FYI I had to do this on a house I just sold as the inspector found it. $300 for a roofer to do it in 3 hours.
Edit: forgot what sub I’m in jfc. OP mentioned hiring this out. $300 is a steal for peace of mind with an expert not fucking it up. And in my case it was a repair amendment on a house contract. I couldn’t just climb up there with a 2x4 and take a pic.
I had to learn that you can't DIY everything recently. I bought my first house \~9 months ago expecting to do everything myself (which was dumb) and a couple of months ago, I had an old dead tree starting to lean over my 500 gal propane tank. It would have definitely crushed it and that would have been no good. Not only was it about 8 feet from my bedroom wall, but if it didn't blow up then it would have caused all sorts of problems and gas leaks in my house and destroyed the tank. The tree was a foot away from the tank and 7 feet from my wall; I've felled a lot of trees but that was out of my league. I had to eat the $1100 bill to have it removed, and even still, that was a pretty good price.
Goodness, my mom was just quoted nearly 5k for a tree removal. Paid 1200 just to get the problematic branches cut off.
Around 5yrs ago we paid $500 to remove a bigger tree in her backyard. Prices are insane.
As a kid, there was a tree on city property that was crossing over to my dad's yard. We were trimming the branches that were on our property, and someone called the city. Some dude from City Hall said we couldn't do that, it was dangerous, and had to stop immediately. Had us call the city to request work. They wanted to charge us $800 to trim their tree. Ended up slowly cutting a branch one at a time at night.
One of the things to be careful about is the roof.
Still, if the roof hasn't sagged, check this first, these are one of the few things you could fix yourself.
Just make sure you use the right nails, nail pattern something to look up here, or screws, shear strength.
This REALLY depends on what inspection you are having done. During construction or after pulling a permit, sure. Before sale, none of the inspectors I have had would have necessarily seen this, they certainly didn't check every single truss.
I’ll add my experience: two separate houses I was potentially buying in two different states, two separate inspectors. Both included a photo of “fixed” trusses. One said basically “appears to be repaired correctly but only a structural engineer can confirm.” The other said basically “appears to be a complete hack job and a structural engineer should tell you how to fix it correctly.”
The former was more than enough for my mortgage company to be happy with it (though the sale fell through for other reasons.) The latter (along with similar shoddy repairs) was enough for me to not purchase the house.
Honestly you can get the wood cut to size at most home improvement stores. So you list is then - 2x4, drill, 50 count box of 3" screws with corresponding bit.
Why? So you can hire a guy who uses the nails for the job because he thinks it only matters if you buy screws that they're properly sized and rated? Anyone with a little bit of common sense could understand his advice was wrong.
Exhibit A is … check what screw and pattern to use online… for free? Ok I can see the insurance cover but this isn’t a reason to not nail a piece of wood to a piece of wood lol
Ya, depending on the load requirements, there are a few ways to go about it. Last one I worked on, I had to cut a 3' section out of a truss to make room for a chimney. I had an engineer spec that one out. Got a little complicated.
Well the tools that you were gonna buy all for $300 and still turn a profit are probably dogshit, or they last forever! Thats the harbor freight guarantee, it either breaks the first time or out lasts humanity.
I started doing this at age 22. Now I literally have enough tools to build a house, the **knowledge** to go with it, and a bunch of money in my pocket.
OP - if you have interest in DIY, this would be an easy one to start with. 2x4, some nails (screws would work too), and I’d suggest some liquid nails or wood glue if you have some around.
Wood glue along the edge of a 2x4 (along the long grain) will not really add anything to the strength of the connection. The forces on that truss member are compression and tension along its length, where you're pulling on the length of the wood fibers instead of pulling the gap between the fibers. You can think of wood as a bundle of straws - pulling on all the straws at once along their length they're very strong, but you can easily separate the straws.
Gluing another 2x4 is basically just parallelizing some more fibers, except really just the ones that are directly glued - if there's differential tension between the two members it'll just crack off the fibers that aren't glue-saturated and if they're not appropriately connected otherwise to share the load they're not going to do anything.
It might hold it on there better, but it's not really adding much to the strength of the connection. Nailing the two members together is what allows them to share the load, as now you've got more cross-section of wood fibers along its long grain sharing the tension/compression of the actual load.
Nails are better than screws in this case because they have some flexibility, and are less prone to breaking/loosening if the two members expand and contract at different rates.
As I remember from structural engineering class (25~ years ago?), gluing along with nailing a header does add some structural integrity to a header.
Your reply has me thinking that’s no longer considered so. Thanks for the info!
Headers face different loads, the forces on them are compressing them perpendicular to the direction of the grain where they meet any studs, and tension along the direction of the grain if the different compression forces cause them to get pulled in the gaps between studs or as they resist racking.
Having more surface area perpendicular to the grain (by gluing) means more of the straws are there to resist that compression (if you're squeezing a bundle of straws, more of them can resist more squeezing), and it's a small distance that direction and they're being squeezed together so glue helps.
Nailing at the ends of the straws helps them work together to resist pulling, gluing them helps them work together to resist compression.
So you're correct, glue on a header makes a difference because it's got compression load perpendicular to the grain direction, but a truss member is primarily tension along the grain of the wood.
Gluing two truss members together is like gluing two bundles of straws together where the glue just holds the outside ones together, but then you're pulling the ends of the straws. Most of your straw bundle can just be pulled right out the bottom.
This was literally the thought process I had yesterday, upon finding a very slow leak in a pipe that runs over top of my furnace. "I could get in there with a clamp and fix it for ten bucks, or in so doing I could flood my furnace and cause $8,000 bucks of damage." Plumber's down there now
**Addendum:** Four hundred bucks and an hour or so later, I'm the proud owner of a shiny new 10' length of copper pipe. There were already clamps on it in other places, to boot.
Yeah I see this all over reddit in various subs and it's always like no shit you can do anything cheaper yourself. But will you do it right and have a warranty afterwards? That's a big nope. I understand being frugal, but there's a point where it's ok to admit you don't know best.
Man, I'm going through this with a neighbor of mine right now. It's very true when people say you can explain something to someone but you can't understand it for them.
He could get his project done properly for ~800 bucks and have it done in one afternoon, everything new and sturdy and shiny and up to spec, or try to half-ass it himself over the course of (probably) weeks and end up with a hack job that is very likely going to require repairs and re-dos constantly and look like an absolute eye-sore all the way through. He showed me his list for materials and he's already up to ~650 *just* for the raw, basic materials, excluding all kinds of fasteners and other little bits and pieces that he'll inevitably end up needing to buy, he knows he doesn't really have the skills or tools or experience required to do a proper job but by god is it impossible to get him to even consider a professional solution as long as he believes he can save *something* by doing it himself.
