Gooday All,
We are building a Habitat house here in Grand Forks, B.C. and we will be using enginered I joists ( 91/2″ @19.2″).
I used to have a web site that gave all the do’s/don’ts/tricks etc. but I lost it when the hard drive ate itself.
Can anyone point me in the right direction? All help gratefully received!
Thanks from Grand Forks, gtw
Edited 8/19/2004 2:45 pm ET by HEDGEHOGTW
Replies
Don't know where to begin--mainly because I don't know how much you already know. One trick we used, that you may know about is once you get two I-Joists carried around and placed on the walls, flip them so they're 90 degrees from the way they should be and use them as channels to push each new I-Joist across on. Saves time. Don't forget squash blocks. Use the diamonds on your tape for layout. Can't think of much else right now. I'm sure others will be able to tell you more. Good luck! I've worked on a couple Habitat projects. Rewarding work.
First off, I-joists aren't floor trusses - They're entirely different things.
Second - The folks who supplied the I-joists should have books and/or other literature to give you that will give you the info you need.
If not, go to the website for the manufacturer. Each one has their own requirements.
For instance - The website for GP brad I-joists is:
http://www.gp.com/englumber/ibeam.html
Down at the bottom of the page there are lots of PDF files you can download.
Bumpersticker: You have to be really secure to be seen in a car like this.
>> First off, I-joists aren't floor trusses ...
I'll take your word for it, but several manufacturers call them truss joists.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&safe=off&q=%22truss+joists%22
there is a huge diff between truss joist and i joist. I have used both. A truss joist is 2 2x4's flat with "truss" webbing in between. I joist is much smaler member with osb standing between. Watch where u drill those I joist be sure to comply with manuf instructions. hope this helps
An inch to short. That's the story of my life !
bstcrpntr --- I hope to grow into this name.
Follow the Google link and look at some of the referenced web sites. (Don't go to tjm.com, though. It's not who it claims to be.) Several manufacturers of i-joists, including some of the very big names in the industry, call them truss joists. A Google image search for "truss joist" finds a bunch of pictures of i-joists and no pictures of open web trusses.
Well I guess its a regional thing, I have heard them called trusses, joists, TJI's and a few more uncomplementary names.
The small "truss" plant in town who makes them actually calls them Trus Joists with only one "s" so perhaps it is a trade name or brand name. Anyhow, thanks for the replies.
gtw
Just something I heard, for your consideration, is that fire fighters hate I-Joists because they burn through faster in fires. Haven't actually talked to a fire fighter to see if it's true.
There was a house fire around here (Central NY) a few years ago that killed two firefighters. The fire started in the basement and the floor collapsed relatively quickly. It caught the two firemen in the kitchen, dragging them down into the basement. Turns out the floor framing was floor trusses (not I-joists). It stands to reason- the more surface area and less meat in the framing member, the quicker it will burn. In the aftermath, a few were grumbling to no longer permit floor truss framing. It hasn't happened yet, and is out of the news.
If you use floor trusses, consider protecting them with 5/8" firecode on the underside. Same issues with I-joists.
By the way- Trus Joist and TJI are company names for Trus-Joist MacMillan I-joist products. You can download their product info from http://www.tjm.com
I heard about the fire you mentioned. I've read reports on a bunch of fires where trusses were involved - Both roof and floor.
There are only 2 incidents in the whole country that I know of that involve floor trusses. Both of them were firefighters that went into buildings that they were reasonably sure were unoccupied.
I think the I-joists are going to be more of a problem in the long run, though. They're new enough that there haven't been enough serious fires involving them yet.
But that will increase as more and more homes are built with them. And as those homes get older and the homeowners mess with the wiring, etc.
You might be interested in the thread I did a while back about I-joists roasting on an Open FireBumpersticker: If you can read this, I've lost my boat.
Thanks for the reply on my other post " Floor Trusses" I suppose the better term would be "Floor Systems, I read your post on fire danger.
We set the engineered I joists for the Habitat House on Friday and decked it with 3/4 ply this morning, however you started me thinking, as the basement will have two bedrooms in it, probably for children.
For fire protection, do you think it would be a good idea to run 5/8" up the partition walls so it lands on both of the wood members of the I joist then put in the lid,also put 5/8" drywall as fire blocking in the runs over the partition walls that cross the run of the joists.
I am trying to think of a way to stop a fire (heaven forbid) from spreading through the joist system as a mate of mine just lost his house as the children left a candle burning and the local F.D. think it spread so quickly through the joist bays.
It's not the first place to go so quickly up here, wood fired saunas in basements like to eat houses, so all ideas will be gratefully received!
So long from Grand Forks, gtw
Of all floor systems that I have used, my favorite is the floor truss system. If done properly, it has a better fire rating than any other. An important thing to remember to do is put 5/8 inch sheetrock vertically between the trusses at various squart footages (talk to your building inspector for specifics in your area) for a fire break rather than one large opening for the fire to spread quickly. Be sure to use a certified fire blocking caulk around openings made by plumbing heating and electrical. Another item that I installed in my house is a fire sprinkler system made by Wirsbo. It is tied into my water system so there isn't any stagnant water sitting there. I built the house myself and took the extra time and protection to make sure my family would be safe in the event of a fire.
That's exactly what I am thinking about, here in commercial applications we use fire doughnuts around all piping and electrical that pierces floors or walls, however it isn't code for residential.
I will recommend using fire caulk, however with the Habitat Homes its always volunteer work and things like this are hard to explain
So long from Grand Forks, gtw