Columns through the subfloor

Hello everyone

I am new here in the forum and already have my first concern.
A little about me: My name is Jonas, 20 years old, and I am an avid aquarist. I still live with my mother in a house, 22 years old.

About my concern:
As already mentioned, I have aquariums. The old setup is getting too small, so a bigger one is needed.

The planned setup will reach a weight of almost 2 tons on an area of 2.4x0.6m.
The subfloor will not withstand this weight, but the concrete ceiling below will, as the architect assured me.

I have now received the following tip:
There is a special thermal paper, you lay it on the floor. It then precisely marks the underfloor heating pipes for you. This way you know exactly where the pipes are located. You could thus drill holes down to the concrete floor. What I mean is, you can support the entire load on steel or stone columns on the lower floor. On top of the columns the board and then the frame.
You could also have a substructure welded with about 6 feet. For the feet, you drill holes down to the concrete ceiling. This way, your underfloor heating is not damaged. The holes could later be refilled and the tile replaced on top.

This person, however, has no experience with this and therefore cannot assist me with the implementation.

Perhaps someone here has experience with this and could help me?
How large would the columns need to be? How expensive would this roughly be, or could it be done DIY?

One more thing about the floor:
The floor will be redone, so it will be renovated anyway. Probably a screed floor or linoleum.

Now I hope for good answers and good cooperation here in the forum.

Kind regards
Jonas

Hello Jonas,

You might want to consult a structural engineer after all; according to your information, the load of the aquarium is not distributed over an area, but rather on six point loads of 330 kg each – can the ceiling withstand that? I recommend having it calculated.

Hi,

We also have an aquarium, but not as big. Of course, we also wondered whether the floor could hold it all. We then had a structural engineer come and he suggested we have a substructure built. However, not just 6 feet, but 10 feet. This way the load is well distributed.

So far everything has held up well and I hope that will continue in the future.

That is not such a heavy weight. So I wouldn’t have any concerns, and it just has to be imagined visually. But a structural engineer can of course give the correct answer.

The thermal paper you are looking for is called CPM-Monitor and is available in different temperature levels. As far as I can remember, I bought mine from DS-Derendinger AG in Thörishaus.

Hello Mr. Bodenmann,

Thank you very much and I was already looking for it, but I couldn't find it. This thermal paper is really good and can be used immediately.

However, this should also be done by a professional.