Drilling Floor Joists For Pex

Holes anywhere in the web area of engineered i joists except within 6 in.

Drilling floor joists for pex.

If you re running pex through joists or studs drill 3 4 in. Drill a series of holes along alternating floor joists on the other end. You can t drill a hole more than a third of the thickness of a joist in the middle third of the joist. There is a side to this that i have discussed with inspectors.

Run your main lines first. If you have a 12 span and the joist is a full 12 you can drill a full 4 hole in the first and last 4. Drill a series of holes through floor joists along one end of the room where you ll be adding hydronic radiant heating. If the span requires say a 2x 10 joist spanning 12 the above rules apply.

Drill holes with a diameter of no more than one third the depth of the joist staying 2 in. Place the bit up to the stud and slowly start the drill allowing it to build up speed. Engineered floor joists can be drilled only according to their manufacturer s guidelines the code specifies the maximum size of the holes you can drill or the notches you can cut where you can and can t place them and how far apart they can be spaced. Drill through the sill plate and sub floor for each water line.

When drilling through a stud be sure that each hole is at the same level so the pipe runs parallel to the floor. Of walls and rim joists. Some manufacturers recommend adding abrasion clips at each hole. Drilling floor joists to run plumbing wiring or ducts can be tricky.

Away from the top and bottom. There are very specific locations and sizes in the code telling you what is allowed. Let s review what is wrong with this particular joist and discuss what the proper technique is for. Have a helper feed the line to avoid kinks and snarls.