I was thinking, if we got the OK from the downstairs tenant, Acrow props could be used to support the floor from below.

The ground floor lounge has 8 or 9' ceilings I think (2.7m) and an under floor space (about 12-18"), so I assume the props would have to go below to the actual ground? (0.4m)

Or perhaps spread the load on scaff boards on the floor itself?

She's not due until March, so if this was feasible, she could hire a couple of props for the week she was due and have them on standby...

I didn't want to say no without exploring it a bit first, so any thoughts would be appreciated.

Cheers
DL

 

[Alarm]

Tell her to go to the local swimming pool on the day

 

[foxhole]

The weight per sq metre is what you need to know, the average hot tub exerts no more weight per sq metre than a fridge freezer.Birth pool even less as it's usually an inflatable.

 

[Static]

The weight per sq metre is what you need to know, the average hot tub exerts no more weight per sq metre than a fridge freezer.Birth pool even less as it's usually an inflatable.

You often have 2-4 people sitting on your fridge freezer?

Anyways.. the pool would need to be about 2.5m x 2.5m be spread on the floor alone (assuming it will have 3 people in it).. if its there or there abouts on size would be wize to put down a few spreader boards of thick ply..

 

[foxhole]

The weight per sq metre is what you need to know, the average hot tub exerts no more weight per sq metre than a fridge freezer.Birth pool even less as it's usually an inflatable.

You often have 2-4 people sitting on your fridge freezer?

Anyways.. the pool would need to be about 2.5m x 2.5m be spread on the floor alone (assuming it will have 3 people in it).. if its there or there abouts on size would be wize to put down a few spreader boards of thick ply..

You don't seem to have grasped the concept, it's about weight distribution, the pool is small and usually hold only one or two person.You don't sit on top of each other?.You can't get better weight distribution than water.It would be little different to having 20 people stand in the middle of a room, the floors don't collapse.

 

[LooPrEvil]

I dont think I would allow it if it was my property. Women can be strange beasts at the best of times, and even more so during child birth.

Besides where are you going to drain all the water and after birth muck to?

No thank you Mrs, go and see the NHS.