does anyone live in a split level house?

[nickyblase]

Wondering how many people out there live in a split level, and how you deal with the weight distribution of a tank on the main floor. Since there's no real "basement" it would be hard to see what way the joists run, unless you have drop ceiling.

I've currently got a 65 on the main (upper) floor, and am thinking long term that I should upgrade it to a larger (90 or 125) to keep the fish happy (I've got a juvi koran and a picasso trigger in there that long term should be in something larger).

As long as I can determine which way the joists are running, will I be okay with a tank of 90 or 125 without adding supports? I will probably not run the sump through the basement, so there will be added weight with that.

If I do need to add supports - how do you do this - rip out the ceiling below & re-plaster the whole thing when you're done??

 

[Kevin McG]

I live in a split and I took the whole problem of weight out of the equation by putting an in-wall in the lower level

 

[KAS2]

An electronic stud finder should tell you where your joists are. You can also infer it from the room dimensions. If the longer dimension is over 12 feet (or maybe 14), the joists almost certainly spanthe shorter dimension.

You'd have to talk to a structural engineer about adding supports. Options include a beam (which lowers ceiling height), doubling the joists, or a lally column if it's on a concrete base.

A year ago I was convinced our 75G+15G sump was no longer level, and I added a lally column in the basement. To be safe, I raised it slowly over a period of four weeks.

 

[PenMan]

We have a split and the Dining room/living room have the floor joist going from side to side. The rest of the house has the joist going from front to back. What room are you trying to put the tank into? You should be able to tell from the the walls in the room below. If it above a large family room with no post in the middle, the joist probably run from side to side. I would expect the rest of the house to have them front to back.

 

[Matt L.]

What exactly is a split level house?

I live in one of those traditional three story, two family homes in Boston constructed in 1904. Is that the same thing? If so, I keep my tank on the second floor, and can detail how I did so,

Matt

 

[nunofs]

I also live in a split-level (btw, Matt, a split level has the main door elevated from the street, and then has half a flight of stairs up to the main level and half down to the lower level... the lower level isn't a basement, although the floor is usually under ground level). I have a 75g on the upper floor, and it's running parallel to the joists, but it's in the corner of an external walll with a load bearing wall so it's pretty solid.

Nuno