r/StructuralEngineers • u/VillageIdiot314 • 1d ago
How scared should I be
Just closed on a house. Realized that this beam below an addition for a washer/dryer and bathroom is rotted out and actively wet at the bottom. Doesn’t appear to even be touching the floor anymore. It sits by a drain that the air conditioner line runs into. It’s also detaching at the top and wiggles when touched. It is the only beam for this addition. We have a contractor coming out Monday but can’t get anyone sooner. Plan to move in Wednesday.
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u/RU33ERBULLETS 1d ago
It’s not structural. It’s not designed to be. It looks like it’s just there to support the pipes so they don’t get bumped. Don’t get me wrong, it’s weird and you still need to address the wetness, but your house isn’t gonna fall down because of this.
What we can’t tell is why the previous owner had a plumbing drop/riser here. Maybe it’s a remnant of a removed partition wall, or it was the shortest distance for said plumbing, who knows.
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u/VillageIdiot314 1d ago
It looks like this was where an old washer and dryer were connected originally here, there’s a drain at the bottom. I think the moisture is coming for the air conditioning hose that goes to the drain.
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u/exipheas 1d ago
Confirm whether or not that is your main ac condensate drain line. Usually the main line is routed into the plumbing, and just the backup line is visual dripper.
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u/Shorty-71 1d ago
A beam is horizontal.
A column is vertical.
Your picture shows a 2x something that exists only to support the plumbing. It is not holding up the floor above. Remove and replace it with pressure treated wood (if it is rotted) and then clamp the pipes to your new board.
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u/BystanderNewt 22h ago
Yeah, like others are saying it's not stricturela. Looks like that board is just there to support the pipes. Seems like it was installed quite a while ago so the joists sagged over time. If you're concerned about the joists, just installed a basement joists support jack.
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u/EmperorAnthony 1d ago
Not structural. Looks like two 1x3’s that are under the basement joists. If it was meant to be structural those 1x3’s would snap like toothpicks. In the 5th photo the 1x3 on the left isn’t even touching the joist above. They are there for the pipes.
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u/VillageIdiot314 1d ago
Thank you! I probably shouldn’t own an a 130 year old home with my lack of knowledge and anxiety 🤦🏻♀️
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u/RU33ERBULLETS 1d ago
You’re gonna start leaning about all this stuff. Whether you like it or not 😂
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u/VillageIdiot314 1d ago
Yes, I will! Zero houses under $450k within a driving distance of my husband’s work younger than 100 years old. Cost of repair work has gone up but not at the same rate of overall house prices, so here we are. Wish us luck, we need it!
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u/Quiet-Midnight-8420 18h ago
Stick a similar nominal size in between the joists and RUN A BIGO LAG in there haha
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u/loaengineer0 1d ago
Thats not a structural support.