At least he supported the joints…
4 Likes
any port in a storm…
That’s more than I see done 99% of the time.
4 Likes
Plywood clips are mainly used for spacing the panels which is required. If the rating of the sheathing product allows it then the clip itself would not be needed but the spacing would still be required because wood expands and contracts with moisture conditions. Most framers put them in if it’s needed or not just as a matter of course. Missing an occasional clip is not a big deal. If the span rating is exceeded then it should probably be solidly blocked between trusses. This rating is stamped on the product somewhere.
6 Likes
Yep! What Ray said.
I see the clips on about maybe 1% of the homes with OSB where I am. The ones I do see are ones built back in the late 80s and 90s… When OSB was newer and the instructions relatively fresh in the minds of contractors and code officials…We are also about 90% concrete tile roofs so not as easy to see the buckling you come to expect from composition shingles. I have never called it out. our very low humidity probably is much more forgiving when it comes to contraction and expansion.
2 Likes
Nope. The main purpose of clips is to support the panels in midspan. They actually defeat the purpose of spacing panels because wherever a clip is installed, each panel is in contact with the center of the H-clip, and there’s no room for panels to expand.
The clips have a very small contact area with each sheet. They don’t constrict the plywood from expanding. In my area, and most areas I suspect, H clips are routinely accepted as a suitable spacer.
3 Likes
Thank you for your reply…I appreciate your experience. Although I wouldn’t say support would be the right word…if you step on the joint it will still bow down. Do it just right and the clip will come out. Without the clip however one piece of plywood might bow up in the middle and the other down…so the clip tends to make a smoother appearance on the roof…it’s main purpose is spacing. In my opinion. Panels have to be spaced on the walls too but the framers will typically put a nail between the panels for that. One thing is certain. If you don’t space plywood panels it’s going to be a mess.
2 Likes
I was a framer (production and custom) for over 20 years starting in 1970. Like everyone else, I tacked 8d nails between roof sheathing panels as spacers during installation. When they came into common use I installed H-clips just like everyone else in thousands of homes in S. California. Stepping on a roof sheathing panel joint between rafter bays I’ve never, ever seen a clip pop loose even if it was the wrong size.
However, when exposed to a lot of rain, I have seen plywood/OSB roof sheathing panels bow at the points at which H-clips were installed because the panels had no room to expand. Where an H-clip is placed, there’s no expansion space between the panels!
2 Likes
I knew you had a lot of experience.I guess everyone looks at things differently and really that is a good thing…and I appreciate it. I find that the metal clips even up the panels better but the cheap aluminum clips do better at spacing because they have a bigger dimple in the middle. The stamp on the OSB panels indicated the span rating 16/24 for instance but no mention of increasing the rating with the use of clips. It does however say the panels have to be spaced 1/8 inch on ends and edges. Most people get the length edge spaced ok…but not the ends. This is because…(and I know someone will argue with me about this) is because panels are exactly 8 foot so after you have hung about 4 panels on 1.5 inch thick rafters the panels wouldn’t break well. So what I’m saying is waviness is often caused by the panels getting wet after construction and the end spacing not being adequate. But I’m not aware (maybe I’m wrong) that the span rating is increased by the use of ordinary plywood clips at this time. If for some reason proper rafter spacing could not be maintained we would always block it.
How To Look At A House
McGarry and Madsen’s home inspection blog for buyers of
site-built, mobile/manfuactured and modular homes
Are H-clips required by the building code for roof sheathing?
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
What H-Clips Do
H-clips provide additional stiffness between bearing points for the unsupported edges of wood panel (plywood or OSB) roof sheathing, along with the necessary 1/8” gap for expansion, as shown below illustrated on a bag of Simpson H-clips. Some older H-clips do not provide a built-in gap.
1 Like
boy when is the last time You saw a roof framed and sheathed like the one in that picture partner?..that’s a beautiful thing right there…
2 Likes
[quote=“James McKee, post:14, topic:215712, username:jmckee”]
that’s a beautiful thing right there…
[/quote]…
Now it is rush makes mush, when is coffee break?
1 Like
Well, at one time in history, that’s the way it looked, Jim.
2 Likes