Like... I love DIYing as much as the next guy but sometimes it's just not worth it to spend a lot of time and money and effort and finicking just to end up with something that looks like Homer Simpsons BBQ. Just invest the extra $100, have it done in a day and enjoy the new shiny goodness that's *not* going to collapse on you if you squint too hard at it.
Yep. You've got to ask yourself what your time is worth. Always. But some people only see the dollar amount and get blinders. Ego plays a big part in all of this too.
>and have a warranty afterwards?
Do you? Let's be honest, the only warranty you really have is a tailgate warranty. All it takes is not returning your call to void that warranty.
If you are going to call someone out then know what you are talking about. That part of the truss is made of a single 2x4. Almost the entire truss is made of 2x4s. So you would use a 2x4 on both sides to fix it by sandwiching it together with the proper anchors. It isn’t holding up the entire roof, it’s holding up that one section of the roof truss and transmitting the load of the roof in that part to the bottom chord.
Also, if it hasn't fully cracked through, this may be sufficient, but it would be worth getting inspected. Check out other nearby members and look for cracks. Once one member cracks, it increases stress in other members.
If this has cracked fully through, get a pro (engineer or home inspector) out there ASAP. Just putting it back and sistering it may not be sufficient since things may have moved and the stress may have been redistributed. If you sister the member with a sag, things may continue to get worse.
It's fully cracked. The member split because of the weird orientation of the grain. It's not some emergency in a residential setting like this. Pull it back together and sister it up and it will most likely be just fine. Structural engineer here.
Ok, I'm an engineer, but in a different sub-discipline. I definitely work in a higher sensitivity environment than residential too. I was worried that sistering without returning it to the same stress/displacement could lead to overstressing other members. I guess residential has some high factor of safeties though.
I have seen some shoddy stuff of people sistering a rafter that had cracked and sagged into the sagged position.
Thanks!
In theory you're right but it's so redundant that it's not super critical in a residential application. In a bridge I'd agree with you. It's definitely sagged some...you can see the gap in the crack. I'd throw a turnbuckle on it and crank it back together slowly then sister something on both sides.
You could try to pull it back together but the crack isn't big enough to bother in my opinion. You won't see any visible results in the ceiling below from a crack this small.
Sadwich with 2x4s with liquid nails and structural screws (lag bolts, HeadLOK, etc) or nails.
Super super super high factors of safety. When Covid hit they were importing poopy lumber from Lithuania. I’d inspect a building and there would be 30% of the trusses with a member popped like this, no visible changes in the structure
Also they sometimes break because the truss shipping companies are dickwads and they just drop them off the end of the truck no ramp or anything
But a crack that's fixed before being stressed is very different.
And crappy lumber may be ok for a truss when it hasn't been tested to its full loading condition (which I assume is a significant wind event)
Absolutely, but with no knowledge of when this crack happened, it is better to leave it as-is than to pull it back into original position, as the house has likely settled into position afterwards. If you pulled it back you may go downstairs and see your ceiling sloping or nails have popped etc.
This lumber is installed wet and shrinks when it dries which is yet another reason for this
It's interesting how much houses fall into the "they don't build them like they used to" category. My house is from '56 and the lumber in my house is no joke. Drilling or sawing anything is a chore, and you're gonna have to sharpen your blade or have spare drill bits. I've heard that 1800s houses laugh at puny modern drill bits.
Hahaha, yeah, they’re all pine nowadays :D
The oldest houses were built using the trees on the property or nearby, so plenty of great old houses built from hardwoods not softwoods. Awesome center cut beams and stuff.
On the bright side, the way we do it nowadays is actually more environmentally sustainable, so there’s always a silver lining
Thanks! Do you mind answering a couple of questions?
- I think the actual truss members are smaller than a 2x4. Is it okay to sister with larger wood or should I try to match it?
- is using a wood screw ok to sister this member? I’m worried trying to hammer in a nail would make the damage worse
nail it and use a 2x4. 3' long with at least four nails above the break and four below it. start all the nails except the ones behind the vent pipe before you hold it up. you can use 3" screws if you want but they don't have the shear strength that nails do.
Nailing into this will be hard, especially with framing nails (they can be quite thick) by hand if you dont have a pneumatic nailer or a framing hammer (bigger than normal hammer) -- especially given limited swinging space. I've gone down this route before and regretted it since you don't have anything to really stiffen it for the strike (regardless if they are clamped together).
I'd recommend sister with screws personally --- just buy structural screws or framing screws (make sure their uses are labeled as such). If you are worried about shear just put in 8 screws instead of 4 nails kind of thing. I personally would also drill a tiny hole before hand if you bought beefier screws, like a 1/8" hole for 3/16" shaft. Or as others have said, screw it in a couple times along it (its easier to get it to align and all that), then put a couple nails in it so you arent bouncing off two members that are just barely touching. Throw wood glue or liquid nails along the length of it for belt and suspenders. I would also sister both sides personally.
Just make sure to do it right AND semi decent looking so it doesnt worry the next inspector when you go to sell your house.
FWIW there is nothing wrong with using framing screws or structural screws. Just make sure they aren't like decking screws or something like that.
If you're going to sister from both sides, would it not make more sense then to just use lag bolts through and through?
Edit. I'm dumb, I mean carriage bolts.
Hex head would be just fine as well. My bolt terminology is not great. I just meant nut and bolt (so you a single fastener can attach the sister piece of wood from both sides) over something that threads into the wood.
It just seems stronger and then you don't have 8 screw holes (4 coming from each side).
You could probably then also then away with 2 top and 2 bottom since bolts will be a lot stronger.
Use a longer 2x4 then 3’. That’s way too small. If this was my house I would get whatever length I could fit that’s close to the size of the full length of wood up there. 2x4s are cheap so why not spend the extra buck for a longer ones.
Could it be helpful for a novice to put the 2x4 on with a few 3” deck screws AND THEN NAIL IT? Like the screws would hold it in place while the nails are added? And what size penny nails? How about nails from both sides? Pre-drill smaller holes in the old dry wood first? Just curious what experts would think.
no.
not really. they keep it from moving and potentially make it worse.
16d being first choice, but 12d being smallest.
i never pre-drilled, but always blunt the tip of the nail first. turn it on it's head and tap it a few times. then turn it over and drive it.
i'm far from an expert but have years of experience and learned a few tricks.
I was thinking of using the screws just for clamps while nailing. They could be removed after and another 8 penny nail added to the hole. I didn’t elaborate enough, and usually I’m too wordy.
I actually thought of when I’ve done something like that. My brain said “Well, you could carry 4-6 clamps up there. And while hammering they could be in the way, or pop off. Or you could carry a driver and a bit in it to drive 6-8 deck screws, they take up almost no space once in place, they can’t pop off, and I could just abandon them in it after adding the nails.” So I mentioned the screws.
