Calculating Weight Distribution

walkers101

Fortune favours the brave
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Im thinking of getting a 4ft tank for the 1st floor bedroom but how do i go about calculating the distribution of weight

im thinking of a 4x2x2
 
What do you mean? Calculating the pressure acting on the floor is fairly easy:

m
--
A[sup]2[/sup]

m being the mass of the tank and A[sup]2[/sup] being the footprint which in this case would be 0.72M[sup]2[/sup]
 
cheers mate but im wondering how much mass the floor will take
 
I can't tell you for sure and neither can anyone else on this forum unless they are able to survey your house, but the current building regulations (providing your joists are in good condition and floor boards etc) are 1.5KN/m[sup]2[/sup] which is 152.9 Kg/m[sup]2[/sup] a tank of 1.2*0.6M in footprint dimension has an area of 0.72m[sup]2[/sup] so inputting this figure into the equation we get:

152.9*0.72= 110Kg, the tank alone is going to weigh in the region of 40Kg so you'd no way near be able to fill it safely over an area of 1.2m*0.6m to current building regs, chances are your house is older though when things were built to a higher standard.

You could also put a thick piece of plywood under the tank, for example you could spread the mass over an area of 1.2m*2.4m, which is 2.88m[sup]2[/sup], which if we reapply the previous equation:

152.9*2.88= 440Kg

Take away the mass of the tank and stand and you're probably left with 370Kg to play with, which would probably fill the tank 3/4 of the way up after substrate/decor etc.

There's a possibility that over an area of 2.4m*1.2m it may be absolutely fine, but it's impossible to say without the opinion of a structural engineer.
 
complete the opposite mate the house is 4 months old
 
I'd consult a structural engineer before going ahead, or find somewhere for it on the Ground floor if possible.
 
i think ill leave it to be honest ive got my 200gal and that will have to do

cheers for your time truck
 

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