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Manufactured Homes

Floor weight/strength for aquarium

16 years ago

How can I find out how much weight the floor of my manufactured home can bear? I am considering a 60 gallon aquarium, but suspect that the weight is more than the construction will tolerate. I would imagine there is a standard weight the floors in manufactured homes are designed to meet. Thank you.

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Comments (10)

anrsaz
16 years ago
We had a 125 gallon aquarium. We have a 2002 Marlette w/2x8 floors. But no matter what construction you have, you want to span several joists, so if your joists run from the front to the back of the home, you want your tank to run the opposite direction so they rest on several joists as to running the span of one joist.

We also added extra extra piers or pilons (sp?) where the tank sat under the home. We wanted to as we had a 125 gallon saltwater and it got heavy w/all the rock. We had no problems.
fishhead_20007
Original Author
16 years ago
I appreciate your response. Though the tank I was considering was less than half the size, it confirms I should be prudent where the extra water weight is concerned. Thank you very much.
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Good morning Marlene! Fish Gallery offers a full line of aquarium cabinets and we can definitely put something together that will fit both your décor and your budget! We offer a huge variety of materials and finishes. It looks your aquarium is a 46 gallon bow front and we have done many in that size. Here are just a couple of pictures of bow front cabinets. Let me know how to contact you and I can give you more details. Also, you can reach me at pendtricht@thefishgallery.com or call me at (214) 750-7002. Just ask for Paul! This first picture is a contemporary style cabinet that is done in a gray stain on rift cut white oak. I'm showing this picture so you can see what our gray stain option would look like. We have several other shades of gray stain available as well. Here a simple, clean option and there are plenty of options for finish, including the gray above or a simple black. This one is exactly like the one above but with flat panel doors. This one has a bit more detail. Again, all of these styles are available in any color or material.
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adirondackgardener
16 years ago
I think the numbers you are looking for are a min. uniform design load of 40 lbs/sq ft with a min. 200-pound concentrated load on a one-inch diameter disc. (HUD Code Sec. 3280.305) Before the mobile-hating guy starts his whining, that is also the same design criteria I design for in modular and stick frame home construction.

I believe that you will be ok without adding any additional support below your floor. The water in your tank will weigh about 480 lbs, or about the the weight of a well-stocked side-by-side refrigerator. You can hedge the numbers by placing the tank on a wood base or platform that spreads the weight over an area wider than the four points where the tank legs typically sit.

Wayne
fishhead_20007
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you, Wayne. I recall seeing those numbers (with the exception of the 200 lb. concentrated weight), but specifically in reference to roof weight. Consequently, I was still a little unsure. Thank you for the HUD reference. You have a point about the refrigerator. I think your idea about spreading out the weight is a good one too. As for the mobile-hating guy, no worries. If I wanted a site-built home, I would have bought one. LOL. I love my MFH. Thanks again. :)
anrsaz
16 years ago
Ah yes, we as well had our large tank sitting on top of a wood base for better weight distribution. We may have done overkill, but w/a 125 marine aquarium, best to be safe than sorry.

Ann
fishhead_20007
Original Author
16 years ago
Yep. Gotta figure, my house is older too. I appreciate all the responses. Thank you very much.
jagxdat
15 years ago
Youll be fine i have a 55 with nothing additonal.Getting ready to set up a 220
llazy
15 years ago
Had no problems with my 55 gallon aquarium. Did nothing special either.
alviec
15 years ago
adirondackgardener thanks for thinking about me.
You forgot to tell them that if they have a problem with the home and talk to the manufacturer, they will tell the consumer that moisture from the fish tank is causing the problem?
See ya 'round buddy....
adirondackgardener
15 years ago
You are hardly my buddy. Now go and play and let the grownups talk.

Wayne

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