Architectural / Structural Concerns - HEAVY TRANSMITTER

[steve_qix]

It depends on the free span of the 2 x 12s.

I have the identical situation - the shack is on the 1st floor of the house, and is in a room that is over a 28 x 28 garage (the room is also 28 x 28 with no partitions).

Anyway, my shack has *2* (two)  9 foot grand pianos in it (9 foot grand pianos weigh upwards of 1800 pounds EACH), along with well over 1500 pounds of radio equipment (maybe more, actually).  This is a room over a garage.  It is framed with 2 x 12s 16 inch on center with a 14 foot clear span max for the joists.  The overall room is 28 x 28 feet, and there is a beam (in the garage below) supported on columns, running down the center of the garage and breaking up the 28 foot span into 2  14 foot sections.

The big question is:  what is the clear span of the floor joists?  Most floors are calculated using a 40 PSF live load and a 10 PSF dead load.  As an example, a 2 x 12 joist, 16 inches OC, using #2 or better wood consisting of Douglas Fir or Hem-Fir (both common for framing material) can span approximately 19 feet.  Again, this is 19 feet assuming a 40 PSF load.  If the span is less, the load handling capacity goes up.  The construction is also important.  Bridging in the floor decreases the deflection because the load is transferred to adjacent joists through the bridging.  Virtually all modern construction uses bridging between joists.

So first, figure your clear span.  From this, you will know what the safe load bearing capacity is.  The floor will not collapse unless it is very, very badly constructed, because 3 human beings weigh more than the transmitter.  A refrigerator fully loaded weighs more than the transmitter.  Even a waterbed weighs a lot.  Placing a static load exactly mid-span may cause some minor defection over time, depending on what you find for your spans, etc.  If there is any question about it, I would place the load off mid-span if possible - either over a beam or nearer to an outside or other supported wall.

[W2NBC]

Come on Steve! The trick to NOT collapsing that huge shack is making sure the "hand of woman" never enters the room! 

[W9BHI]

I have my T-3 in a spare room in the house.
The footprint is large enough to spread the load out over a large enough area.
I know several hams that have them on the first and second floors of their homes
for years with no problems.
Unless your house is not built to code, I wouldn't sweat it.

W9BHI

[steve_qix]

Come on Steve! The trick to NOT collapsing that huge shack is making sure the "hand of woman" never enters the room!  

You know, back in the 1940s and 1950s, and even into the '60s, men had dens that were THEIRS.  I fondly remember these dens - usually wood paneled, maybe some trophies mounted on the wall, etc.  Books, pipes and pipe tobacco, etc.  Leather furniture - the typical men's den.

These havens of testosteronic sanity seem to have all but disappeared - except for the venerable Ham Shack.  We can maintain our distinctly male domains under the guises of safety, utility, noise and clutter that MUST be present if we're to be able to work on equipment, build stuff, etc.

And yes, a man's oasis is a place where the hand of women has not set foot!!

[KB2WIG]

"And yes, a man's oasis is a place where the hand of women has not set foot!! "

This is true. We still have such places; they are know by various names. The following link may be of interest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_cave

My shack is in the basement, my mantuary. My wife rarely steps foot in the area (well, she'll put boxes of stuff in there when she needs the room). I'm able to leave my radio stuff out on the bench, and not have to worry about her saying that its just clutter (well, I do have to hide my xclite cutters - that steel wire she wants to cut with them is not nice like copper).

I can leave the radios on loud, and she'll not complain about hetrodyne, loudness, the odd belch or two that comes accross (unless she wants to watch tv in the living room directly above, or its too loud). I even have my little refregerator nearby, so I can offer water or fruit drinks to my guy visitors (as long as I clean the kitchen, living room and bathroom, vacuum and close the door to the master bedroom; give her a few days notice and check if its OK with her. And hang up blue tarps to hide things so they cant see how crappy the rest of the basement looks). Its impotent to have give and take in a relationship, things go much easier when I know what to do.

klc

[Steve - K4HX]

A man's gotta know his limitations.

[ka4koe]

You go into mine you're likely to come across dangerous items.....uncased transmitters, geiger counters, U/Th ore, fencing gear, test instruments, fire arms, ammunition, weather instruments.

I have a 12 x 16 space with a 10,000 btu AC unit. I wired it and my wife's adjacent work space and guest bedroom. I have yet to obtain a small refrigerator for "adult beverages".

I had to clean mine up when my boy had no space to sit down on the folding day bed. He hangs out with me from time to time to get away from his sister and Mom (ie "the Women").

[WBear2GCR]

Well, you do not usually move a T-368 as one unit, since the three drawers come out...

As far as that being too much load, a whole lot imo, depends on what exactly the place is, how it is really built and where on the upper floor ur going to put the thing.

I'd expect that IF you put it against a wall, then the issue is not particularly problematic. Of course if you can't get near the wall because this is an attic space of sorts, that's a bit different. But you can transfer some load to the roof too, if you wanted.

I think the 700lbs is not that much, by itself, other than the issue of the pressure under each caster - already noted. It is not required that you use the stock dolly under the transmitter.

Did you say the joists were 2 x 12s??
That will hold a boat load of weight.
Assuming that you have bridging and a suitable wall holding it up, with a proper footing under that, I can't imagine it won't handle that load and more...

Also, afaik that rating is for the entire floor filled up!! Not just a sub section! As in, a 50ft long attic, filled with junk...

These engineers can't tell you anything but the legally required very conservative line.

Maybe if you posted some pix of the situation it would make more sense?

                   _-_-bear

PS. forget that aquarium, can you say water bed?

[KK4YY]

PS. forget that aquarium, can you say water bed?

Shouldn't the two of you get to know each other first?