While dismantling my poorly constructed deck, I noticed that joist were toe nailed (actually “toe screwed”) on top in addition to the hangers. I also noticed that this practice contributed significantly to the joist end splitting and rotting.
So here is my question; is this an acceptable practice? Kind of defeats the purpose of the hanger.
Also, I found that it was relatively easy to lever out the joist from hanger. The hangers – Simpson LUS28 – have the domed head for toe nailing however, it does not get capture enough meat IMHO. Would it not make sense to have hanger have holes to allow face nailing into joist versus toe nailing?
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Replies
The recent issue of FHB actually shows how to properly flash a porch deck to eliminate rot.
The problem with rot wasn't due to the hanger or to that fastening used, it was due to poor water sealing and poor flashing details.
The toefastening isn't supposed to keep the joist from pulling away from the rim/ledger, it is supposed to keep the joist from twisting. There are other hangers that are used to keep the joist from pulling away if that is needed, say in the case of a railing post.