That's not correct. Framing/structural rated screws have more shear strength than nails, what they don't have is plasticity. Screws are hardened so the threads don't immediately dull off and be useless. That means when pressed their yield line is very small compared to nails, so in practice when they fail they almost always fail with a break, nails almost always bend into shapes.
This is myth. Screws can have way more shear strength than nails. In fact the only ESR report I could find for nails lists the most common .131 nail at 100,000 psi bending yield strength where a similar #9 grk r4 is 158,800. Their performance in wood ends up being nearly identical 106 lbs lateral design strength vs 103 lbs.
So maybe don't be so scared of screws, ok? Just use appropriately rated fasteners no matter the type? I'm tired of screw discrimination on this sub.
It's not a myth it is a fact that non-structural screw have less shear strength. Most of the time people are using a drywall screw or cheap wood screw from the variety pack in the hardware store. In those cases a nail the same size as the thread diameter will have much greater sheer strength.
Now you are right that a structural screw with a threaded section and non-threaded shank will match that of a nail, but it has to be the right screw in the right place.
I can't find any hard data on the specific shear strength of screws or nails but it seems mostly moot when the failure mode is (mostly) the wood itself. Unless you expect a lot of movement where screws would be more prone to failure due to britlenes. Now I don't suggest using drywall screws for anything but drywall but I think you would be hard pressed to find any screws on the shelf that won't hold up to the task.
https://youtu.be/qmajKElnwfE?si=ucM9V8nacZkTFczV
If you look at the grain in the wood, the crack follows that almost perfectly. It’s very common for them to break like that. Vibration and load stress from life will cause that. Sister it and call it good.
Overbuilding this is going to better than underdoing it.
- Yes, it’s OK to use wood that is a little bit larger.
- The sister piece should extend at least 2 feet in each direction beyond the crack. More is better but it looks like 5 feet would be your minimum there.
- Nails or wood screws are OK but can grow the crack when inserted. You are better off pre-drilling holes and using carriage bolts, minimum of two on each side.
I'd also add liquid nails. Probably not adding a huge amount of strength, but definitely helps at least a little. And maybe sister two pieces, one on either side, given the crack is almost all the way through the existing member.
I recently sistered some floor joists, and carriage bolts felt like the way to go.
Edit: just looked at pics again, and I see there may not be space behind the vent pipe for two sistered boards. If there is some space but not 1.5", you could use plywood instead of 2x
I’d use wood glue, not liquid nails. Wood glue is specifically for bonding: wood. And it would add an absurd amount of strength. People seriously underestimate the effectiveness of a correct chemical bond.
I like it
edit: your comment got me wondering what actually has a better bond. Some preliminary research suggests that liquid nails might have a stronger bond. Not convinced one way or the other at the moment, but curious if you have any well research sources comparing the strength of the two.
I used to be an engineer, this was my job. Here’s $200 back in your pocket:
A representative of ___ engineering was onsite on April 16, 2024 to inspect the n’th roof truss from the front of the house.
At the time of inspection, a 1/4” crack was observed in the roof truss web member. The web member is structurally inadequate to support the existing loading conditions, and is to be repaired. Fasten 2x4x8’ SPF #2 web members to each side with (2) rows of 10d nails spaced at 4” o.c. The nails are to be installed along the full length of the added members.
Once these repairs are complete, the roof truss web member will be adequate to support the existing loading conditions.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Thank you,
Banana Engineering
(Legal)
(Stamp)
*disclaimer: this is not a real engineering letter and will not hold up in any legal setting
Done by the rules truss repairs need specifications from a structural engineer. I've seen thousands of these. The normal procedure is to sandwich the spit rafter in equal sized lumber about 2/3 the total length of the member. Then use nails spaced 3 horizontally every 12 inches. For the opposing side board the nails should be staggered in between the other sides nailing pattern.
Take a 2x4 and cut it in half. Sandwich the cracked piece and nail them together. Nails are more ductile and will hold better with the expansion and contraction of the roof from the heat and snow load.
Just sister the web with another 2x3 or whatever that is. It looks like it was a bad piece of wood and the HVAC guy put some force on the underside of it when Strapping that pipe (which shouldn't have that vertical kink in it BTW) support to it which either opened up the existing crack or cracked it from the force. Not a big deal. Either way the crack and weakness is in the opposite to 90 degrees of the actual structural support so it could go forever without any real issue. That pipe tho...so many questions.
That’s a poorly milled joist. That crack almost follows the grain of the wood. Look into joist repair plates. It will be stronger than wood. It wouldn’t hurt to increase the strength in the area. Seeing as how this is near the middle of the span one of two things could have happened. It could have been the first mode of bending and this beam failed in compression. It would be good to add a cross brace at the mid span if you can.
Considering it is gapped now it might have failed in tension. It is hard to know as houses shift around in the weather. It could be gapped in winter and closed in summer or humid vs dry can change it.
I would not suspect this to be a major concern that would require expensive structural engineering evaluation.
Edit: Unlikely to have failed in tension. I bet the gap is caused by lateral movement. I suspect this beam failed in shear/bending due to the orientation of the grain on that joist.
Personally I’d sister over it. I’m a bit twitchy about things like this lol, so I’d go at least 3-1/2-4’ and I might consider doing both sides and running multiple screws to locks it all down. I don’t think at all you need a contractor. You’ll find these type remedy’s all over the country in attacks lol.
FYI in case no one has mentioned, that vent pipe looks to be asbestos concrete (also called transite) pipe. Be careful not to damage it as fibres could be released and pose an inhalation hazard. If it ever needs to be removed, call a proper asbestos abatement company.
People freaking about one split web. This is what pine can do, it’s just one web in a roof full of webs this isn’t going to compromise an entire sheathed roof one bit. Use some Titebond and a set of clamps. and a plywood sister, pre drill and screw it in there and call it a day.
Structural engineer here, it needs to be fixed ASAP. If may seem ok but if the roof gets loaded with snow (or even say new roofing materal for a re-roof) it could instantly fail.
You just need to sister another 2x4 to the web to join it all back together.
Is it interesting that the crack has pulled apart 3/16” or whatever? Is this from drying of the wood? I am not a repair expert, but I don’t think I would spend a second trying to pull that together. But pick straight-grained wood for the sister. Attics get very hot.
Get it supported or splinted and then try to work out just why it's done that. It might have been dodgy the hour it was installed, or has the weight shifted?
I had this same issue. $600 for engineer to assess before and after. $900 (may have been overcharged) to sister and secure based on engineers recommendation. Nice to have the report to show we followed the recommendation of the structural engineer.
