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Floor frame, a triple LVL with 9 1/2″ I-joists clipped to it on 16″ centers with face-mount hangers. Huber Advantech OSB floor sheathing, 3/4″ thickness, and the sheathing layout has a T&G joint paralleling the LVL sandwich, 1″ offset from the edge. We are all finished underneath. Drywall ceilings, paint, trim, etc. The location of the squeak has dropped-down soffit underneath, so the bottom chord of the I-joists does not have drywall ceiling attached in this immediate vicinity. I thought it was an I-joist with play in the hanger joint, but now think it is the T&G joint that is making the noise.
Haven’t opened it up yet. Am somewhat apprehensive due to the under-deck hot water heat piping, which is stapled to the bottom side of the OSB floor sheathing, although the arrangement in the region of the LVL beam gives me about a 12″ “window” where the piping dives down away from the OSB to go through the beam. This will be like brain surgery.
Here is the tentative plan. Set the sawblade on the circular to slightly less depth than the deck thickness, saw through right at the T&G joint, chisel it all the way through, tread heavily to see if she squeaks still, and if not I have at least found the source. If squeaking occurs still, the diagnosis is likely the joist. If it is the deck joint, I will open a hole with a cut parallel to the joint by about 6″, glue and clamp some underside scabs in place, and patch and screw. If it is the joist, I will try some side pads stuffed between the web and the hanger, at the appropriate thickness, and attempt to get some big screws into the joint.
Any suggestions, squeak fixers?
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Sounds like how I would go about it. I'd still be doing some sweating until I got it exposed enough to make sure I could see the pipes and not worry about nicking one.
Let me say that I have been back to fix floor squeaks over 100 times in my life and only once did I ever find one that was the fault of framing.(someone forgot to nail a joist hanger) It seems like the common belief in our industry that floor squeaks are mostly caused by the plywood not being properly adhered to the joists and that has never been the case in any of the squeaks I have ever investigated. My suspicion is you are going to find that your culprit is those very same copper pipes of which you speak, or perhaps some duct work in the vicinity.
Good luck buddy and one more piece of advice if you hadn't already applied this to your tentative plan, I would also take the extra precaution of turning off the water supply just in case.