Roof Truss Issues

Dry wood shrinks moist wood expands.

Roof truss issues.

Damaged or missing gusset plate it must be intact and free of corrosion. Should a decision be made to modify a truss in order to raise the ceiling in an area allow more storage or move a stairway then it is wise to consult an engineer for assurances that there is no structural issues. Roof truss uplift can be diagnosed as the cause of nail pops and cracks or separation between the ceiling and wall top. The upper members of the.

If you see nails they must be pulled and the special truss clips installed in their place. The good news is that the problem can be fixed fairly easily with a few materials a helper and diligent application of the steps below. Roof truss uplift occurs when the bottom chord of the truss is exposed to significantly different moisture and or temperature conditions than the rest of the roof truss. This problem occurs occasionally with roof trusses.

Tim also revealed another common issue being that trusses are sometimes modified on site without approval which can affect the structural integrity of the roof and lead to major problems. If the truss is bad enough it can cause the sagging or collapse of a roof. A broken roof truss can cause many different problems. This can lead to structural issues and occasionally the roof sagging.

If the drywall can t move enough to accommodate the warp it cracks away from the wall. Warm moisture laden air leaking into the attic gets absorbed by cold parts of the truss expanding the wood and causing the truss to warp slightly. The best way to check if a truss is bent or deflecting is to use either a string line or a laser level and use the truss support as the datum. Because the bottom chord of the truss is buried in heavy insulation it experiences different conditions than the top chord.

They should not be nailed to a wall using 16 penny nails. Resin dripping from the wood as in the photo below is ugly but not a structural defect. The construction concerns article dated february 13 2013 discusses the roof trusses of an 1840s grain elevator with a pitched roof shaped like a capital a. Arched roof trusses moving in response to moisture temperature variations across the truss can lift the building ceiling sufficiently to cause nail pops or actual tears at the ceiling wall juncture.