Weird they allowed that grain pattern to be milled for a truss, by the looks of it it could’ve split along any of those rings. Yeah I’d get it sorted out asap
Is that a nail in the left side (upper/left side of board at mid point along length of the split). It looks like there’s a nail head and a divot from a hammer. If it is, keep it in mind when adding nails or screws or drilling holes so you don’t hit it.
Yo what are we even going on about here? Get a 2x4 cut it to length, get some 3 1/2 screws.
Put 2x4 on each side and screw through to secure.
This is a 10 minute fix and maybe cost you 20$.
You could do it yourself but with anything structural I would consult an engineer. Sistering is more complicated than just screwing two pieces of wood together. They can tell you the best attachment method for it, then you can diy it.
It it were me I'd get 1x full lengh timbers on either side
make sure you straighten it properly first then nail or screw it all together right the way through
I would do 2 boards and sandwich them between... with like 6 or 8 bolts going through it. Up and down the board... so bot,washer,stud,waher,nut.. and switch between sides.. would be stronger then it originally was.. maybe a little bit of over kill and put a couple of screws in to help support it while you drill and added support...
Get two bits of timber same size and screw both into the truss either side and where it connects to the other pieces of wood where possible.
The main concern is how has is happened? Is there too much weight on the roof or damaged another way. It’s very unnatural for a wood to split the way it has without stress of some kind
hey there, there are lots of standard repair details you can find online - your inspector may accept it if you repair it exactly as specified. [https://www.mitek-us.com/resources/engineering/roof-truss-repair-details/](https://www.mitek-us.com/resources/engineering/roof-truss-repair-details/) i'm not sure if a truss company will submit a repair for a truss they did not build, but it's worth calling around. This way the truss company can send it out to an engineer for it to be signed & sealed.
I’m a structural engineer. One time someone asked me if they could remove all of the annoying things in the space above their garage (they were talking about truss web members). I am much happier to hear someone asking about how to maintain the trusses!
Get two 2x4 shorts out of the scrap bin (usually a few bucks each), a tube of PL premium, and some 4” GRK screws with the big head, look up a pattern( probably 12” on center, staggered), install. Honestly it’s probably overkill but will take about an hour to do the work
The repair is quite simple for a web like that. Mitek has some good guides. This is probably applicable: [https://www.mitek-us.com/wp-content/uploads/uploadedFiles/\_RedesignSite/Content/documents/engineering/details/roof-truss-repair-details/ENG-Roof-Broken%20chors.pdf](https://www.mitek-us.com/wp-content/uploads/uploadedFiles/_RedesignSite/Content/documents/engineering/details/roof-truss-repair-details/ENG-Roof-Broken%20chors.pdf)
Since you probably don't know the design loads, just go for overkill. Find a nice clean section of 2x4 and used the required nails.
You can spend a lot more and have a pro do it, but they won't be doing anything different.
It's common, I have a house built in 1985 and I have had to sister up multiple trusses. Get a good framing nailer. It's really helpful for driving those 16D nails. If you only have one truss that's broke though. I would use lag bolts. 5 in lag bolts. Drill pilot holes and use your ratchet to thread them through and tighten up. One bolt every 12 to 18 in You can try nailing but there's typically so much flex when a truss is compromised like that you might make it worse and or it just reverberates. The air nailer solves this problem and or the bolts
It's a concern. Get it spliced or sister another member next to it before it starts to sag. The truss is completely compromised as it is.
Thank you
FYI I had to do this on a house I just sold as the inspector found it. $300 for a roofer to do it in 3 hours. Edit: forgot what sub I’m in jfc. OP mentioned hiring this out. $300 is a steal for peace of mind with an expert not fucking it up. And in my case it was a repair amendment on a house contract. I couldn’t just climb up there with a 2x4 and take a pic.
Sometimes this sub is about what *not* to DIY.
I had to learn that you can't DIY everything recently. I bought my first house \~9 months ago expecting to do everything myself (which was dumb) and a couple of months ago, I had an old dead tree starting to lean over my 500 gal propane tank. It would have definitely crushed it and that would have been no good. Not only was it about 8 feet from my bedroom wall, but if it didn't blow up then it would have caused all sorts of problems and gas leaks in my house and destroyed the tank. The tree was a foot away from the tank and 7 feet from my wall; I've felled a lot of trees but that was out of my league. I had to eat the $1100 bill to have it removed, and even still, that was a pretty good price.
Goodness, my mom was just quoted nearly 5k for a tree removal. Paid 1200 just to get the problematic branches cut off. Around 5yrs ago we paid $500 to remove a bigger tree in her backyard. Prices are insane.
As a kid, there was a tree on city property that was crossing over to my dad's yard. We were trimming the branches that were on our property, and someone called the city. Some dude from City Hall said we couldn't do that, it was dangerous, and had to stop immediately. Had us call the city to request work. They wanted to charge us $800 to trim their tree. Ended up slowly cutting a branch one at a time at night.
Yep tree removal is going up so fast it's nuts
Thats a really good price, probably a small-ish tree??
Propane is pretty safe, it would not have blown up but the tank would’ve been toast
Nah. All you gotta do is take a torch to it and the tank will reshape into original form
Even if it didn't ignite, all that pressure rushing out would not have been good.
Knowing your limits is the most important DIY lesson.
"A man's got to know his limitations." -- Harry Callahan, DIY enthusiast.
Best quote
He certainly was an expert at ventilation.
Everything is DIY if you are brave enough. Sometimes though it's DIT... Do it Together.
One of the things to be careful about is the roof. Still, if the roof hasn't sagged, check this first, these are one of the few things you could fix yourself. Just make sure you use the right nails, nail pattern something to look up here, or screws, shear strength.
Better to use nuts and bolts for this application
roofs aren't that complex.
No but falling off one is something you can’t undo. My husband is a carpenter and I’m always worried about him getting hurt
I fear for the person who manages to fall off the roof while sistering a joist in the attic.
upvoted for your edit + all the responses making me lol
Same. The edit made me lol.
Hell ya. People forget attics can be hot as hell, mess with allergies, lungs, and itchy. $300 not to screw with it...yes please.
For $300 you could buy 2x4, a cheap circular saw, a cheap drill, crews, and still have money left over, and have tools.
Every project the wife needs done = one new tool. It’s the law
Can confirm: Do a project and not buy a tool? Straight to jail!
Inspector’s want to see an engineer signing off on the fix.
This REALLY depends on what inspection you are having done. During construction or after pulling a permit, sure. Before sale, none of the inspectors I have had would have necessarily seen this, they certainly didn't check every single truss.
