Floor Reinforcement Quote. Thoughts?

[Mas0n]

Hey y'all!

Looking to upgrade my tank from a 40b to something in the 150-200g range early next year, and have some concerns regarding this amount of weight on my floor.

My house was built in 2017, so the joists and foundation (crawlspace) look good. 2x8in joists, 16in oc, 12ft span.

I had a foundation repair company come out and give me a quote for some supplemental support and was given this:

This would be for 2 large poly footers, 2 jacks, and a 6ft steel beam running perpendicular to my joists, where the tank would be. Unfortunately my crawlspace has dirt flooring, so I wouldn't feel comfortable DIYing this as I have limited knowledge of settling and creating a solid base for jacks.

Does this seems reasonable? Anyone else had similar work done to their house?

 

[KrisReef]

I would spend the money on coral, but I’m an optimist and possibly an idiot?

Tutorial for Understanding Loads and Using Span Tables

Using span tables to size joists and rafters is a straight-forward process when you understand the structural principles that govern their use.

awc.org

 

[FUNGI]

is your piece of mind worth more than that? If so, do it.

 

[Dan_P]

Hey y'all!

Looking to upgrade my tank from a 40b to something in the 150-200g range early next year, and have some concerns regarding this amount of weight on my floor.

My house was built in 2017, so the joists and foundation (crawlspace) look good. 2x8in joists, 16in oc, 12ft span.

I had a foundation repair company come out and give me a quote for some supplemental support and was given this:

This would be for 2 large poly footers, 2 jacks, and a 6ft steel beam running perpendicular to my joists, where the tank would be. Unfortunately my crawlspace has dirt flooring, so I wouldn't feel comfortable DIYing this as I have limited knowledge of settling and creating a solid base for jacks.

Does this seems reasonable? Anyone else had similar work done to their house?

This seems a bit expensive. Clasped 2x6 could replace the steel beam. A stable footing for the jacks could be a piece of 4x6 on its side. If you are not confident in your DIY skills, definitely get done by a professional.

 

[Dkmoo]

I'd hire an independent structure engineer to actually model the load out. A foundation repair contractor always has an incentive to up sale you.

2500lb across 5 to 6 joists may be ok depending on where the tank is (ie, near a foundation wall or far from it).

I went thru the same process when I bought my house and was told where I had planned my tank would be safe for 2500 lbs.

Where i live it costs 100$ for a consult and model. IMHO worth the investment so you can make the most informed decision on the 2 grand

 

[Ironwill723]

That is not even that large of a tank. I would shop around or find a handyman to sister the floor joists if you aren't comfortable doing the work yourself.

 

[Pistondog]

Hey y'all!

Looking to upgrade my tank from a 40b to something in the 150-200g range early next year, and have some concerns regarding this amount of weight on my floor.

My house was built in 2017, so the joists and foundation (crawlspace) look good. 2x8in joists, 16in oc, 12ft span.

I had a foundation repair company come out and give me a quote for some supplemental support and was given this:

This would be for 2 large poly footers, 2 jacks, and a 6ft steel beam running perpendicular to my joists, where the tank would be. Unfortunately my crawlspace has dirt flooring, so I wouldn't feel comfortable DIYing this as I have limited knowledge of settling and creating a solid base for jacks.

Does this seems reasonable? Anyone else had similar work done to their house?

Sounds like a good deal for peace of mind.
Pay the man and be done with it.

 

[Mas0n]

is your piece of mind worth more than that? If so, do it.

It's worth close to that. I've also just considered going smaller.

This seems a bit expensive. Clasped 2x6 could replace the steel beam. A stable footing for the jacks could be a piece of 4x6 on its side. If you are not confident in your DIY skills, definitely get done by a professional.

I'm up for most DIY things, but the slope of my crawlspace scares me haha. I may end up just doing a little more research and figure out the best way to create a level and stable pad for some footers. The rest is cake.

I'd hire an independent structure engineer to actually model the load out. A foundation repair contractor always has an incentive to up sale you.

2500lb across 5 to 6 joists may be ok depending on where the tank is (ie, near a foundation wall or far from it).

I went thru the same process when I bought my house and was told where I had planned my tank would be safe for 2500 lbs.

Where i live it costs 100$ for a consult and model. IMHO worth the investment so you can make the most informed decision on the 2 grand

I've seen this suggested on other sites. $100 sounds like a no brainer! I will call some tomorrow and get an idea of how much that service costs locally. Thanks.

 

[PharmrJohn]

I have to do the same thing. I'm putting a 203g tank over a crawlspace with a dirt (and the unevenness that goes with it). It seems like a decent price to me. You could always get another bid, but I would be EXTREMELY hesitant to make this a DIY project. But that's just me. I know JUST enough to be dangerous. And a failing floor is a bad, bad thing. Just consider this expenditure as a part of doing business. The question I ALWAYS ask myself is ' 'Will the money spent be noticed in 5 years?'. If yes, then I rethink my entire plan. If no, then I go for it.

 

[Mas0n]

I have to do the same thing. I'm putting a 203g tank over a crawlspace with a dirt (and the unevenness that goes with it). It seems like a decent price to me. You could always get another bid, but I would be EXTREMELY hesitant to make this a DIY project. But that's just me. I know JUST enough to be dangerous. And a failing floor is a bad, bad thing. Just consider this expenditure as a part of doing business. The question I ALWAYS ask myself is ' 'Will the money spent be noticed in 5 years?'. If yes, then I rethink my entire plan. If no, then I go for it.

Haha, totally hear you on the handy enough to be dangerous.

I think my best path moving forward is to look into hiring a structural engineer and getting their opinion on what's needed. Then bringing that to a contractor/handyman for quotes, instead of the upsell from the foundation place. Though the original quote wasn't bad, I think a little more due diligence is required here.

