I was doing a quote this afternoon, so I called a major lumberyard around here and asked the salesman for ACQ compliant hanger.
The reply? “We don’t have them, we sell the regular ones and and they are fine”.
Now, does this place know something I don’t?
It was not a big box, by the way.
Quality repairs for your home.
Aaron the Handyman
Vancouver, Canada
Replies
Sounds like classic retail BS to me, ala "we can't or don't want to carry that so tell the customer these work fine"
The guy is a typical lumberyard know-nothing. If you are going to bother to do it right, with the right nails, get the right connectors. Ask him to fax you the manufacturers spec data, and then make your decision accordingly.
Also, ask your local building inspector what he is doing to ensure builders are using the correct connectors and fasteners. If you have the building inspector on your side, you might get the yard manager or the lumberyard owner to see the light, stop the BS, and have the good stuff in stock. He can ship the closeout stuff to someplace like the Dominican Republic, where they are still using CCA.
Ask if the owner will provide that in writing so if you get sued you can involve them as insuring that the items were suitable.
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter
Lumberyards hire idiots too.
If his "regular" ones are Simpson Z-max he would be right.
Now, does this place know something I don't?
LoL! Isn't this already covered in the "what the idiot clerk said" thread?
Similar thing happened to me last summer when building a deck. I placed an order for delivery which included Z max hardware (hangers, post bases, etc.). The post caps came non Z-max version, the rest were fine. I put 5 on before I noticed the problem. When I went to the yard to get the right ones, they first told me Simpson didn't make them in Z-Max, then (when I proved to them they were wrong) they said it didn't matter, regular would do just fine! Finally, they said they couldn't get the Z-Max ones. I walked out, went across town to another yard, and got the right ones. Thing is, this is the largest yard in the area, serving both contractors and homeowners alike. There was not some new kid at the counter, either- their employees have been there for years. While technically I am a DIY'er, I spend considerable time researching every phase of this project, especially here on this board. If I didn't, I would have a whole deck built with the wrong hardware........Now I try to act like a reporter, confirming all my info from at least two sources.
In contrast, MY yard has a big sign behind the counter:
"Copper flashing ONLY for pressure-treated lumber"
Time to find a hip yard there Aaron!
And everyone else.....
Like your experiences, this lumber yard is one of the largest wholesale units in the area.
Interestingly, the sales manager never returns calls/emails...... but they do a heck of a movie location business. Now that the currencies are moving the other way (Canadian going higher) and with so much competition, I wonder if they ate going to smarten up.Quality repairs for your home.
Aaron the HandymanVancouver, Canada
Can I assume you are talking about Standard with the movie comment?
Standard is a great yard but you have to develop a relationship with them....
I have dealt with all the yards and I will stick with Standard......
but like most yards some of the salesmen could use a kick in the a**.......
regards
Not to high-jack the thread but you said "Copper flashing ONLY for pressure-treated lumber". Around here, vinyl flashing is gaining popularity very quickly. I haven't't used it yet, but it is cheaper than copper, and obviously easier to work with. I'm anxious to try it as my guess is that it would last a hundred years.
Back on topic, most suppliers in my area are carrying almost exclusively Z-Max (or equivalent other brand) hangers. So "the regular ones" are Z-Max. On the down side, when you order a lumber package that requires hangers for interior use, you get Z-Max and pay the extra $.
As far as lumber salesmen, they do have the advantage of seeing what contractors are buying, and hearing what contractors are asking for. For example, a lumber salesmen at a place that specializes in deck material the other day told me that they sell 10x the amount of 12" flashing as 10" or 14". That tells me something - specifically that the local big boxes who don't sell the 12" don't know what the f*** they are doing, and just have a bunch of corporate idiots making decisions about what to stock. On the other hand a lumber salesmen is not the one installing the products, nor does he give a flip about your call backs so just take anything he says with a (big) grain of salt. Matt