Brian E. Connelly Posted December 23, 2007 Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 Hello everyone and Merry Christmas!! This is my first post , but I have been an active learner of this forum for a year and a half. Is anyone aware of a requirement for handrail support? During an inspection yesterday on a 2 year old comtemporary home, there was a handrail spanning 14 steps that was only secured to the top and bottom newell posts with one fastener each. Ironically there was only ~3/8" deflection to the railing. Guess I would have expected to see a center support for that great of a run.It just did not seem right. Any insight would be appreciated... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted December 23, 2007 Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 Originally posted by Brian E. Connelly Hello everyone and Merry Christmas!! This is my first post , but I have been an active learner of this forum for a year and a half. Is anyone aware of a requirement for handrail support? During an inspection yesterday on a 2 year old comtemporary home, there was a handrail spanning 14 steps that was only secured to the top and bottom newell posts with one fastener each. Ironically there was only ~3/8" deflection to the railing. Guess I would have expected to see a center support for that great of a run.It just did not seem right. Any insight would be appreciated... It's a performance-based requirement. The handrail has to be able to support a 200# load in any direction (R301.5) without excessive deflection (L/240 per R301.7). How long is the rail and how much did you have to push on it to get it to move 3/8"? - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian E. Connelly Posted December 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 Hello Jim! Thank you for the follow-up.. I would estimate 80 -90 lb lateral force was applied to get the 3/8" deflection Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted December 23, 2007 Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 Originally posted by Brian E. Connelly Hello Jim! Thank you for the follow-up.. I would estimate 80 -90 lb lateral force was applied to get the 3/8" deflection Sounds pretty flimsy to me. . . - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian E. Connelly Posted December 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 ... Forgot to mention the run was just over 12 ft.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Fabry Posted December 23, 2007 Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 Welcome to the board, Brian! I know Brian. He's helpful, interested and interesting. He's newer, but has a great attitude, a natural learning instinct and a highly technical background. He's focused on ethics and accuracy. Everything adds up to the fact that he's on his way to being one of the best. http://www.stairways.org/pdf/2003%20Sta ... SCREEN.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian E. Connelly Posted December 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2007 Hey Chad!! Thank you for the gracious comments!! I figured I'd give you a break from all my questions and post on the forum as you are always encouraging me to..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.