I need to support a beam that has termite damage in it.
The beam, 6″ x 8″ spans 16′. It is supported at each end by the foundation where 6″ of the beam sits in foundation pockets. The center of the beam is supported by a steel column. The beam is supporting an addition ( 16 x 8) to the main house ( 24 x 48) ranch.
If you were looking at the beam, the rh side has the damage. Everything to the left of the center support is solid wood. The beam has termite damage extending from the foundation pocket out about 3.5′ . A home inspector for the bank said it needed to be sistered.
I would like to sister 3, 2 x 8? or 10? from the foundation wall out 10 feet. I would support the end next to the foundation with a column made up of 3, 2 x 8 PT. The other end would be bolted thru the existing beam. Everything would be nailed and glued.
Do you think what I suggest will be strong enough to do the job of “fixing” the damage beam?
Thank You
Replies
Do you think what I suggest will be strong enough to do the job of "fixing" the damage beam?
honestly, who could know, without checking thorougly the extent of the damage? My suggestion would be to sandblast the damaged wood away, then have an engineer who's good with retrofit solutions design a fix. That's what we used to do on burn jobs, where beams would get charred. The beam is too structurally important to rely on "do you think".
or, at least, if you're going to ask here: sandblast the bad portion away, then take some digital pics, and post them here along with your question. Then at least all us armchair engineers :) could make an edumacated guess at what it needs.
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edited to say: I guess I should add, shore it up with a temporary brace in the meantime!
"...craftsmanship is first & foremost an expression of the human spirit." - P. Korn
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Edited 1/25/2009 11:05 am by Huck
I need to clarify the "fixing" of the beam. By sistering 3, 2 x 8/10 alongside the damaged beam, the new "beam" will carry what the damaged, old beam currently carries. I don't think there is a need to sandblast, etc., I am just considering that the damaged beam ( just on the rh side of the center support, is no good and my replacement will be a substitute for it.
Then that doesn't add up, to me. Sistering onto a beam that is structurally unsound at its point of support will not strengthen the beam where it needs it - at the point of support. And three 2x8's nailed together do not equal one 6x8 structural beam.
I guess its time to turn this one over to the wiser pundits!
Carry on."...craftsmanship is first & foremost an expression of the human spirit." - P. Korn
bakersfieldremodel.com
A home inspector for the bank said it needed to be sistered.
If the home inspector a licensed engineer?
If he's specifying the needed remedy, is he responsible for the finished product?
Sounds like a kludge to me, you're risking a lot for a few hundred bucks.
Joe H
For what you describe a sister will not do much for you. The thing to do is to replace the entire beam or the half that goes to the center post and tie the two shorter beams together with a sister. That may be what he had in mind.
Tacking sisters alongside of a beam intended to carry vertical load is some bad thinking.
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The thing to do is to replace the entire beam or the half that goes to the center post and tie the two shorter beams together with a sister
I'll second that"...craftsmanship is first & foremost an expression of the human spirit." - P. Korn
bakersfieldremodel.com
Thirds. Temporary studs on either side (no such thing as too many), you'd better bring some jacks just in case. LVLs glued, nailed, and bolted. Tell your freinds "free beer" and you just might get some help. Termites are serious business around here. It isn't pretty what they can do to a house if left alone for several years, carpenter ants too.
another thing - I don't experience termites, but do deal with carpenter ants, carpenter bees, and powder post beetles. In every case, it has been impossible to know the extent of the damage from outward appearances, so when your HI claims three feet of damage, I expect it could easily be nine feet inside the wood.
Sistering will still leave the damage, possibly the little wood eaters colony, and the bacteria and fungus they have dragged in with them so the damage will continue.
AND
all these little wood eaters like moisture too, so there may be a reason why they like that corner. Find the source of moisture intrusion and fix it too.
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I agree w/ others ... sistering new along side the damaged is problematic. What supports the ends of the new stuff? My reaction is support the floor, remove the damaged beam and insert a new one. Should be 'easy'. I wouldn't want a termite infested piece to remain in place and even if you no longer have termites, I wouldn't want the damaged beam to be there. Nailing/attaching anything to the damaged beam will not solve a structural problem if it (the new) isn't supported like the beam is at both ends.