[heavy_d]

In a residential basement. It goes from one end of the beam to about two thirds down.
The homeowner has since installed new support posts.
Was this some way of supporting the post through upward tension? Have not seen this before.

 

[KennMacMoragh]

If the beam was over spanned before they added new posts then maybe the cable was their creative way to keep the beam from deflecting.

 

[CarpenterSFO]

To what is it attached at both ends? Pix of the ends?

 

[heavy_d]

Its just looped around the top of the beam with an anchored steel plate. Is this common?

 

[owattabuilder]

My guess is that they tried to fix a sagging beam with it by putting tension on the cable and the plate with the angle was under the beam. tightening the cable would put upward pressure on the center of the beam but with the low angle there would have to be many times more tension in the cable that the upward force it would provide.

If they have installed posts, I would say the cable is moot any more.

 

[Inner10]

Heavy...if it was common you probably would have seen it before.

 

[CarpenterSFO]

I think it's some funky amateur engineering, that probably never served any purpose at all. Post-tensioned I-beams?

 

[slowsol]

Seems pretty dangerous.

 

[heavy_d]

Spoke to the homeowner. Yes it was used to tension support the beam. And no, it probably didnt do anything at all. He said it was there when he bought the house but who knows.

 

[Tinstaafl]

My money was on it being a clothesline. :sad:

 

[QCCI]

I think it's some funky amateur engineering, that probably never served any purpose at all. Post-tensioned I-beams?

This is what I think as well.

 

[JAH]

In a residential basement. It goes from one end of the beam to about two thirds down.
The homeowner has since installed new support posts.
Was this some way of supporting the post through upward tension? Have not seen this before.

View attachment 116305

Interesting approach for taking the sag out of a beam. Probably wasn't very effective.
Never seen a electrical panel installed horizontally.

 

[sunkist]

so the ho installed posts, so all is ok, unless the ho is a p.e., do not cut, remove, one fu#king thing, for some reason some one thought puting this under tension was the right thing to do, get pro help

 

[heavy_d]

Its loose now. It's not currently under tension. Im just framing some walls, Im not engineering his house. Thats not the only scary thing in the basement but was certainly the most interesting.

 

[owattabuilder]

To get lift you would have to have a much more significant angle and a much larger offset undee the beam. It the angle block at the center were 3' tall you could get some lift but not at 3"

 

[charlie828]

Not sure exactly what I am looking at from camera angles. If there is a support in middle between cable and beam wouldn't it be a king post truss? I have seen this on bridges. Recently repaired roof system made with king post trusses. Note that fasteners are heavily loaded when there is small angle between beam and tension member.

 

[rrk]

I work at a house that has 2 of those on steel beams in the garage , 24' or so span. There is a piece of 6" sq tube welded to the middle of the beams and the cables go under them. No posts at all in the garage

 

[Inner10]

Interesting approach for taking the sag out of a beam. Probably wasn't very effective.
Never seen a electrical panel installed horizontally.

I don't think you have seen many electrical panels.

 

[rrk]

To get lift you would have to have a much more significant angle and a much larger offset undee the beam. It the angle block at the center were 3' tall you could get some lift but not at 3"

I dont think is is for lift I think it was to prevent sag.

 

[rrk]

I don't think you have seen many electrical panels.

I think it is very rare here I think I have only seen 1 mounted horizontally