Would have liked to address this to Bosshog, but couldn’t figure out how to.
How big of a deal is drilling holes in the bottom chord of a truss?
I told an owner/builder that he screwed up in a major way by drilling several 1” hole in 2×4 bottom chords and also told him he really realy screwed up by drilling in the bottom chord of a girder truss (tripled up).
So how big of a deal is this really?
What would you prescribe to fix it. No rock installed yet.
Replies
bump
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but couldn't figure out how to.
Press 'Others' in the To: listing and then type in the name of the poster the post is to be sent to then click 'OK'.
Cheers
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It really depends on the truss and where the hole is. Every case is different.
If a customer called me to say he had a hole drilled in a truss, I would look at the hole location and how stressed the truss member was at that point. It could be that it was no big deal at all, or it could be fairly serious.
Girder trusses are a bigger problem for two reasons - The lumber is often pretty maxed out, and they're harder to repair. You often can't get enough plywood on them if they actually need repaired.
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As for the person that you mentioned who has apparently done this to some trusses - The best thing he could do is contact the manufacturer. They'll need the exact location of the holes, their diameter, and where they're located in the chord. (Centered, closer to the top, or whatever)
They'll have engineers that they can run the information by who will prescribe a repair if it's needed.
It could potentially be a huge deal depending on location. A 1" diameter hole just took out nearly 30 percent of the member capacity.
If I was the GC on the project I would reject any liability. In writing!!!
In any case the building inspector would want to see an engineer's report
All truss specs I have seen specifically state that no modifications or drilling is allowed. Even plywood "floors" for future storage can change the load specs dramatically.
If something happens the insurance co will void any claims for sure
go out and buy a bolt to fit the hole! quick!
I bet you could use tan caulk too."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
yeh that works too!
should the caulk be paintable???
Thanks to everyone for their replies.