350kg on UK floor Question

[skarfish]

Hello,

Not sure who to turn to or if this is the correct place to post such a topic

I have placed a 300l aquarium on the 4th floor of an apartment building. I am now being told this can cause damage to the structure of the building by the landlord(non engineer), but I am in disagreement as the tank has been there comfortably for a few months. Can someone tell me if this needs further investigation or is it a straight forward yes/no if built to code, should be more than satisfactory.

Please forgive me but this is all the information I have.

-Tank is 300L, I estimate a weight of 350KG with the stand etc.
-It covers an area of 1.23mx0.43m= 0.53m^2 on the floor. on 6 legs that distribute the weight.
-Apartment is in a converted office building based in the UK.
-Floors are made of concrete- unknown thickness.
-Tank is placed in the center perimetor of slab.
-Maxium point load 1.5KN from the landlord, unkown UDL.

If this can not be answered with the limited information, what would the worst case scenario of failure or damage as a result of overloading a raised concrete floor? As the tank has already been there for 3 months with no observed damage, is there a danger of long term damage?

Any help would be appreicated.

 

[Guest262653]

Does your landlord have a policy against 3 fat guys hugging each other at the same time?

 

[skarfish]

That is exactly what I said!

 

[Guest262653]

And don't forget the dynamic load from these guys jumping with joy.

 

[skarfish]

Thanks, but can anyone provide anything a little more technical that I can go back to the landlord with.

 

[Ingenuity]

Maximum point load 1.5kN from the landlord, unkown UDL.

So you have 350kg (3.4kN) over 6 legs, so 0.57kN point loads per leg. Less than 1.5kN, so okay by the landlord's requirements.

A 1.23m x 0.43m (plan area) tall cabinet filled with plates, crockery, and glassware often exceeds 350kg, so too does a 4-claw cast-iron bath full of water, or a king size water bed (200+ gallons).

A converted office building - depending on the age and occupancy of the office structure - would have had file cabinets full of paper files that probably exceeded 350 kg.

What do you mean when you say "raised concrete floor"? Is there a step in the top of slab surface, like a raised platform made of concrete?

 

[drawoh]

skarfish,

This sounds to me like it is equivalent to a water bed. Water beds are routinely banned in apartment buildings. Are they concerned about the weight, or is it the possibility of water leaking out?

--
JHG

 

[skarfish]

Thanks for getting back to me. The concern is weight, they are worried there will be long term structural damage to floor.
The apartment is brand new and so moving from offices to residential use it must comply with building codes. I believe that there shouldn't be an issue at 350kg.

 

[IRstuff]

Just point out that your 27 cu. ft. refrigerator weighs 159 kg, empty, and if it's 1/3 filled with stuff with the density of water, or filled with stuff with 1/3rd the density of water, that would be 236 kg, totaling to 395 kg. Obviously, it would weigh even more if it were completely filled. And all that weight is sitting on 4 tiny little casters.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Whirlpoo...hromatic-Stainless-Steel-WRF757SDEM/205937770

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