Moisture Control

Resources Available for Dealing With Mold

September 25, 2018

Framers, home builders, and homeowners looking for best practices to ensure they have the most current mold facts as well as mold mitigation and remediation information can now look to two new research reports created by the Structural Building Component Association (SBCA).

Checklists for Mitigating and Remediating Mold on Wood Structural Building Components

The following checklists are to be used as a practical guide in conjunction with the information on mold provided in SBCA Research Report 1807-01: “Mold on Structural Building Components.”

Mold on Wood Structural Building Components

This research report seeks to provides fact-based information about causes, effects, and mitigation of mold growth on lumber and wood structural building components. 

Continuous Insulation Solves Energy Code Math Problem

April 23, 2018

Continuous insulation (ci) and cavity insulation products are both sold with R-value ratings, but the way these two products are used in wall construction means they do not have the same effectiveness.

Allowable Mold Levels For Indoor Air Quality

Question: 

Some questions have been raised regarding the levels of mold in the lumber used in one of our truss projects. The issue of indoor air quality is up and coming. Do you have any information regarding standard allowable values? And how can we test for these contaminants?

Health Hazards Of Mold On Lumber

Question: 

What are the health hazards of black fungus on Douglas-Fir lumber?

Mold On Lumber

Question: 

I am looking for some information regarding black surface mold on lumber. Does it alter the integrity of the lumber stress values? I have a client who wants to use “all dry” lumber for his construction but I do not know if this is really necessary.

Age Restriction On Lumber In Trusses

Question: 

I would like to know if there is an age restriction on wood trusses. How long after production are they safe to use? The trusses in question are at least three to four months old. Are they still safe to use? They have not been covered the entire time and are showing signs of age.

Partition Separation Lag Bolting

Question: 

Is lag bolting the bottom chord of a truss to the top plate of a wall a proper fix to correct truss arching, assuming the attic is properly vented?

Floor Trusses With Masonry Bearing Walls

Question: 

We would like to know if there is a problem with using wood floor trusses with masonry bearing walls without a ledger. Our local supplier has told me that encasing the wood truss in the masonry wall could be detrimental to the truss due to moisture. What, if any, suggestions do you have for this condition? If a bottom chord bearing is used, do the trusses need fire cuts? The two-story building contains masonry bearing walls with wood trusses on the second floor and wood trusses at the roof.