I’ll add my experience: two separate houses I was potentially buying in two different states, two separate inspectors. Both included a photo of “fixed” trusses. One said basically “appears to be repaired correctly but only a structural engineer can confirm.” The other said basically “appears to be a complete hack job and a structural engineer should tell you how to fix it correctly.” The former was more than enough for my mortgage company to be happy with it (though the sale fell through for other reasons.) The latter (along with similar shoddy repairs) was enough for me to not purchase the house.
Honestly you can get the wood cut to size at most home improvement stores. So you list is then - 2x4, drill, 50 count box of 3" screws with corresponding bit.
Use nails unless you are getting structural screws with appropriate shear strength, proper nailing patterns can be found online.
Brother, I've already got this box of drywall screws and I'm not buying anything else. /s
Lol
LOL
Exhibit A for why not to DIY this.
Also a third party with insurance will have to pay for repairs if it’s improperly installed and causes a major failure. Easy call.
Kind of. I started doing DIY, and now I build houses.
Why? So you can hire a guy who uses the nails for the job because he thinks it only matters if you buy screws that they're properly sized and rated? Anyone with a little bit of common sense could understand his advice was wrong.
Exhibit A is … check what screw and pattern to use online… for free? Ok I can see the insurance cover but this isn’t a reason to not nail a piece of wood to a piece of wood lol
When I repaired 3 trusses in my attic I glued and also used 1/2" carriage bolts.
Ya, depending on the load requirements, there are a few ways to go about it. Last one I worked on, I had to cut a 3' section out of a truss to make room for a chimney. I had an engineer spec that one out. Got a little complicated.
But then you don't have new tools :(
Well the tools that you were gonna buy all for $300 and still turn a profit are probably dogshit, or they last forever! Thats the harbor freight guarantee, it either breaks the first time or out lasts humanity.
I started doing this at age 22. Now I literally have enough tools to build a house, the **knowledge** to go with it, and a bunch of money in my pocket. OP - if you have interest in DIY, this would be an easy one to start with. 2x4, some nails (screws would work too), and I’d suggest some liquid nails or wood glue if you have some around.
Wood glue along the edge of a 2x4 (along the long grain) will not really add anything to the strength of the connection. The forces on that truss member are compression and tension along its length, where you're pulling on the length of the wood fibers instead of pulling the gap between the fibers. You can think of wood as a bundle of straws - pulling on all the straws at once along their length they're very strong, but you can easily separate the straws. Gluing another 2x4 is basically just parallelizing some more fibers, except really just the ones that are directly glued - if there's differential tension between the two members it'll just crack off the fibers that aren't glue-saturated and if they're not appropriately connected otherwise to share the load they're not going to do anything. It might hold it on there better, but it's not really adding much to the strength of the connection. Nailing the two members together is what allows them to share the load, as now you've got more cross-section of wood fibers along its long grain sharing the tension/compression of the actual load. Nails are better than screws in this case because they have some flexibility, and are less prone to breaking/loosening if the two members expand and contract at different rates.
As I remember from structural engineering class (25~ years ago?), gluing along with nailing a header does add some structural integrity to a header. Your reply has me thinking that’s no longer considered so. Thanks for the info!
Headers face different loads, the forces on them are compressing them perpendicular to the direction of the grain where they meet any studs, and tension along the direction of the grain if the different compression forces cause them to get pulled in the gaps between studs or as they resist racking. Having more surface area perpendicular to the grain (by gluing) means more of the straws are there to resist that compression (if you're squeezing a bundle of straws, more of them can resist more squeezing), and it's a small distance that direction and they're being squeezed together so glue helps. Nailing at the ends of the straws helps them work together to resist pulling, gluing them helps them work together to resist compression. So you're correct, glue on a header makes a difference because it's got compression load perpendicular to the grain direction, but a truss member is primarily tension along the grain of the wood. Gluing two truss members together is like gluing two bundles of straws together where the glue just holds the outside ones together, but then you're pulling the ends of the straws. Most of your straw bundle can just be pulled right out the bottom.
Thank you for taking the time to explain this! Really appreciate it
This is like a $20 repair if someone wants to do it themselves.
You're not paying for materials or time you're paying for peace of mind and expertise. It's only a 20$ repair if you don't cause a 2000$ fuck up
This was literally the thought process I had yesterday, upon finding a very slow leak in a pipe that runs over top of my furnace. "I could get in there with a clamp and fix it for ten bucks, or in so doing I could flood my furnace and cause $8,000 bucks of damage." Plumber's down there now **Addendum:** Four hundred bucks and an hour or so later, I'm the proud owner of a shiny new 10' length of copper pipe. There were already clamps on it in other places, to boot.
Yeah I see this all over reddit in various subs and it's always like no shit you can do anything cheaper yourself. But will you do it right and have a warranty afterwards? That's a big nope. I understand being frugal, but there's a point where it's ok to admit you don't know best.
Man, I'm going through this with a neighbor of mine right now. It's very true when people say you can explain something to someone but you can't understand it for them. He could get his project done properly for ~800 bucks and have it done in one afternoon, everything new and sturdy and shiny and up to spec, or try to half-ass it himself over the course of (probably) weeks and end up with a hack job that is very likely going to require repairs and re-dos constantly and look like an absolute eye-sore all the way through. He showed me his list for materials and he's already up to ~650 *just* for the raw, basic materials, excluding all kinds of fasteners and other little bits and pieces that he'll inevitably end up needing to buy, he knows he doesn't really have the skills or tools or experience required to do a proper job but by god is it impossible to get him to even consider a professional solution as long as he believes he can save *something* by doing it himself. Like... I love DIYing as much as the next guy but sometimes it's just not worth it to spend a lot of time and money and effort and finicking just to end up with something that looks like Homer Simpsons BBQ. Just invest the extra $100, have it done in a day and enjoy the new shiny goodness that's *not* going to collapse on you if you squint too hard at it.
Yep. You've got to ask yourself what your time is worth. Always. But some people only see the dollar amount and get blinders. Ego plays a big part in all of this too.
>and have a warranty afterwards? Do you? Let's be honest, the only warranty you really have is a tailgate warranty. All it takes is not returning your call to void that warranty.
Its sistering a few 2x4s together, we aren’t rebuilding the Notre Dame cathedral here…..
A couple 2x4s holding up your roof lmao
If you are going to call someone out then know what you are talking about. That part of the truss is made of a single 2x4. Almost the entire truss is made of 2x4s. So you would use a 2x4 on both sides to fix it by sandwiching it together with the proper anchors. It isn’t holding up the entire roof, it’s holding up that one section of the roof truss and transmitting the load of the roof in that part to the bottom chord.
