floor supports [Archive] - Aquarium Forum

ladyoutlaw50

06-01-2008, 01:52 PM

ok - this may be a silly question -- but going to ask anyway! I own a 1998 mobile home -- very well built -- not like the older ones you see down south and such!! Now that the kids are gone (:19: ) LOL I will have 2 spare rooms -- I would like to take one of them and turn it into my fish room. The room is approximately 10' x 8' with 1 window in it. I would like to put a couple of large tanks in there -- so I will need to add support to the flooring. does anyone have any ideas of how to do this inexpensively??:laugh1blue:

Ryuu

06-01-2008, 02:15 PM

Asuming that you can get under the house, I would use wood/steel supports pushed into the gound under the room.

ladyoutlaw50

06-01-2008, 03:50 PM

Asuming that you can get under the house, I would use wood/steel supports pushed into the gound under the room.

It would be difficult to do much work under there -- it has about a 3 foot crawl space under the mobile and the ground is not too level under there -- dirt under plastic. That is how maina's do a mobile!! :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:
We have cement bricks under different parts of the mobile -- I wonder if that would work -- putting several of them under that particular room to help support.

toddnbecka

06-01-2008, 04:35 PM

It depends on how much weight you're considering, but in any case it certainly wouldn't hurt to add extra support under the floor. Cement blocks and/or bricks for the main bulk, possibly some plywood to make up the difference and fill any gap between the blocks and the floor.

PUNISHER VETTE

06-01-2008, 04:42 PM

ladyoutlaw50

06-01-2008, 05:04 PM

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You'll need to do something like this i'm guessing. It's from a guy off my corvette forum. He doubled the support beams then put cross support beams supported by cement slabs.

not enough room under there to do that!!
I would like to get a 125 gal tank and a 90 gal ---i don't know maybe it would be ok -- but hate to take any chances. It would be the only "furniture" in the room with any amount of weight. but, I would feel better having some kind of support under there just in case -- don't think my homeowners would cover a break thru due to heavy fish tanks!!!:18:

Drumachine09

06-01-2008, 05:09 PM

Thats going to be like parking a small honda in your mobile. Might think about downsizing a bit.

ladyoutlaw50

06-01-2008, 06:15 PM

Thats going to be like parking a small honda in your mobile. Might think about downsizing a bit.

maybe just the 125 and maybe a 55??? or just the 125??

gm72

06-01-2008, 06:20 PM

I'd actually say nothing more than a single 90 gallon, actually. Water weighs roughly 8.4 pounds each. Then add substrate at the rate of about 1 pound per gallon, the weight of the tank/stand itself, fish, decor, etc. For the 90 gallon you are talking about over 900 pounds.

Huge load, and even the most stout mobile homes are simply not designed for that kind of thing. You could strut 4x4 posts under there but you'd have to have a good distribution base for them or they would most likely just sink into the ground with the added weight.

PUNISHER VETTE

06-01-2008, 09:24 PM

not enough room under there to do that!!
I would like to get a 125 gal tank and a 90 gal ---i don't know maybe it would be ok -- but hate to take any chances. It would be the only "furniture" in the room with any amount of weight. but, I would feel better having some kind of support under there just in case -- don't think my homeowners would cover a break thru due to heavy fish tanks!!!:18:

you said you had 3ft right? I'm not sure if your mobile home has wooden supports or what but you'll need to double them if you do, and provide some sort of cross supports as well.

You can use whats in the picture just have a smaller cement slab and wood supports.

One way or another you're going to need to put some kind of support under there.

houie925

06-02-2008, 05:37 AM

No room for full support structure under the floor? Spread the load by building up from the floor with 2x4s sandwiched between two layers of plywood(screw and glue any place two pieces of wood are touching). Place deck supports on the ground under the room at each corner and wherever there is space for them.

ladyoutlaw50

06-02-2008, 11:07 AM

thanks --i am sure we will figure out something (i hope anyway)-- I appreciate all the suggestions!!

Lady Hobbs

06-02-2008, 01:34 PM

You need not build a whole structure like that but some floor jacks really would be the way to go. Trying to get both ends of the tank over a support beam would also be helpful but that would mean setting up the tank possibly where you don't want it in the room.

I had a lovely double-wide home here in MI and it was claimed to be built not like a trailor but up to snuff.......with no pressboard and with tresses and 4x4. I had an addition put on the thing (plant room) and darned if the roof didn't split down the center where the trailor come together as a doublewide and caused a 1 inch gap. Thank god it was after I had sold it. My problem was not the mobile giving way but the ground moves and these trailors are not jacked up as they should be. Half the time (or all the time) the mobile is jacked up on a 4x4 laying on the ground. Ground moves and so does the mobile. The jacks should go on cement pilars in the ground!

Anyway, for your own peace of mind, there must be someone you know who will crawl under there and lay some 4x4's and jack them up against your flooring in the room. If you had a plumbing problem, someone would have to crawl under there, right?

Acrylic tanks are three times more expensive but only half the weight, too.

ladyoutlaw50

06-02-2008, 09:59 PM

Thanks for all the good advice and your experience lady Hobbs. I have been told mine was built with the 4 x 4 and all that -- I am sure I can find someone to crawl under there and put supports. I also think I will save up to buy the acrylic tank or tanks. I finally graduate from College next May (not to bad for a 47 yr old LOL) and think that will be my graduation gift to myself!! and of course we know that I will hired right up by some place and make megabucks!! LOLLOL

Ryuu

06-02-2008, 10:14 PM

Awesome, what are you going for? If you dont want to anwser plz dont I dont want to intrude at all

ladyoutlaw50

06-02-2008, 11:05 PM

I haven't quite decided!! I am still in the thinking stage!! And please don't worry about intruding -- good heavens it is posted here for all to see!!!
So any suggestions??

sorry thought you were asking about my tank!!! LOL what a blonde!!!

I am almost done with my Bachelors in Mental Health and Human Services. I am thinking of going into social work or substance abuse counseling -- still trying to decide!!

Lady Hobbs

06-02-2008, 11:39 PM

My son is 44 and taking helicopter lessons. My daughter is 40 and going to college to become a nurse. Things happen and this economy has directed everyone on a different path to where they were going.

PS......those big cement supports you see in Punisher Vettes photos are what my son now has to use to put up a deck! They used to be able to dig a hole, anchor the support posts, pour cement in the hole and be done with it. Those cement pillows are now required by the inspectors!

ladyoutlaw50

06-03-2008, 12:01 AM

I spent 10 years in accounting and just burnt out -- then I have spent the last 12 years working with children and have decided I have found my nitch--I went back to school when I turned 40 and am now finishing up. Took a year off as I was very sick and almost died. Can't wait for to graduate!! Next May they will be calling my name!! LOL

Kuli_Loach

06-03-2008, 02:08 AM

You can actually probably rip the floor out and re-due it to support that weight. I have been there to where we had a floor in an old house with a room that had floors so we ripped it all out and totally redid the joist and all under the room. If you have the time and money (better to do it in summer when it's warm so temp. ain't a problem) I would rip the floor out like I said and totally re-due the flooring so that it can support that kind of weight. We did my grandpas extension of his and it is super strong. What we did was run a single main floor beam with doubled up 2X8's and then dug a hole and put a support base with concrete bricks. From that we ran 2X8 beams to the outer frame which was also made of 2X8's with the bottom of the frame being bricks. We used these heavy duty metal brackets for fastening the beams. It can be done but will require money and labor.

Lady Hobbs

06-03-2008, 05:13 AM