Main beam crack
 

What do you think about this photo? Appears to be a main beam in the otherwise fine warm crawl space...

Can not see a crack in that picture.
I do see where there's no foil tape on the joints on the duct work and no insulation on it. That's why it's so warm under there from the wasted heat.

Thanks Joe. The picture is not ideal, and the crack has not attracted inspector's attention. It's in the top right corner.

I am not too concerned about the energy waste because the entire house's wood structure both in the crawl space and in the attic (1955 45x35 bungalow) appears to breath well and is in a great shape, no moisture, no darken wood... I guess it's the price to pay to heat a crawl space that is unused otherwise.

The point Joecaption is trying to make is that without a clear picture of the problem area, we can not see what issues there are. Any further coments from us are only guesses.

Is it a diagonal crack, directly over the concrete bearing pier? Send the wife down to you with a sandwich and have her hold the light while you take another picture...second thought, let her take the picture...

Gary

Surely the crack is not that massive looking thing parallel to the wire above the column is it? If so I would think that would be a problem.

You are sharp-tongued fellows. :laughing: The picture was taken by the home inspector, so we are debating now the gravity of the issues, before going back next week-end.

Indeed, what appears to be a crack is a diagonal parallel to the wire. In addition, the supporting pier is also cracked from top left to bottom right, and appears to be missing some concrete on the right side.

Without that picture face on the crack no way to even guess.

Can you build a new pier under the beam (just to the left of the existing pier as shown in the picture)?

Judging from the size of the beam and the location and type of crack, that had to be under an awful lot of stress. Is this a house that you own, or are looking to buy? I would think that in order to break at that point, something else had to settle significantly to place the stress on the beam.

Its the inner part of the pier (in the foreground as shown) that is under added stress (vertical compression), not the beam itself.

what was the inspectors comment about this photo? you said the crack didn't attract his/her attention. so what makes you think its a crack. all i see is a wire.

The title of the thread says "Main Beam Crack". For a beam that size to crack like that, it was under stress from something.

How long is the beam span from the spot pictured to the next support which may be a column in the middle of the beam or the pier at the far end of the beam left of what is shown in the picture?

Is there a knot in the wood of the beam at the crack? A knot is a weak spot in a length of wood used as a horizontal support beam.

The more weight on the middle of the beam span, the more compression stress the inner part of the pier (front left as seen) is a taking, and likely yet more stress now that the beam has cracked.