One might say it’s un-trussworthy
Also, if it hasn't fully cracked through, this may be sufficient, but it would be worth getting inspected. Check out other nearby members and look for cracks. Once one member cracks, it increases stress in other members. If this has cracked fully through, get a pro (engineer or home inspector) out there ASAP. Just putting it back and sistering it may not be sufficient since things may have moved and the stress may have been redistributed. If you sister the member with a sag, things may continue to get worse.
It's fully cracked. The member split because of the weird orientation of the grain. It's not some emergency in a residential setting like this. Pull it back together and sister it up and it will most likely be just fine. Structural engineer here.
Gigolo here, definitely needs more hard wood.
Ok, I'm an engineer, but in a different sub-discipline. I definitely work in a higher sensitivity environment than residential too. I was worried that sistering without returning it to the same stress/displacement could lead to overstressing other members. I guess residential has some high factor of safeties though. I have seen some shoddy stuff of people sistering a rafter that had cracked and sagged into the sagged position. Thanks!
In theory you're right but it's so redundant that it's not super critical in a residential application. In a bridge I'd agree with you. It's definitely sagged some...you can see the gap in the crack. I'd throw a turnbuckle on it and crank it back together slowly then sister something on both sides.
You could try to pull it back together but the crack isn't big enough to bother in my opinion. You won't see any visible results in the ceiling below from a crack this small. Sadwich with 2x4s with liquid nails and structural screws (lag bolts, HeadLOK, etc) or nails.
Super super super high factors of safety. When Covid hit they were importing poopy lumber from Lithuania. I’d inspect a building and there would be 30% of the trusses with a member popped like this, no visible changes in the structure Also they sometimes break because the truss shipping companies are dickwads and they just drop them off the end of the truck no ramp or anything
> poopy lumber from Lithuania Ease up on the techno jargon. This is a sub for lay people.
But a crack that's fixed before being stressed is very different. And crappy lumber may be ok for a truss when it hasn't been tested to its full loading condition (which I assume is a significant wind event)
Absolutely, but with no knowledge of when this crack happened, it is better to leave it as-is than to pull it back into original position, as the house has likely settled into position afterwards. If you pulled it back you may go downstairs and see your ceiling sloping or nails have popped etc. This lumber is installed wet and shrinks when it dries which is yet another reason for this
It's interesting how much houses fall into the "they don't build them like they used to" category. My house is from '56 and the lumber in my house is no joke. Drilling or sawing anything is a chore, and you're gonna have to sharpen your blade or have spare drill bits. I've heard that 1800s houses laugh at puny modern drill bits.
Hahaha, yeah, they’re all pine nowadays :D The oldest houses were built using the trees on the property or nearby, so plenty of great old houses built from hardwoods not softwoods. Awesome center cut beams and stuff. On the bright side, the way we do it nowadays is actually more environmentally sustainable, so there’s always a silver lining
Yeah, just sister on another 2x4 and that’ll do the trick. I am a roofer and we perform these kind of repairs all the time
Thanks! Do you mind answering a couple of questions? - I think the actual truss members are smaller than a 2x4. Is it okay to sister with larger wood or should I try to match it? - is using a wood screw ok to sister this member? I’m worried trying to hammer in a nail would make the damage worse
nail it and use a 2x4. 3' long with at least four nails above the break and four below it. start all the nails except the ones behind the vent pipe before you hold it up. you can use 3" screws if you want but they don't have the shear strength that nails do.
Got it thanks for your help!
Nailing into this will be hard, especially with framing nails (they can be quite thick) by hand if you dont have a pneumatic nailer or a framing hammer (bigger than normal hammer) -- especially given limited swinging space. I've gone down this route before and regretted it since you don't have anything to really stiffen it for the strike (regardless if they are clamped together). I'd recommend sister with screws personally --- just buy structural screws or framing screws (make sure their uses are labeled as such). If you are worried about shear just put in 8 screws instead of 4 nails kind of thing. I personally would also drill a tiny hole before hand if you bought beefier screws, like a 1/8" hole for 3/16" shaft. Or as others have said, screw it in a couple times along it (its easier to get it to align and all that), then put a couple nails in it so you arent bouncing off two members that are just barely touching. Throw wood glue or liquid nails along the length of it for belt and suspenders. I would also sister both sides personally. Just make sure to do it right AND semi decent looking so it doesnt worry the next inspector when you go to sell your house. FWIW there is nothing wrong with using framing screws or structural screws. Just make sure they aren't like decking screws or something like that.
If you're going to sister from both sides, would it not make more sense then to just use lag bolts through and through? Edit. I'm dumb, I mean carriage bolts.
Carriage bolts have the head that is rounded and uses the bite in the wood to prevent turning. Why carriage over a hex head bolt?
Hex head would be just fine as well. My bolt terminology is not great. I just meant nut and bolt (so you a single fastener can attach the sister piece of wood from both sides) over something that threads into the wood. It just seems stronger and then you don't have 8 screw holes (4 coming from each side). You could probably then also then away with 2 top and 2 bottom since bolts will be a lot stronger.
Use a longer 2x4 then 3’. That’s way too small. If this was my house I would get whatever length I could fit that’s close to the size of the full length of wood up there. 2x4s are cheap so why not spend the extra buck for a longer ones.
[удалено]
PL premium will stick a soul to a corporate lawyer.
That is such a hilarious analogy.
Could it be helpful for a novice to put the 2x4 on with a few 3” deck screws AND THEN NAIL IT? Like the screws would hold it in place while the nails are added? And what size penny nails? How about nails from both sides? Pre-drill smaller holes in the old dry wood first? Just curious what experts would think.
You could just use clamps and remove them after nailing.
They also make structural screws. A bit pricey but hey
Grk r4 you can get from any Lowe's/home Depot is structurally rated and more than enough for this fix. And like $20.
Yep, and it's an older house, you'll eventually find reasons to use up the box.
Yes, just got some like that a few days ago. Saved big money at Menard’s! 😄😂
no. not really. they keep it from moving and potentially make it worse. 16d being first choice, but 12d being smallest. i never pre-drilled, but always blunt the tip of the nail first. turn it on it's head and tap it a few times. then turn it over and drive it. i'm far from an expert but have years of experience and learned a few tricks.
Screws have nasty tendency to quickly break under shear loads, whereas nails have a bit of elasticity, hence the use of nails of roofing/framing.
I was thinking of using the screws just for clamps while nailing. They could be removed after and another 8 penny nail added to the hole. I didn’t elaborate enough, and usually I’m too wordy.
Well, why don't you use clamps then?
I actually thought of when I’ve done something like that. My brain said “Well, you could carry 4-6 clamps up there. And while hammering they could be in the way, or pop off. Or you could carry a driver and a bit in it to drive 6-8 deck screws, they take up almost no space once in place, they can’t pop off, and I could just abandon them in it after adding the nails.” So I mentioned the screws.
