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I have a built beam in my ceiling that needs to be sistered. It was three 2x6s and will now be five 2x6s. One side will be supported by the top plate, but the other side won't. The final width of the built beam will be 8" actual width (it's an old house; lumber is not modern dimensional).

The existing beam is supported on both ends. It needs to be sistered because there is a section that has broken due to water damage. The sistered sandwich will be glued and nailed, as usual. The exterior wall has space that would allow me to put the ends of the sistered 2x6s in so they rest on the top plate. The end which goes into the interior, load supporting wall is constructed so I that end of the sistering 2x6s are right up against the rough framing.

The beam is 10' long. The break is roughly in the middle. So, there's more than the 3' on either side of the break that is generally recommended when sistering.

I found a bunch of split joist hangers that might work, but they are all in Australia, New Zealand, or England.

Are split joist hangers not allowed under the code in the USA?

isherwood
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Cthulhu63
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    Split hangers are, I think, for hanging wide joists from beams? But that is not what you say you are doing is it? You have a wide beam, right? What do you mean that one side of it will be unsupported? What is an unsupported beam? – jay613 Mar 31 '23 at 15:37
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    Apparently the beam abuts another beam or structure. Please revise to be more clear about that. – isherwood Mar 31 '23 at 15:55
  • @isherwood if a beam abuts a beam, can some of its support come from a hanger nailed to the other beam? Ok maybe a saddle hanger but a split saddle hanger?? That makes no sense does it? Sorry I'm very unknowledgeable here, just trying to get a clue. – jay613 Mar 31 '23 at 16:02
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    Yeah, it strikes me as sketchy, which is why I want clarification. – isherwood Mar 31 '23 at 16:12
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    Photo/diagram would be a big help – Armand Mar 31 '23 at 16:15
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    The question as it is isn't answerable. Code allows many things in some cases and not others. While I strongly suggest you consult a local expert or inspection office, we may be able to answer properly if you can provide a more specific scenario. – isherwood Mar 31 '23 at 16:17
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    Include why the beam "needs" to be sistered. It might be pertinent to the question. – jay613 Mar 31 '23 at 16:38
  • If the beam is structural(holding up weight), I would not trust those split hangers to hold the weight. Just two small flaps and some nails. – crip659 Mar 31 '23 at 16:55
  • The existing beam is supported on both ends. It needs to be sistered because there is a section that has broken due to water damage. The sistered sandwich will be glued and nailed, as usual. The exterior wall has space that would allow me to put the ends of the sistered 2x6s in so they rest on the top plate. The end which goes into the interior, load supporting wall is constructed so I that end of the sistering 2x6s are right up against the rough framing. – Cthulhu63 Mar 31 '23 at 17:02
  • The beam is 10' long. The break is roughly in the middle. So, there's more than the 3' on either side of the break that is generally recommended when sistering. – Cthulhu63 Mar 31 '23 at 18:05
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    That's all great, but you haven't addressed the matter of what the hangers will be hanging on. Please put all information in your question, not down here. – isherwood Mar 31 '23 at 18:59

2 Answers2

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I'm not sure if split hangers are allowed or not. Will let others verify.

However Simpson makes an 8inch wide hanger and the same seller has splits and is in Iowa, USA.

Split hanger

8 inch hanger

Search the site, there are many more that should fit your needs.

RMDman
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    The link to split hanger is in fact to a skewed hanger, not the same thing. But the link to the wide hanger may be the best answer to OP's requirement, even if not actually the answer to the question. – jay613 Mar 31 '23 at 15:39
  • This is a comment, not an answer. – isherwood Mar 31 '23 at 16:18
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I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "split" joist hangers.

There are, however, retrofit, single-sided joist hangers like this one:

enter image description here
image courtesy of lowes.com. No endorsement intended or implied. Click to embiggen

You could put one of these on each side of your new beam (even on the side that rests on the top plate, as added security). You would have to double check that this meets your local code, but I can't imagine that it violates IRC code that is generally adopted in the US. If it did, it's unlikely that it would be sold in US retail stores.

FreeMan
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  • Here is an example of a split joist hanger. https://strongtie.com.au/products/sde-split-joist-hanger The beam joins the wall at a 90 degree angle. The type like that doesn't appear to be sold in US retail stores, hence my query. – Cthulhu63 Mar 31 '23 at 14:34
  • Here's another example from the UK: https://www.ebay.com/itm/223489316070 – Cthulhu63 Mar 31 '23 at 14:43
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    Interesting, @Cthulhu63. The one I linked to is very similar. The Lowes listing shows an individual one, not a pair, but I'm sure they're sold as both a left & right side (with the support part facing in opposite directions). Based on your link and the one I found, I believe your premise that they are not sold in the US is incorrect. – FreeMan Mar 31 '23 at 15:27
  • @FreeMan I'm confused. Why can't an ordinary joist hanger be used to hang joists from the sides of OP's built up beam? It's the beam that's very wide, and I'm having trouble interpreting the question. – jay613 Mar 31 '23 at 15:56
  • @jay613 My understanding is that the OP is talking about securing the end of lumber sistered to his original beam, not about hanging lumber from the beam. – Armand Mar 31 '23 at 16:03
  • @jay613 because I didn't know that A) they (Simpson StrongTie, or others) make joist hangers that wide (I'd presumed the OP searched for one and didn't find one that met requirements), and B) considered that his sandwich of old & new school joists might not fit properly in new school sized joist hangers. I answered the question the OP asked (as is expected at SE), but didn't provide alternative suggestions (as we often do at DIY, but isn't required). – FreeMan Mar 31 '23 at 16:33
  • Yes, it's to hold the end of the 2x6s sistered to the existing beam on either side. While there are theoretically joist hangers for 8" wide beams, that's really for modern nominal lumber. An actual 8" wide beam won't fit.

    The beam meets the wall at a 90 degree angle, so an angled joist hanger wouldn't work.

     – Cthulhu63 Mar 31 '23 at 16:52
  • Unless I messed up, @Cthulhu63, the Lowes link is to a 90° joist hanger. If I did mess up & paste the wrong link, they do sell a 90° hanger. (I did originally find an angled hanger for rafters and may have left the wrong link in when I updated the image to the 90° one). It won't take much browsing through their site to find the 90° one. You would then know a model number & could purchase it at any retailer of your choice... – FreeMan Mar 31 '23 at 16:56