I need to run central heating pipe horizontally under the floorboards of an upper floor. I need to go through only one 75mm wide beam, but I'm wary of boring or notching it, also because that would be quite close to the wall bearing the beam.
So I thought of running an 8mm or 10mm pipe immediately over the beam, by digging a small duct on the lower face of the 18mm floorboard resting on the beam.
I wanted to know if this makes sense, and how to prevent possible problems such as noises and pipe wear over time. Also: plastic or copper pipe?
Thanks!
Best Answer
Go through the centre of the joist with the hole.
This means any future nails from either side are less likely to puncture the pipe.
Also the stress on the joist is zero at the centreline. But a maximum at each edge.
And I have seen people run pipes and wires like you suggest - fine for them but later owners trying to reduce squeaks or moving boards then have nasty consequences...
I spent weeks trying to locate why a circuit breaker kept blowing. Eventually found a nail through a floorboard into a wire that went over a notched joist just like you plan. The names I called the person that did that - if I had met them at that moment...