Floor joist damage

[archimedes]

A previous owner of my property did some un-permitted electrical work.  In doing so they butchered the floor joists.  



The holes drilled for the electrical are too close to the edge.  I'm going to remove the existing wire and re-drill the holes in the center of the joist.  But what is the best way to fix the damaged joist?   Do I need to sister a whole new joist to the existing one?   Will a plywood patch work?

[Redoverfarm]

Other than metal I would face each side with Ply letting it extend 8-10" from the bottom, glued and screwed.

[archimedes]

Thanks Red,

Would 1/2" ply be ok?  And how far laterally do I need to go?  2' on each side of the hole enough?

[Redoverfarm]

Maybe Don_P will give his take but I would say 2' would be fine. With that length you could get several out of a sheet.  The thicker the ply the more strength you would have. 

[rocking23nf]

I dont think thats been comprimised, Theres a lot of wood left on that joist and the hole is small, mayb 3/4 inch tops.

[JRR]

Is headroom an issue?  If not, I would use lengths of 2x4's, or 2x6's, fastened up against the bottom edge of joist.  Glued and screwed.

Doing this you could bridge over weakened areas, leaving wiring as is.

[archimedes]

Thanks for the replies.

The reason I thought it might be an issue is that I am going to pull a permit to do the electric correctly.  I was afraid that when the building inspector saw that the joists were drilled so close to the edge that he would fail me.

I thought that floor joists couldn't be notched,   or holes drilled,   in the bottom 1/3.    I could be wrong.

[MountainDon]

I thought that floor joists couldn't be notched,   or holes drilled,   in the bottom 1/3.    I could be wrong.

Check IRC section R502.8 for info with diagrams too.

[archimedes]

Thanks for the link Don.

As I suspected,  the joists were improperly drilled.

The question remains,  how to fix it in a way that would be in compliance with code.   

[Don_P]

I'm not sure that I'm too worried about it. Is this in the middle third of span or towards an end?
This is one repair;
http://www.metwood.com/products/reinforcer?gclid=CKTlp6b5p6oCFcjAKgodhh2GYA

[archimedes]

Thanks Don P.

I knew there had to be something out there that would fix it.

The holes are actually in the worst place possible,  in the middle of the span,  in the bottom 1/3 of the joist,  in a joist the spans the maximum allowable distance.

Whoever drilled the holes had no idea what they were doing.

It occurred to me that I could probably just sandwich the joists with plywood,  since they are kind of "springy"  anyway,   and no one would be able to see the holes.   

[UK4X4]

12mm ply each side would certainly stiffen them up !

[Native_NM]

Just curious - the fixes I found for this problem involve sistering or sandwiching with plywood or regular dimensional lumber over the affected area.  This requires one to pull the wiring out and then bore a new hold in the proper location.  How does one fix the problem without removing the existing wiring?

[UK4X4]

Cut the wiring - repair the damage re-route- replace the wiring and reconnect the circuit

[Native_NM]

How does one fix the problem without removing the existing wiring?

Cut the wiring - repair the damage re-route- replace the wiring and reconnect the circuit

[UK4X4]

well unless your Houdini

you only have one option !

its only wire -not a nuclear coolant line

[Native_NM]

I realize that.  I wondered if there was some other solution or product. 

When the electrician (a real electrician) installed the garage door opener at my dad's rental property years ago he drilled about a 1/2" hole near the bottom of the exposed joists.  He hit all of them except two.   It might be a little smaller - maybe 3/8.  The house is older, and the joists are only 2x6, spanning one half the garage and rest on a double 2x10 beam running the depth of the garage. There is a pier of three 2x6's at the halfway point for the beam to rest on.  It's a flat roof with 5/8" decking, tar and gravel.  Pretty standard here in NM. 

We were getting the house ready for sale and the electrician working on the panel said because it was a small hole it wouldn't matter.  The inspector said it was an issue and he would note it, because it's exposed and anyone can see it.   The garage has no drywall or insulation so it's easy to see. 

We pulled the house due to the economy, but will eventually have to sell it, and may need to fix it.

[firefox]

I am not sure if this would meet code, but here is what I would do:
Use a piece of 12 ga or thicker sheet metal, say 12 inches wide and long enough to wrap around the two sides and bottom of the joist.
Bend it in a "U" so that it fits snug.
Drill a hole to line up with the existing hole thru both sides.
Now make a cut from the top down to the center of the hole on both sides.
Now bend the sides out so that you can slip the wire thru the slot as
you push the metal in place on the joist.
Put a jack under the bottom and push the bracket up a little bit to take
the load off.
Drill thru holes near the top and secure it with an appropriate number of bolts.
That should give you the idea anyway.
Hope it helps.
Bruce

[archimedes]

I think,  for now,  I'm gonna go with plywood on both sides. 

Does it matter whether I use screws or nails?  I have ring shank nails for my nail gun left over from my last project.  Much faster than screws.

[MountainDon]

Nails are preferred. Deck screws especially are bad for anything structural; they are hardened to prevent head drive tear out and as a result are brittle. Nails bend if stressed. If the screw head is easily deformed they could likely be used but code always refers to nails.