Estimating The Weight Furniture Will Support

[ellena]

Is there a way to do this? I have a solid pine Argos flat pack sideboard which currently has a 25l bowl on it.
I would like to transfer the fish in the bowl to a 60l tank but don't know if the sideboard would take the weight and don't want to find out the hard way!
Are there any simple ways to reinforce furniture? I have the stand for the tank but I don't like it.

 

[razer121]

trust me ive seen a 110 litre sat on there cheapo ones with them grey plastic legs, it will most likly hold it, cant see why it wouldnt? can i see a pic of the unit?

 

[Bebobb]

This might sound kind of dumb or stupid, but one of the things I did to test and see if a piece of furniture would hold a tank is to stand on the furniture. It might sound quite retarted, but it worked for me, lol.

 

[Jonty]

I put a 60l on an argos chest of drawers (beech veneer, £80) and that started bending after a few months, so I ought a stand

 

[razer121]

i think it may be more down to the design of teh desk/unit this is going onto that will determin if it will handle the weight...

 

[ellena]

There is no way I would stand on it I'll try and get a pic tomorrow. We've had it a while, so not on argos website any more.
The back is just one of those sheets of hardboard you tack on. Would bracing across the back help do you think?

 

[erk628]

OldMan47 would be the one you would want to talk to about this!

 

[llamalord305]

I know Ive said this before, but its certainly not as simple as: "If I'm 100 kilos and I sit on [insert object here] and it doesn't break, my 30 kilo aquarium will be fine."

Aquariums are constant weight, over a period of months or years. That is, 30 kilos over a year can break [object], while 100 kilos over a couple minutes may not, just to give an example.

I'm sure OldMan can elaborate.

 

[K-Holed]

There are many factors that go into making a strong structure. Triangular bracing that prevents it from shearing may help somewhat. From experience I've seen a 24x15x12 tank on an Argos cabinet and that's what caused problems after around 12 months. Plus, it's likely to be made of chipboard, which will warp and start to disintergrate if any moisture penertrates it.

 

[ellena]

It's made of pine, although I didn't think this would be an advantage as many of the stands that come with tanks are chipboard/mdf?
Here's a pic

I'm not happy putting the tank on it as it is, so maybe oldman47 can suggest some modifications. I'd like to keep it as I don't want to have to buy a new piece of furniture (and even then there's no telling is there?) and I've had a piece of glass cut for the top of this one.

 

[razer121]

i think looking at that if it is solid pin then your of to a good start but, depends on how the structure is on the inside of it,

 

[Thecloud]

the legs will push the weight of the whole tank onto 4 points, chop them off and place the unit on a level solid piece of flat wood then you get even weight over your floor and less stress points on the unit. also some uprights in the middle of the unit will be provided by the dividers between the sections, so I would say as long as the top is made of solid wood go ahead and use it

 

[ellena]

Hmmm, see what you mean about the legs Thecloud.
Here's a shot of the inside, with one of the drawers taken out so you can see the structure behind it.

I can remember this being put together and it was all those little pegs and glue. The doors have never shut properly-that's maybe why I'm not trusting it!

 

[raptorrex]

Hmmm, see what you mean about the legs Thecloud.
Here's a shot of the inside, with one of the drawers taken out so you can see the structure behind it.

I can remember this being put together and it was all those little pegs and glue. The doors have never shut properly-that's maybe why I'm not trusting it!

I would say no. it looks to me, like the top is bowed, with the stuff on there now. legs are never a good idea, though.