The foundation crew installed 17″ high 7/8″ anchors for the Simpson HDU holdowns. A couple of these anchors are nowhere near the center of the SIP wall.
I assume I’ll need to saw these two off flush with the sill and redrill into the foundation to install new CENTERED anchors. Any suggestions what recip saw blade, i.e., TPI count, will work the best on these tough anchors?
The other two anchors are alright as far as centering goes. The problem is both extend approx. 17′ above the sill and the HDU8 needs to sit on the sill, not several inches above it. These tall anchors were installed assuming a cantilevered bay was spanning the foundation. Instead, a bay window will be installed in an 8″ SIP resting on the sill. The anchor bolts are only threaded at the top and are too tough to be threaded with the 7/8″ x 9TPI die from Harbor Freight (yes, I know…. but the tool rental folk don’t seem to have this size die).
Any suggestions on solutions? Have HDU8s been installed 9-10″ above the sill and still been approved?
Thanks,
Rick Gregory
Replies
Back to HF for a 4" grinder
and cheap diamond blade and cut your J bolts.
As to the too long, slip a piece of 1" pipe over it with a big washer at the top and bottom.
Don't know what your BI will think of that, but no reason it won't work .
Joe H
Check the code first
Take a piece of plate material and mark with a sharpie where you need to leave room for a washer and nut. Cut the rod off there and thread the rod for roughly 3/4".
You're proposing a lot of work. I'd have a tendency to exhaust options before cutting and redrilling. One option is to talk to the BO/BI about it. He'll have t approve an option. I had HDs installed too far from the stud and he suggested 'packing out' the stud and attaching it to that.
You may have options and are assuming you have to choose what might be a more difficult option. I think you can 'raise the base' as another poster implied (he suggested the pipe).
Move HDU up
Simpson HDU hold-downs are not required to be installed tight to the sill. In fact, page 37 of the current Simpson manual shows HDUs being installed in other orientations. So just install the HDU up higher - it will be fine. I'm an engineer, and I have appoved this on projects I have designed.
7/8" anchor bolts are pretty beefy...
If you decide to cut the bolts off, re: "Any suggestions what recip saw blade, i.e., TPI count, will work the best on these tough anchors? " go get some Lenox blades called "the torch". Lenox blades are white, and more expensive than some but worth it. BTW - with regard to concrete crew installed anchor bolts, if you get a 90 to 95% hit rate as far as proper placement you are doing really good.
Just remembered ... Simpson anchor bolts often have an imbedment line marked on the shaft of the anchor. The installer should have put them in properly ... or come back to make it right, maybe. The imbedment line and a marking on the top of the bolt give the inspector a clue as to what was installed and if done properly.
That's what I was wondering... did the bolts get imbedded enough?