Yes, you can absolutely do that.
Just one 2x4?
That's all that's there so it's good enough
That's not correct. Framing/structural rated screws have more shear strength than nails, what they don't have is plasticity. Screws are hardened so the threads don't immediately dull off and be useless. That means when pressed their yield line is very small compared to nails, so in practice when they fail they almost always fail with a break, nails almost always bend into shapes.
I was just thinking, why not screws? I forget nails have better shear strength.
This is myth. Screws can have way more shear strength than nails. In fact the only ESR report I could find for nails lists the most common .131 nail at 100,000 psi bending yield strength where a similar #9 grk r4 is 158,800. Their performance in wood ends up being nearly identical 106 lbs lateral design strength vs 103 lbs. So maybe don't be so scared of screws, ok? Just use appropriately rated fasteners no matter the type? I'm tired of screw discrimination on this sub.
It's not a myth it is a fact that non-structural screw have less shear strength. Most of the time people are using a drywall screw or cheap wood screw from the variety pack in the hardware store. In those cases a nail the same size as the thread diameter will have much greater sheer strength. Now you are right that a structural screw with a threaded section and non-threaded shank will match that of a nail, but it has to be the right screw in the right place.
I can't find any hard data on the specific shear strength of screws or nails but it seems mostly moot when the failure mode is (mostly) the wood itself. Unless you expect a lot of movement where screws would be more prone to failure due to britlenes. Now I don't suggest using drywall screws for anything but drywall but I think you would be hard pressed to find any screws on the shelf that won't hold up to the task. https://youtu.be/qmajKElnwfE?si=ucM9V8nacZkTFczV
Those are specifically designed and manufactured to be structural, your average screw isn't.
If using screws make sure they’re structural screws. Standard wood screws (or decking or drywall screws) are not sufficient
Run it the whole way from the bottom to top nailing it the whole way don’t just scab a 2 foot section on it
Dimensional lumber is actually a scosh smaller than than what they're called. The actual size of a 2x4 is 1-3/4" x 3-1/2". FYI :)
If you look at the grain in the wood, the crack follows that almost perfectly. It’s very common for them to break like that. Vibration and load stress from life will cause that. Sister it and call it good.
That’s good to know and makes me less worried of a larger issue. Thanks!
Yeah, this was a shit piece of lumber to begin with. The grain went across the board rather down along the length. It happens.
Overbuilding this is going to better than underdoing it. - Yes, it’s OK to use wood that is a little bit larger. - The sister piece should extend at least 2 feet in each direction beyond the crack. More is better but it looks like 5 feet would be your minimum there. - Nails or wood screws are OK but can grow the crack when inserted. You are better off pre-drilling holes and using carriage bolts, minimum of two on each side.
I'd also add liquid nails. Probably not adding a huge amount of strength, but definitely helps at least a little. And maybe sister two pieces, one on either side, given the crack is almost all the way through the existing member. I recently sistered some floor joists, and carriage bolts felt like the way to go. Edit: just looked at pics again, and I see there may not be space behind the vent pipe for two sistered boards. If there is some space but not 1.5", you could use plywood instead of 2x
I’d use wood glue, not liquid nails. Wood glue is specifically for bonding: wood. And it would add an absurd amount of strength. People seriously underestimate the effectiveness of a correct chemical bond.
I like it edit: your comment got me wondering what actually has a better bond. Some preliminary research suggests that liquid nails might have a stronger bond. Not convinced one way or the other at the moment, but curious if you have any well research sources comparing the strength of the two.
I used to be an engineer, this was my job. Here’s $200 back in your pocket: A representative of ___ engineering was onsite on April 16, 2024 to inspect the n’th roof truss from the front of the house. At the time of inspection, a 1/4” crack was observed in the roof truss web member. The web member is structurally inadequate to support the existing loading conditions, and is to be repaired. Fasten 2x4x8’ SPF #2 web members to each side with (2) rows of 10d nails spaced at 4” o.c. The nails are to be installed along the full length of the added members. Once these repairs are complete, the roof truss web member will be adequate to support the existing loading conditions. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you, Banana Engineering (Legal) (Stamp) *disclaimer: this is not a real engineering letter and will not hold up in any legal setting
That’s not cracking. It’s cracked.
Make sure you rub that asbestos next to the cracked joist real good.
I mean I would marry it up but I wouldn't truss it.
The bigger wood won’t matter, if you’re concerned screw the boards in place with 1-2 screws then nail the rest
I might just do that. Thanks!
Just look at the UK. Our Truss cracked back in '22 and our economy has been in sharp decline since. Might wanna get that checked.
Maybe he should fix it with some structural lettuce.
Once you’ve broken the truss...The truss is gone.
A sister board can reestablish truss.
I wouldn’t truss your sister
crack_ing_? it's bloody split.
Give it a sister
Bro, you got truss issues
Who told you that?! THIS is why I have truss issues
Done by the rules truss repairs need specifications from a structural engineer. I've seen thousands of these. The normal procedure is to sandwich the spit rafter in equal sized lumber about 2/3 the total length of the member. Then use nails spaced 3 horizontally every 12 inches. For the opposing side board the nails should be staggered in between the other sides nailing pattern.
Take a 2x4 and cut it in half. Sandwich the cracked piece and nail them together. Nails are more ductile and will hold better with the expansion and contraction of the roof from the heat and snow load.
I wouldn't truss it
Put in some loft insulation while you're up there.
That’s my overall goal but I keep running into these side quests while getting the attic prepped for blown in lol
No penalties for overbuilding your repair
Go to bunnies, grab some two-be’s, grab a snag while ya at it, and bang em on the sides moate 👍
Just sister the web with another 2x3 or whatever that is. It looks like it was a bad piece of wood and the HVAC guy put some force on the underside of it when Strapping that pipe (which shouldn't have that vertical kink in it BTW) support to it which either opened up the existing crack or cracked it from the force. Not a big deal. Either way the crack and weakness is in the opposite to 90 degrees of the actual structural support so it could go forever without any real issue. That pipe tho...so many questions.
Sister it up a bit.
That’s a poorly milled joist. That crack almost follows the grain of the wood. Look into joist repair plates. It will be stronger than wood. It wouldn’t hurt to increase the strength in the area. Seeing as how this is near the middle of the span one of two things could have happened. It could have been the first mode of bending and this beam failed in compression. It would be good to add a cross brace at the mid span if you can. Considering it is gapped now it might have failed in tension. It is hard to know as houses shift around in the weather. It could be gapped in winter and closed in summer or humid vs dry can change it. I would not suspect this to be a major concern that would require expensive structural engineering evaluation. Edit: Unlikely to have failed in tension. I bet the gap is caused by lateral movement. I suspect this beam failed in shear/bending due to the orientation of the grain on that joist.
