Bracing I-joists After Subfloor Installed.

personalt

I have a situation where I shouldnt need bridging for some wood I joists because the spans are really short. However the building inspector disagrees and wants me to add some bridging.

Normally for I joists I install the tension bridging from Simpson that nail to the top of the I joist before installing the subfloor. It connects to the lower edge of one ijoist and then the top of the next and the bottom of the third.

I tried to use the regular nail into the side (with the little spikes) bracing that you use for regular 2x10s but because the flange of the I joists is wider then a regular 2x10 the bracing doesnt fit.

Other then cutting up ijoists or using solid would blocking is there any good bracing that I can use to prevent twisting. As per the trusjoist website and my engineer I dont need them on this size span based with the joist hangers I use but I just need to find something easy to satisfy the engineer.

joasis

And here is what I am talking about with PITA inspectors. You have an engineer, licensed, sealed, the whole nine yards say you don't need it and the manufacturer says you don't need it, but the building inspector thinks you need it?
You can brace the joists just to kiss his posterior, or see if you can get the engineer to document the issue for him (paper trails make idiots nervous, but will make an enemy out of him), or go to the board of appeals for your inspector and good luck.

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Mike Finley

What would be wrong with asking the inspector to show you where in the code it says you need what he is "requesting"? Unless things are different where you are this is all we do, we do it politely,like "hmm, never knew about that, now where in the code book does it say that so I will know for the next time?"

thom

Or, you could cut 3/4" ply to the full width and depth, notch the corners of the ply for the flanges of the I joist, nail through the joist web into the plywood, and the inspector is happy.

Joe Carola

They're not going to twist. Just cut up some I-joists and use them as blocking. No notching. Whatever the inside to inside measurement from flange to flange is, you cut them square on both ends and nail them up. Don’t use 2x materials because you’re not supposed to mix 2xs with I-joists. 2x material shrinks and the I-joists don’t and you’ll get squeaks mixing I-joists and 2x material is a

All you’re doing now is preventing this ignorant inspector’s brain from twisting more than it already has.

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Joe Carola

streetracer

joasis

I was looking at a new home awhile back that had a full basement, and it had I joists spannig maybe 36 feet. So anyway, I remeber seeing something there that was "interesting". Rather then blocking or bracing, the I joists were strapped in an X pattern with 1 inch wide brace or nail strapping....one strap over and under and over, and the parallel under and over and under, and so on.

Now I don't know if I would do this, but structurally, probably works fine, and perhaps this was a temporary anti twist thing that was left in when the sub floor went down. Looked like it was nailed off with 6d's and there were 2 runs of this on the length of the basement...maybe 60 feet.

Anyone else seen this done?

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personalt

The bracing that joasis was talking about is actually what I normally use on I-joists in situations where it is called for. But you cant really get those in after the fact as one goes over and one goes under. It is exactly that, an anti twist thing.

In this building the engineer spec'd that the load bearing wall be steel and go all the way up to the next floors plywood. the joists then hang from that using top mounted hangers with fire rated plywood as backing. So in reality these joists runs are really small, either 8' or 12' feet.

I am trying to dance the dance and not annoy him. I know I can cut up Ijoists but was trying to avoid that as the plumbing and electric are already roughed in.

I was really looking to see if anyone knows of a metal brace like the over/under one I am using now that can be installed after the fact.