Questions of the Week 4/14/2025

Inspection Education Topics Inspection Question of the Week
21

Congrats, Nice!!

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22

Congratulations fellas!!! @sfetty and @drey :collision: :money_bag: :collision: :heavy_dollar_sign: :collision:

You know how to claim your prize and you are listed here:

5 Likes
23

WTG, Dave & David. :+1:

6 Likes
24

Congratulation guys!

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25

Congratulations on the win @sfetty and @drey. :+1:

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26

Congratulations Dave Fetty and David Rey

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27

Congrats guys!

But I am questioning the answer on number 3:
*3) Which has the LEAST effect on the deflection of a dimension lumber floor system?
a) Joist width
b) Joist grade
c) Joist species
d) Joist spacing

Apparently the correct answer is A.

How would the width have the least effect on deflection? A 1x6 would definitely have a huge impact over a 2x6..

Seems like grade would have the least effect, because grade typically just refers to the amount of knots in the wood. :thinking:

(not trying to change winners, just clarifying.. :laughing:

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28

Thanks guys, Congrats David.

My thought was that joist width was more likely to be a constant. Not to say I haven’t seen otherwise. :man_shrugging:

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29

yeah, I was exaggerating, with 1x6, but there is a 1/2" difference between a new 2x6 and a rough sawn 2x6 from 100 years ago.

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30

Not quite—there’s a subtle distinction that helps explain why “Joist width” is considered the correct answer in this scenario.

While joist grade does influence deflection due to its impact on stiffness and strength, the variability of joist width may be more limited in standard construction practices. For example, joists are often selected with consistent widths (e.g., 2x6, 2x8), and once a width is chosen, it generally remains the same throughout the floor system. This consistency reduces the impact of width differences on deflection compared to other factors like grade, species, or spacing.

Joist grade, on the other hand, can vary even within the same width or species of lumber. The presence of knots, grain patterns, and density changes in different grades can have a noticeable effect on stiffness, making grade a more impactful factor than width when it comes to deflection.

Hope this helps explain.

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31

I thought the same thing.

And while technically correct, common sense says no one (hopefully) is going to slip in a 1x6 floor joist. :face_with_spiral_eyes:

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32

I Demand a re-count :rofl:
Great job Dave & David :clap:

7 Likes