What's your plan?

 

[framer]

That is not even that large of a tank. I would shop around or find a handyman to sister the floor joists if you aren't comfortable doing the work yourself.

I agree, being in the trade for over 20 yrs I can confidently tell u that sistering the joists would be more than adequate...

 

[PharmrJohn]

I'm already having my bathrooms redone and my garage beam strengthened. I want to put a pool table in (it's been in my family since 1912). But there is a Centerpost that needs to go. So while the contractor is at it, I'll have him bring his engineer friend over and then get a bid on the flooring issue. I'm already well into 5 digits so what's another couple of grand!!! I considered trying myself, but I just don't have the expertise. I chose a career that is FAR too specialized to bleed over into other areas. What was I thinking, lol!

 

[Mas0n]

I agree, being in the trade for over 20 yrs I can confidently tell u that sistering the joists would be more than adequate...

Your username is framer... ha!

So sistered 2x8s would probably be enough? I assume blocking as well?

Another thing though, I wouldn't want the floor to be bouncy and have deflection.

 

[Mas0n]

I'm already having my bathrooms redone and my garage beam strengthened. I want to put a pool table in (it's been in my family since 1912). But there is a Centerpost that needs to go. So while the contractor is at it, I'll have him bring his engineer friend over and then get a bid on the flooring issue. I'm already well into 5 digits so what's another couple of grand!!! I considered trying myself, but I just don't have the expertise. I chose a career that is FAR too specialized to bleed over into other areas. What was I thinking, lol!

Drop in the bucket at that point!

Funny, the guy who came and gave me the original quote mentioned that people have similar stuff done all the time to accommodate pool tables. Had no clue they weighed so much.

 

[Sean Norman]

Depending on your comfort level.. I would DIY it. I just did mine.
If you have 2x8 joists I would sister in another 2x8 to each existing. I would look if there are any seams in the plywood near where you are putting the tank. If so, I would block it as well. Blocking provides a lot of strength and keeps the joists from sagging.
I would dig a footing about 12 inches deep and wide enough to put a pier block in. Pour some concrete with a little steel to give it strength. Then put the pier bloc on. You could replace the pier block with a screw jack if you want but the concrete you pour must be troweled flat. Place a 4x4 that spans all the joists where the tank will sit. This should be done at 24 inch intervals.
I would check to see if your floor decking is 3/4 inch.. most likely is. I would most likely block it every 12-16 inches if it was 3/4 inch.
That should provide enough support. Is your crawl space dirt?

 

[Mas0n]

Depending on your comfort level.. I would DIY it. I just did mine.
If you have 2x8 joists I would sister in another 2x8 to each existing. I would look if there are any seams in the plywood near where you are putting the tank. If so, I would block it as well. Blocking provides a lot of strength and keeps the joists from sagging.
I would dig a footing about 12 inches deep and wide enough to put a pier block in. Pour some concrete with a little steel to give it strength. Then put the pier bloc on. You could replace the pier block with a screw jack if you want but the concrete you pour must be troweled flat. Place a 4x4 that spans all the joists where the tank will sit. This should be done at 24 inch intervals.
I would check to see if your floor decking is 3/4 inch.. most likely is. I would most likely block it every 12-16 inches if it was 3/4 inch.
That should provide enough support. Is your crawl space dirt?

Thanks for the info! Awesome that you did a DIY.

Yep, sloped dirt crawlspace.

 

[Kmst80]

I've got a 200 gallon sitting on a timberfloor, joists span 3.6 m and sit on hardwood bearers. Joists are 150x50 hardwood and 500 centre. I just added 6 more joists to place exactly under the feet of the tank. I calculated the weight of tank and cabinet to be around 1.5tonnes.
Tank has been up 2 years and is going well.

 

[littlefoxx]

Hey y'all!

Looking to upgrade my tank from a 40b to something in the 150-200g range early next year, and have some concerns regarding this amount of weight on my floor.

My house was built in 2017, so the joists and foundation (crawlspace) look good. 2x8in joists, 16in oc, 12ft span.

I had a foundation repair company come out and give me a quote for some supplemental support and was given this:

This would be for 2 large poly footers, 2 jacks, and a 6ft steel beam running perpendicular to my joists, where the tank would be. Unfortunately my crawlspace has dirt flooring, so I wouldn't feel comfortable DIYing this as I have limited knowledge of settling and creating a solid base for jacks.

Does this seems reasonable? Anyone else had similar work done to their house?

Holy moly thats a lot of money. Have you already paid them for the work?

 

[BeanAnimal]

There is a lot of good and a lot of suspect advice here....

I will touch on a few points.

1 - the existing joists will carry the bulk of the load to the foundation or other midspan load bearing supports. That means your supplemental support is not going to be carrying the full load.

2 - A short h-beam is cheap and overkill is easy to achieve. That said for the short span a 2x8 or two are more then sufficient.

3 - the poly bases are to spread the load over the dirt. If we were to take the worst case load (whole tank) at 2000 pounds and spread it over (2) bases that were 2' x 2' then you have 8 square feet of bearing surface... or 1152 square inches. That is less than 2 pound per square inch of loading on the soil. In reality given that those two footers are not carrying the whole load, it is going to be less then 1 pound per square inch. Increase the number of poly bases to (3) and even less...

You will simply want to excavate a level spot for each. You can lay down geotextile fabric if you wish and a layer of sand over top of it to set the bases in if you are worried about soil conditions.

If we were taking a 2000 gallon tank, my advice would be much different.


4 - "sistering" joists only works if you can get the new joists to rest on the bearing surfaces of the span, otherwise there are better ways

 

[Mas0n]

Holy moly thats a lot of money. Have you already paid them for the work?

Nope! Just a quote.