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Proper method when rack is not on cement floor

I'm moving my 2 channel system into another room. Right now it's in a room that has a wood floor over cement (with area rug), so I have the rack spiked to the floor and everything seems okay. The new location is still on the first floor of the house, but the floor is over a 2-1/2' crawlspace, so it's pretty much a hollow cavity under the rack. Again it's a wooden floor, but with a rug. Is spiking under the rack still advisable for this sort of arrangement? If not, what is the preferred method?

The rack will be in a corner location in this other room, if that helps.
tonyptony
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
I've had good success using my rack spiked to a wood suspended floor. Since you're over a crawl space, you might consider one more step: install some extending jack posts under the floor joists in the crawl space to add more rigidity to the floor. They were a big help here, even with my rack at a wall location near a corner. They also helped with the overall tonal balance in the listening room by reducing some of the floor flex. Here's a sample 3' post from Home Depot.
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tonyptony OP
617 posts
 
Rushton, that link takes me to a sort of general page on HD. I see no jack posts there. I did a search and found a Tiger Brand selection in HD. Are these the ones you were referring to?
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
Sorry about the bad link. Yes, the Tiger Brand posts are the ones I used and was trying to show you.
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tonyptony OP
617 posts
 
No problem. Is the idea to "push up" a bit on the jack once it has been put into place? That is, to put some counterpressure on what is probably a sagging floor? If so, how is that done with these jacks?
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
Yes, that is the idea. The jacks are very heavy steal, with plates at top and bottom, and a threaded rod at one end. They telescope to several interim lengths, you choose the length that is just short of your overall height from floor-to-joist. Then you turn the threaded rod until tight between floor and joist, and turn a bit more to either add just a touch of support or a bit more beyond that to lift out a sag. By using a number of these, you can end up with a very rigid, very strong, floor.
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