Manufactured I Joist over Crawlspace

[John Evans]

Is anyone aware of potential crawlspace moisture related problems with manufactured I joists? Lamination concerns? We do not see a lot of crawlspaces and I do not recall seeing I joists over a crawl until yesterday.

[Bruce A. King]

We have those in many homes with crawlspaces. They are very dry from the factory so if you find them around 16 percent on a 1-3 year old house the crawl is too damp etc and it will get worse. It would take direct water over time to delaminate these but mold and long term damage can result over time in a wet crawl.

[Jeffery L. Haynes]

I love I-joist....... I have been using them for about 20 years.....they are a great product, far superior to conventional lumber. When I built my bankers home, her father (unbeknownst to me) took a 12" piece and stuck it in water for about month (I suppose he that Noah's Flood was going to occur again) in trying to prove that it was an inferior product. It didn't take him long to finally admit that I-joist were indeed a superior product. With that said, they are nont an end all to the moisture problems that can occur in crawlspaces however they do hold up better because of the resins that make up the product. I have yet to come across an I-joist that had to be repaired due to moisture damage or from wood destroying insects.
When I come across a home with I-joist the that generally tells me that builder is not one to cut corners...... I pay about 1.50 p/ft for I-joist as compared to .75 cts for a 2x10 p/ft., so you can see that there is a significant price difference............one that is well worth it.

Control the moisture from entering the crawlspace and the problem is solved.

[Marcel Gratton]

I-Joists have their weak points which is *Fire*, they burn faster than traditional lumber.

[Larry D. Kage]

I-joists are great and they still need to be a minimum of 18" to ground in the crawlspace.