Does this look right?? What would you do??

eviled

eviled

eviled

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Had central pipes run into a bathroom for a towel rail and this is what I’ve been left with.

They are double 6”x2” joists on a 3 metre span to take the weight of a full bathroom suite.

They could have run the pipes under the floor where the others run in 8cm void but instead have cut rather large notches.

I’m not too happy but is this me being too picky and it will be fine or does this need to be sorted and strengthened?

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And yes, those notches are nearly half the depth of the joist
 
As you say, seems they’ve created more work for themselves by not running it in the void. I think I would certainly raise it with who did it and state your concerns.
 
They shouldn’t be doing that. You can cut through joists but the manufacturers will specify where you can do it. Doing it the way they’ve done it has compromised the strength of the joist. The plumber will undoubtedly say it won’t make a difference but they won’t want the bill if the ceiling or the roof collapses.
 
We do it all the time
BUT saying that only the depth of the pipe 15 or 25mm.Another but,he should have fed the pipes in the void under the joists???Can`t see why he didn`t

Funnily enough pulled up a board the other day in a bathroom with 6 inch joists and someone had cut out for a 4" soilpipe,i kid you not.Only saving grace was they had fitted a plate with semi circular cutout for the pipe half inch steel plate bolted in.Looked to have been done 30+years ago as landlord had not done it and he had the property for 25 years
 
I don't understand why they have done that? It just would have been easier to run them under those joists

even if they did take the approach they did why cut such a big gaping hole? lol
 
Why do the pipes just end there? Is that where the towel radiator will be?

I thought a key advantage of plastic central heating pipes was zero joins except at junctions? A big coil could have been left for it to go to the towel radiator.
 
Is this a false floor on top of an old floor? (looks like wooden floor boards beneath the joists or is it just me). Ground floor or upper floor?

Also half the depth of the joist? The left hand side looks fine the right hand side looks a lot deeper but the right is only just down to what appears to be half depth. If the full notch was the depth of the left side I wouldn't be concerned. A bit miffed for sure but not concerned.
 
I'm not a plumber, but have been doing up my own house for the past 2 years.

I've basically gone around "fixing" issues like that or avoiding recreating them.

I usually follow this guide, and as far as I'm aware they're nothing inherently wrong with notches if done correctly: http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/Notching_joist.htm

If those wooden boards represent the ceiling of a room below, I also wouldn't have run the pipes in the void. You'd run the risk or someone putting a nail/screw/drill through the pipes if attaching something to the ceiling below.

I'd have personally drilled some 19mm holes for those 15mm pipes (while checking I could get a hole that big within the min/span)

If someone else had done that, I wouldn't be happy, but I'd also be unsure what I could do about it. Partly why I'm doing everything myself.
 
I had a few just cut enough for gas pipes and they've been they're for the past 20—30 years at least at a guess.
Yours does look a bit butchered!
 
There's notching a joist, and then there's that. If you say they're 6x2 joists, they've notched 3 inches out (with a spoon) for, what, 20mm pipes?

Is the 3m spam running with the joist or against it? How many of these did they 'notch', are you having a bath and where is it going?
 
m4rmite said:
Wouldn't it have been quicker to drill through the joists rather than take a chunk out?
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Yes, and safer, better, stronger.

Kiyoshi said:
There's notching a joist, and then there's that. If you say they're 6x2 joists, they've notched 3 inches out (with a spoon) for, what, 20mm pipes?

Is the 3m spam running with the joist or against it? How many of these did they 'notch', are you having a bath and where is it going?
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Quite. If any more are in a similar state, and there's bath going above, they not going to hold up. My old house has the joist notched in the bathroom across three or four joists (not as deep, by the previous owner), and the floor/ceiling bowed considerably. When we ripped the bathroom out I was surprised the bath hadn't ended up in the kitchen. Thankfully, we only really used the shower.

At the very least, I'd get them to brace it with 6*2 or metal plate on both sides, and drill the holes the should have drilled in the first place.
 
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That's quite funny. I've been toying with taking 4 inch out of a 9 inch joist, and reinforcing with steel... Lost my nerve as it's on edge of regs.

Doesn't look like he had the same thought processes .

He shouldn't even have notched, for that surely better to drill through center of joist if you're worried about support... Would look a ton neater too.
 
I’ve found the regs that relate to this. You can notch 0.125 x the joist depth, so in my case ~18mm so these are much bigger!

The void is there as underneath there is a floor and ceiling which are differing heights, that section is over the old floor.

Builders who did the floor popped over and are furious, they will need to brace and prop the section as the bathroom wiil have a bath, huge shower and tiled in stone.

Oh... and I won’t be paying for the extra work, it will come off the plumbers invoice!
 
thezappa said:
They shouldn’t be doing that. You can cut through joists but the manufacturers will specify where you can do it. Doing it the way they’ve done it has compromised the strength of the joist. The plumber will undoubtedly say it won’t make a difference but they won’t want the bill if the ceiling or the roof collapses.
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The manufacturer? They’re standard spruce wood joists. :p

You’d be right if they were engineered joists, but they’re not. That said that’s some pretty significant notching even with a double joist (why doubled up anyway, anything with knowing they would need notching, or to do with flex?).

There’s almost certainly a website you can stick the numbers into to check if they are still to regs. May be worth doing that and talking to them/someone that knows more.
 
Amp34 said:
The manufacturer? They’re standard spruce wood joists. :p
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My experience is only with new builds and, as you say engineered joists, which do have zones marked on them.

The diydoctor link above seems to be repeating an LABC advice note that gives the same figures for notching, which in turn is taken from Trada. Bottom line is the haven’t done it correctly and should have avoided doing it.
 
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