39.48, -82.98 | It's a complicated question that depends on a lot of things. BigNorsk has a good summary above. I made some assumptions: 10,000 pounds on each 8-ft I-beam, uniform loading (1600-gal tank takes up most of the span), mild steel, W-flange beams, 4 inches of end support. Let me know if any of these is out of line. Then I doubled the load for a factor of safety of 2.0.
As an example, I used a W8x13 beam (depth = 7.99", flange = 4.00"). - (√) shear at support = 10,052# is within web strength, though you may want to add cross-bracing
- (√) max. bending stress = 24,212 psi is well within strength of mild steel
- (√) max. deflection (center) = -0.20"
There are many other combinations that would satisfy these constraints. Once you determine the material and how much stress is allowed, any beam cross-section with sufficient EI value (Young's modulus times moment of inertia) will work. It's often easier to answer "I have this beam...will it work?"
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I-Beam specs