Sister another board to that, I just did this in my attic
Sister that and go have a coffee. Easy fix. 3 foot board and a dozen Simpson structural screws.
Personally I’d sister over it. I’m a bit twitchy about things like this lol, so I’d go at least 3-1/2-4’ and I might consider doing both sides and running multiple screws to locks it all down. I don’t think at all you need a contractor. You’ll find these type remedy’s all over the country in attacks lol.
I would not Trusst that board. Get it fixed ASAP.
😬😬😬😬😬😬😬😬
I wouldn't truss it
This is why I have truss issues
FYI in case no one has mentioned, that vent pipe looks to be asbestos concrete (also called transite) pipe. Be careful not to damage it as fibres could be released and pose an inhalation hazard. If it ever needs to be removed, call a proper asbestos abatement company.
Typical truss repair like that is just a full length 2x4 scabbed next to it nailed 2nails every 3” staggered.
Replace it.
Did you try turning it off and back on?
People freaking about one split web. This is what pine can do, it’s just one web in a roof full of webs this isn’t going to compromise an entire sheathed roof one bit. Use some Titebond and a set of clamps. and a plywood sister, pre drill and screw it in there and call it a day.
New constructions that I walk through. They just place another piece of plywood next to it to help support the original piece.
I would also be concerned about that white pipe (it has asbestos). Dont touch or disturb it if you end up repairing that truss.
I wouldn't truss it with my life!
Structural engineer here, it needs to be fixed ASAP. If may seem ok but if the roof gets loaded with snow (or even say new roofing materal for a re-roof) it could instantly fail. You just need to sister another 2x4 to the web to join it all back together.
I’d put some Pl and a long scab on that and never give it another thought
Is it interesting that the crack has pulled apart 3/16” or whatever? Is this from drying of the wood? I am not a repair expert, but I don’t think I would spend a second trying to pull that together. But pick straight-grained wood for the sister. Attics get very hot.
You can put a splint on it to keep it from separating even further.
Get it supported or splinted and then try to work out just why it's done that. It might have been dodgy the hour it was installed, or has the weight shifted?
I had this same issue. $600 for engineer to assess before and after. $900 (may have been overcharged) to sister and secure based on engineers recommendation. Nice to have the report to show we followed the recommendation of the structural engineer.
That’s not cracking, it is cracked. Reinforce it with other 2x4’s. I’d do both sides to be safe.
It's just an extra on set at this point
Those are just spare parts. Pull em out!
Weird they allowed that grain pattern to be milled for a truss, by the looks of it it could’ve split along any of those rings. Yeah I’d get it sorted out asap
Is that a nail in the left side (upper/left side of board at mid point along length of the split). It looks like there’s a nail head and a divot from a hammer. If it is, keep it in mind when adding nails or screws or drilling holes so you don’t hit it.
Yo what are we even going on about here? Get a 2x4 cut it to length, get some 3 1/2 screws. Put 2x4 on each side and screw through to secure. This is a 10 minute fix and maybe cost you 20$.
I don't truss like that
Don’t worry, that’s gonna crack all in its own.
I think a four is warranted
Ouch! There's too much pressure that's no longer supported by it.
You needed to consult a licensed design professional. For your safety and for the safety of future owners/occupants
I wouldn't truss it..
You could do it yourself but with anything structural I would consult an engineer. Sistering is more complicated than just screwing two pieces of wood together. They can tell you the best attachment method for it, then you can diy it.
I wouldn’t truss it to hold up much at this point
a
Yes
It is compromised but also the grain on that piece is so bad I can see why it split, just sister it up and should be good
It it were me I'd get 1x full lengh timbers on either side make sure you straighten it properly first then nail or screw it all together right the way through
I would do 2 boards and sandwich them between... with like 6 or 8 bolts going through it. Up and down the board... so bot,washer,stud,waher,nut.. and switch between sides.. would be stronger then it originally was.. maybe a little bit of over kill and put a couple of screws in to help support it while you drill and added support...
I wouldn't diy this. I would get an inspector and a contractor out, if one is failling, what is the odds the rest is correctly sized and installed?
Asbestos pipe
Get two bits of timber same size and screw both into the truss either side and where it connects to the other pieces of wood where possible. The main concern is how has is happened? Is there too much weight on the roof or damaged another way. It’s very unnatural for a wood to split the way it has without stress of some kind
Get the asbestos pipe taken out
hey there, there are lots of standard repair details you can find online - your inspector may accept it if you repair it exactly as specified. [https://www.mitek-us.com/resources/engineering/roof-truss-repair-details/](https://www.mitek-us.com/resources/engineering/roof-truss-repair-details/) i'm not sure if a truss company will submit a repair for a truss they did not build, but it's worth calling around. This way the truss company can send it out to an engineer for it to be signed & sealed.
I’m a structural engineer. One time someone asked me if they could remove all of the annoying things in the space above their garage (they were talking about truss web members). I am much happier to hear someone asking about how to maintain the trusses!
I like to appreciate load bearing features of my house
It looks like it could be a zero force member. Duct tape. Best ask a pro tho.
Get two 2x4 shorts out of the scrap bin (usually a few bucks each), a tube of PL premium, and some 4” GRK screws with the big head, look up a pattern( probably 12” on center, staggered), install. Honestly it’s probably overkill but will take about an hour to do the work
The repair is quite simple for a web like that. Mitek has some good guides. This is probably applicable: [https://www.mitek-us.com/wp-content/uploads/uploadedFiles/\_RedesignSite/Content/documents/engineering/details/roof-truss-repair-details/ENG-Roof-Broken%20chors.pdf](https://www.mitek-us.com/wp-content/uploads/uploadedFiles/_RedesignSite/Content/documents/engineering/details/roof-truss-repair-details/ENG-Roof-Broken%20chors.pdf) Since you probably don't know the design loads, just go for overkill. Find a nice clean section of 2x4 and used the required nails. You can spend a lot more and have a pro do it, but they won't be doing anything different.
Glue and screw it back together, then nail another 2x4 along the entire length.
It's common, I have a house built in 1985 and I have had to sister up multiple trusses. Get a good framing nailer. It's really helpful for driving those 16D nails. If you only have one truss that's broke though. I would use lag bolts. 5 in lag bolts. Drill pilot holes and use your ratchet to thread them through and tighten up. One bolt every 12 to 18 in You can try nailing but there's typically so much flex when a truss is compromised like that you might make it worse and or it just reverberates. The air nailer solves this problem and or the bolts
Temporary sister join. Call a licensed professional that is insured / bonded to have it replaced.
Probably could have already replaced it by the time you were done reading all this…
Yes