Truss & Panel F.A.Q.
- What is a truss?
- What is the advantage of using prefabricated wall panels?
- What is the difference between Lateral and T Bracing?
- Should I nail the truss down to the interior walls?
- Are you involved in any quality control process for your plants?
- Can I buy metal plates and lumber and make my own trusses?
- How soon after delivery should trusses be erected?
- What's the proper storage for trusses after they have been delivered?
- How safe is a wood trussed roof system in case of fire?
- What are drag loads?
- Is experience necessary for installing roof trusses?
- How long do I have to keep my temporary bracing in place?
What is a truss?
A truss is an engineered product designed to carry roof or floor loads out to bearings. A truss is manufactured from custom cut components which are connected together using metal truss plates. Residential roof trusses are usually installed at 2' On Center (OC) and Post Frame trusses up to 10' OC.
Truss shape and size is restricted only by manufacturing capabilities, shipping limitations and handling considerations. Virtually any roof shape or area can be achieved using the unique flexibility of wood trusses. Since all trusses are custom designed, an almost unlimited variety of shapes or loading conditions can be accommodated.
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What is the advantage of using prefabricated wall panels?
Quality control and speed of installation. Gold Standard manufacturers our products in a controlled manufacturing facility. From approved wall panel shop drawings, our experienced production crews will build your panels to exact specifications including door & window headers, shear wall anchorage,horizontal stud bracing and exterior sheathing. Panels will be completed in advance of your need in the field and delivered on our own trailers to your job site. Field installation time is significantly shortened by helping to get your project weather tight to speed your construction project.
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What is the difference between Lateral and T Bracing?
Lateral bracing is used when you have three or more consecutive trusses with the same web configuration. T bracing is used when there is a single style truss.
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Should I nail the truss down to the interior walls?
Nailing the truss to a non bearing wall is not recommended. If this is something you want to do, you should use a roof truss clip. Roof truss clips are used for alignment control between a roof truss and non-bearing wall. The clip permits vertical truss chord movement when loads are applied.
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Are you involved in any quality control process for your plants?
Besides our own in-house quality control process, Gold Standard Truss participates in the TPI (Truss Plate Institute) inspection process. This involves a third-party inspection.
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Can I buy metal plates and lumber and make my own trusses?
It is recommended that you buy prebuilt truss components built by a qualified truss fabricator. If you were to make your own trusses, you may not be able to provide the required calculations to local building inspectors that your "design" is correct. There are other sources that can provide engineering calculations and specify dimension lumber and grades as well as plywood gusset plates. In the final analysis, this option would likely be more expensive than using prebuilt truss components built by a qualified truss fabricator.
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How soon after delivery should trusses be erected?
Trusses should be erected as soon as possible after delivery to the job site.
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What's the proper storage for trusses after they have been delivered?
Trusses should be stored horizontally on a flat surface after delivery. Do not store trusses on rough terrain or uneven surfaces, as this could cause damage to the truss. Also, banding should not be broken until you are ready to install the trusses. If you do store trusses vertically, proper bracing should be setup on both sides of the trusses.
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How safe is a wood trussed roof system in case of fire?
Fire is a hazard that can never be ignored regardless of the kind of building system. Immediate safety precautions should be taken upon discovery of any fire. In most instances, trusses are considered separate, independent structures designed to support certain defined conditions. The structural integrity of most wood roof trusses is not dependent on other trusses. As a result, one truss may burn and even collapse while other portions of the roof remain standing. In many cases this allows additional time to evacuate the building.
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What are drag loads?
Drag loads are due to lateral (horizontal) loads generated in high-wind or seismic events. These loads are generated within the structure and transferred into load carrying elements (like drag strut trusses, shear walls or roof diaphragms) which then transfer the loads to the foundation and then safely into the ground. Therefore the loads must be calculated by the building designer (usually required to be a structural engineer in seismic areas on the West coast) based on the expected environmental loads and the configuration of the structural elements. WTCA does not have any information on calculating drag loads, but the location, magnitude, and direction of these loads should be provided by the building designer. Another point to consider, load transfer from the structure to the drag truss is only as good as the connector used. Proper connector detailing and installation is required for the drag truss to perform as expected.
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Is experience necessary for installing roof trusses?
No. Framing with roof trusses can be done by any skilled building professional. And, installing roof trusses requires less carpentry labor, which eliminates the need to hire people with specialized trades. Increasing productivity without adding laborers has never been this easy.
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How long do I have to keep my temporary bracing in place?
Temporary bracing needs to remain in place until permanent bracing has been installed. However, some builders prefer to leave temporary bracing in place as a permanent component of the framework. Refer to WTCA's BCSI 2006 publication for detailed information.
