Second floor weight limitations...

[HaRuMaN]

My gameroom is in the 2nd floor loft.  My brother made a comment about not putting too many games up there without knowing the weight limitations of the floor.  Now he's got me thinking about that.  How would I even go about finding that out?

[Vigo]

Generally, a house is designed to take a lot of weight, newer houses are usually built to code to be strong enough to hold the weight of a car. Older houses are usually just made with heavy duty material, and if it isn't deteriorating, it will be strong enough for a lot of weight. Going to a common heavy object in a 2nd floor of a house, a filled cast iron bathtub has a weight of over 600 pounds in a very small area. 

That said, it kinda depends of the condition and quality of the house build, and without an inspector its hard to get an estimate. You would need to find out how big the floor joists are and how far apart they are spaced. Unless you have an exposed attic area to see this, it is probably not even worth checking.

If most you stuff is against the walls, it will really help to prevent any floor sagging that could occur, but some heavy stuff in the middle is fine because the weight will distribute itself out between the floorboards. Throw as much as you can against the walls, especially the walls that make up the outside perimeter of the house, they are made to take more weight.

I think what you need to do is take the total weight of everything you are going to put in the room (including permanant fixtures, if any), and divide it by the room area. I believe the limit on a 2nd floor should be built 30-50 lb/sq. ft. I probably would only feel comfortable going up to 15-20 lbs. Certain things you just don't want to test the limits of.

[HaRuMaN]

My cabs are currently against the walls (outside walls).  There is a pool table in the middle, but nothing else.

I figured it was ok, just my brother got me thinking about it.

[Rick]

There is a pool table in the middle, but nothing else.

Don't let 600lbs worth of sex happen on it, and you should be ok.

 

[lordnacho]

Don't let 600lbs worth of sex happen on it, and you should be ok.

 

If 10 girls, it's   

[BadMouth]

Know any architects?

They should be able to tell you based on the size of the the floor joist(or truss) and span.
Got blueprints?

[Donkbaca]

10 girls?  @ 60 lbs a piece?  You better have your math wrong.

I think all buildings should use the "how many pounds of waterbed sex" can it hold metric.

[lordnacho]

Yep, sorry about that. Midgets are heavier than most think.

[Vigo]

I'd be all for forgetting about saving the house and go for 10 chicks with 1200lbs of sex.

[Donkbaca]

That would probably be the best minute and 25 seconds of your life....

[RayB]

That thought has crossed my mind as well (cab weight, not the 200lb midget sex) , even in when thinking about cabs on my main floor (creaky 1950's floors!). 4 cabs weighing 250lbs each, plus a pin weighing what, 200?, and a cab weighing 300 = 1500 lbs. That's 0.75 of a metric ton. 

[t3design]

Here is a great article about loading your floor. Turns out it is not very easy to determine just how much stuff you can pile into your house before the floor caves in.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/aquarium_weight.php

This article is about aquariums (which weigh way more than cabs) but the principles and issues are exactly the same.

t3

[jennifer]

       Ive had the same question myself [once upon a time]. Yes there is a formula, The library in my town was going to move and they had to call in
the professers. How they concluded the new building wouldnt hold the weight is beyond me.......

[BadMouth]

....and the topic sways to people who require tools to wipe their ass....

How many of them were we picturing having sex?

[HaRuMaN]

This thread is officially ruined 

[Donkbaca]

The moral of the story: Don't store your cabs in an apartment under over sexed morbidly obese people; they will get water damage.

[jsb98]

If you're worried about the cabs breaking the floor and falling through, attach them to the walls or suspend them from the ceiling.

[Ed_McCarron]

I believe the limit on a 2nd floor should be built 30-50 lb/sq. ft. I probably would only feel comfortable going up to 15-20 lbs. Certain things you just don't want to test the limits of.

So you don't stand with your feet together on second floors?

[Rick]

Personally, I've got a wide stance.

As do I, for different reasons.

[FrizzleFried]

Mr. Craig and Mr. Holmes posted in the same response... how appropriate.