Cracked rafter

[Brandon]

Best way to fix it?

Sister one side?
Both sides?

Angle iron?

Never encountered this problem before.

 

[actaeon277]

Well, I'm not an expert, but I'd do 2 things.
Sister BOTH sides. And don't cheap out and use a short beam.

Next, look at the other rafters VERY closely.
Why did it break?
Did you have something fall on the roof?
Is it rotted?
Termites?

 

[Cameramonkey]

I sistered both sides. Mine was very straightforward. A large knot in the center of the board separated from the rest of the wood.
Might as well have been a 2x2 the knot was so big.

 

[Brandon]

Well, I'm not an expert, but I'd do 2 things.
Sister BOTH sides. And don't cheap out and use a short beam.

Next, look at the other rafters VERY closely.
Why did it break?
Did you have something fall on the roof?
Is it rotted?
Termites?

Its on the backside of my roof. Directly in front of it was a fire intentionally set by previous home owners now ex wife. I'd be willing to be has something to do with the fire or fire being put out.

That said its almost the furthest from the access and I did not see any more on my way out.

 

[Michigan Slim]

That women knows her ex moved out, right?

 

[Brandon]

That women knows her ex moved out, right?

I question if any of them realize they moved out.

W2s, vehicle titles and various other important paperwork shows up here... almost 5 years later

 

[KittySlayer]

Listen to actaeon. If you’re doing one side go ahead and do both.

Are you sure the house is not haunted by ex wives? Better sleep with one eye open.

 

[Brandon]

Listen to actaeon. If you’re doing one side go ahead and do both.

Are you sure the house is not haunted by ex wives? Better sleep with one eye open.

Lol not this house... it is haunted by a crazy gsd but thats a different story.

Slept just fine at the "haunted" house we use to live in although if i would have heard the foot steps earlier I may have been out.

 

[jerrob]

Run a string, as far both ways from the affected rafter to make sure it hasn't "sow bellied" inward. If it has, brace it back upwards into it's proper position before bracing both sides.
Good luck Sir.

 

[Brandon]

Run a string, as far both ways from the affected rafter to make sure it hasn't "sow bellied" inward. If it has, brace it back upwards into it's proper position before bracing both sides.
Good luck Sir.

I was going to use my 6 foot level, sting would be easier to haul across the attic.


Thanks!

 

[Mgderf]

Definitely sister both sides, and put in as long a sister as you can get into the workspace.
The length of run and pitch is going to be critical here.
Install one side, using too many quality screws, not nails.
When you install side #2, use lag screws that will penetrate the far side 2x4.

 

[Ark]

Assuming nothing else is damaged, I'd wood glue and sister both sides for as long of a run as I had room, and bore all the way through with lag bolts and nuts. After jacking it back into original position, of course, or as close as I could manage.

Assuming it's an angled rafter, you could probably cut some scrap at the same angle and screw it to the "floor" beam as a base for a screw jack so it lifts the broken beam properly.

The load on a typical roof rafter isn't extreme and doesn't vary much except for very heavy snowfall. Sistering should work just fine and last indefinitely.

 

[Bugzilla]

Ark mentioned the point I was going to make about jacking it up first. My garage ceiling was drooping about an inch as in my opinion a poor design. I ended up converting about half of the 16” spaced rafters to trusses by adding the “W” components to the existing structure. Jacked up the ceiling first to about an inch above true. When I was done and removed the jack, it settled about perfect true. Still true 2 years later.