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Packing over steel. Are there new rules?

D

Dave D

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A friend's had a quote from a builder to fit an rsj. The builder said you now can only dry pack with slate above the steel. My friend said do you mean you don't use any mortar, just slate? The builder said yes.
Is it possible there's a misunderstanding and when he says dry pack the builder is referring to a dry mix with slate? He also said you can't use steel Shims anymore. Apparently it's a new building reg.
 
Last amendments to Doc A which deals with Structure was 2013 so doubt it has any credence and whilst not using a poor mortar mix may not be a bad thing the use of correctly sized steel shims is top notch
 
There are no rules.

However, good practice is a combination of dry packing for immediate support, and mortar to secure the dry packing and form a continuous joint with no gaps.

If a builder says "dry packing only is allowed", that says he is making it up, and what else does he not know?
 
Dereekoo said:
Last amendments to Doc A which deals with Structure was 2013 so doubt it has any credence and whilst not using a poor mortar mix may not be a bad thing the use of correctly sized steel shims is top notch
Click to expand...
I didn't get why a shim would be bad. Can't imagine it would expand and cause problems.
 
^woody^ said:
There are no rules.

However, good practice is a combination of dry packing for immediate support, and mortar to secure the dry packing and form a continuous joint with no gaps.

If a builder says "dry packing only is allowed", that says he is making it up, and what else does he not know?
Click to expand...
Yes. A shim or natural slate above every other perp on bricks and every perp on blocks with strong dry muck rammed in is surly hard to beat.
I've never worked out where to get the slate from I have to admit.
 
Dave D said:
A friend's had a quote from a builder to fit an rsj. The builder said you now can only dry pack with slate above the steel. My friend said do you mean you don't use any mortar, just slate? The builder said yes.
Is it possible there's a misunderstanding and when he says dry pack the builder is referring to a dry mix with slate? He also said you can't use steel Shims anymore. Apparently it's a new building reg.
Click to expand...
My favourite is a generous bed of muck on top of a beam then eased up into place under the masonry, as the excess squeezes out.
 
noseall said:
My favourite is a generous bed of muck on top of a beam then eased up into place under the masonry, as the excess squeezes out.
Click to expand...
The good thing with slate packing is that if some bricks have dropped (perhaps hidden by the floor/ceiling or plaster finish above) the packing can force these back up.
 
Dave D said:
I've never worked out where to get the slate from I have to admit.
Click to expand...
Try an independent roofing supplier that does roofing work too. They tend to bring old slate back to the yard or have broken slate for builders.
 
Used steel shims and dry packed over my steel last year (under timber) BC happy with it .
 
^woody^ said:
The good thing with slate packing is that if some bricks have dropped (perhaps hidden by the floor/ceiling or plaster finish above) the packing can force these back up.
Click to expand...
I get that we can't always do that scenario, but it's satisfying when it does. More often we are re-building the masonry above the beam.....

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noseall said:
I get that we can't always do that scenario, but it's satisfying when it does. More often we are re-building the masonry above the beam.....

bigbeam2.jpg

bigbeam2.jpg

  • Media owner noseall
  • Date added

bigbeam1.jpg

bigbeam1.jpg

  • Media owner noseall
  • Date added

bigbeam3.jpg

bigbeam3.jpg

  • Media owner noseall
  • Date added

bigbeam5.jpg

bigbeam5.jpg

  • Media owner noseall
  • Date added

bigbeam6.jpg

bigbeam6.jpg

  • Media owner noseall
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bigbeam7.jpg

bigbeam7.jpg

  • Media owner noseall
  • Date added

bigbeam8.jpg

bigbeam8.jpg

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bigbeam9.jpg

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Click to expand...
You seem to have used plenty of supports on the middle section. Was there a specific reason for that?
 

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