Big holes!

[ROBERT W. NEWLAND, JR.]

Found these I-Joists today (two story townhomes) with holes cut to route HVAC ducts cables, etc. They were at the center of the span but seemed to be excessive. All the holes were so uniform (all the adjacent units were the same) they looked like the were made that way. What do y'all think?

[tdietrich1]

Oh absolutly beautuful.

I've seen HVAC guys eat up I-Joists but this is the worst. Mind if I use the photos?

Tom

[ROBERT W. NEWLAND, JR.]

Help yourself

[Jeffrey R. Jonas]

Robert,
This info from LP...
http://www.lpcorp.com/Literature/LP_...e_Overview.pdf
Scroll down to page 5.

Maybe it will help
Jeff

[ROBERT W. NEWLAND, JR.]

Thanks Jeff. Here's a link to the mfg of the I-joist in my pix http://ilevel.com/literature/TJ-4000.pdf

Note under General Notes it states to leave a min of 1/8" web above and below the hole. Am I reading that right????

[Barry Adair]

Originally Posted by rnewland

Thanks Jeff. Here's a link to the mfg of the I-joist in my pix http://ilevel.com/literature/TJ-4000.pdf

Note under General Notes it states to leave a min of 1/8" web above and below the hole. Am I reading that right????

Yeppers!

Holes may be located vertically anywhere within the web.
Leave 1⁄8" of web (minimum) at top and bottom of hole.

Someone's gonna need a letter stating repair method or replacement

[rshuey]

They are made that way.

[ROBERT W. NEWLAND, JR.]

Originally Posted by rshuey

They are made that way.

Can you give us a little more information?

[rshuey]

Originally Posted by rnewland

Can you give us a little more information?

certainly. Every major manufacturer of engineered wood floor joists will and can put cutouts for electrical, HVAC, plumbing, etc. the holes can be as large as shown in your pics. you need a minimum of 1/8" webbing to maintain minimum structure standards.

To put it in an easy to understand format. the cutout circle is kind of like an egg. if you place an egg in your hand and compress top to bottom, it will not break. Same science applies here. The top and bottom plates along with the perfect circle (or sometimes a triangle) will hold all weight needed.