This Old House!!!

[peter_griffin]

I've got a problem I hope someone might help me with. I'm in the process of setting up my first fishroom. The house I am going to acquire is a very nice home (for my price range) and seems quite sturdy (for its age 1906), but it does not have a basement to speak of or a garage. So I'm going to put my fish in the 1st floor bedroom. During the home inspection the inspector noticed one of the joists needed repaired ( small lenghtwise crack ). Guess where? Right under my fishroom. ???

My soon to be father in-law (who's a contractor) says he can repair and it would be good as new, but I was concerned about the weight from the fishtanks. I told him the floor would have to hold about 2,000 pounds of water. He said "no problamo" the joists on this house are "real" 2x10's and are very strong. So should I worry, or should I go ahead as planned. I don't plan on stacking any tanks besides the two 29's all the others will be on their own stands so there shouldn't be alot of weight all in one spot. Any thoughts?
Tom S.

[gump]

Tom, I don't think I would worry too much but... how much of a span do these 2x10 carry & how far apart are they?
Pierre

[jeep]

Real 2x10's? Trust your future father in law. He'll probably sister-in a couple of new boards to the cracked ones and you'll be fine ;)

And if it does not work out, you alrady have someone on hand to fix it ;D

Ronald

[peter_griffin]

Thanx for the info guys. BTW I didn't want to seem stupid in front of my father in-law, but do any of you know what he meant by " real 2x10's "?

Tom S :wave:

[Denny]

He meant they actually measure 2 inches x 10 inches. they gave you the real deal in the old days. If you measure a 2x10 today at the lumber yard, it will measure 1.5 inches by about 9.25 inches. Actually they start out at 2x10 but after drying and planing to a smooth finish on 4 sides you end up with todays dimensions, at least that is what they tell you ha ha ha

[Denny]

BTW it is a fact that every guy always looks stupid to his father in law ;D

[peter_griffin]

;D thanks for the advice guys.

Gump; I'm not sure what the spacing on the joists are but before I move in the Fishies I'll check.

Thanks All...........Tom S. 8)

[Haywire]

Don't forget they also get you with the width of the saw blade cutting the 2X10.

[rdeis]

but do any of you know what he meant by " real 2x10's "?


Most floor joists aren't made from 2x10 (or any other 2x wood) anymore. They are made from a wooden I-beam like thing that weighs a lot less, uses a lot less wood, is supposedly just as strong, and is a lot cheaper.

AFAIK the sawmill has always charged you for the sawdust in their lumber. "The Old Days" when they used up 2.5" of wood to make you a 2" board and only charged you for 2" must be very old indeed...

[Harriett]

Tom!
My house was built in 1898, also out of the real deal 2 x 10s. I had an 80g for years on the first floor without problems and for the last 2 years have had a 180g discus tank on the second floor, also without problems. Here are the crucial factors:
1. Figure out which way the joists run and place all tanks to run NOT parallel, but ACROSS the joists, so there is a great deal of support. Your floor joists are probably 16-18 inches apart.
2. Put the tank next to a load bearing wall--this means a wall that all the floor joists attach to--outside walls and some inside walls (ask your F-in-L) to help you here--so we are talking about the tank being against a load bearing wall with the joists running perpindicular to the tank.
3. A house this old won't have exactly straight walls or level floors, it's the charm of them, I guess. But the tank must be level!!!! Put the stand where it will go, get a level, and check to see what you have. The first thing is to make shims that level the tank--they should run the full footprint of the side you are shimming. (Do you understand this?) i.e. if your floor is bowl shaped so to speak, you'd shim the front length of the tank and slowly decrease side shims until you got down to nothing towards the back...use the level to fool around. I made shims out of a 2 x 4 and they worked fine.
The second thing is to get a sheet of rigid foam and cut it to the size of the footprint of the tank--put it on the stand, under the tank--that will help to self level the tank further.
The idea here is that with old (slanted) floors, the weight of the water must be distributed equally or you run the risk of an eventual leak or crack from uneven torque or weight/pressure on the sides. Won't matter whether it's a 20g or a 200g...except, of course, if it happens, LOL.
Best regards,
Harriett

[peter_griffin]

Thanks for all the great info guys ;D

Well tomorrow is the BIG DAY I'm 23 years old and I'm closing on my first house 1st thing in the morning.

I'm a little nervous. :scared: Wish me luck 8)

[AFTICA]

break a leg... enjoy the day!

[peter_griffin]

Done deal, everthing went smooth I start moving stuff in this weekend ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[jaydoc]

Set the tanks up first! ;D ;D ;D

[jaydaman]

hi tom, i bet those old 2x10's aren't made of pine. i live in an old house too, and my floor joists seem to be made of some kind of hardwood. if you are concerned, just try put most of your tanks on the two walls that are perpindicular to the floor joists. that way the load is spread among as mant joists as possible. hth , jason p