Hi,
what reinforcing method should be used to bridge a 5.5 ft wide 4.5 ft high
opening through a ground floor, concrete block, load-bearing wall in a 2
storey building which has a concrete ceiling/floor between the two levels?
Our current builder has installed a reinforced concrete lintel turned on its
side with approximately 6 inches of lintel beyond the opening on either
side, but another builder has just told us that this is not sufficient
support and should be replaced as it is potentially dangerous. Who do we
believe?? and if this is wrong, what is best to use for the job??
Thanks in advance
Mara

If you ask a builder, then some used egg-boxes might suffice.

The message
from "Mara" contains these words:

what reinforcing method should be used to bridge a 5.5 ft wide 4.5 ft high
opening through a ground floor, concrete block, load-bearing wall in a 2
storey building which has a concrete ceiling/floor between the two levels?
Our current builder has installed a reinforced concrete lintel turned
on its
side with approximately 6 inches of lintel beyond the opening on either
side, but another builder has just told us that this is not sufficient
support and should be replaced as it is potentially dangerous. Who do we
believe?? and if this is wrong, what is best to use for the job??

If it is a proprietary lintel it should be up to the job if used
properly but turning it on its side suggests it hasn't been used
properly.

No doubt these days there are guidelines that I am not familiar with but
I wouldn't have thought that a 6 inch long seat was any cause for alarm.

Is your builder working from plans already agreed with the local BCO or
is he working under a building notice? Either way the BCO has the final
say.

--
Roger Chapman

PS, the wall is 3 inches wide, and the building was put up in the
1960s......

Hi,
what reinforcing method should be used to bridge a 5.5 ft wide 4.5 ft high
opening through a ground floor, concrete block, load-bearing wall in a 2
storey building which has a concrete ceiling/floor between the two levels?
Our current builder has installed a reinforced concrete lintel turned on
its side with approximately 6 inches of lintel beyond the opening on
either side, but another builder has just told us that this is not
sufficient support and should be replaced as it is potentially dangerous.
Who do we believe?? and if this is wrong, what is best to use for the
job??
Thanks in advance
Mara

Roger wrote:
The message
from "Mara" contains these words:

what reinforcing method should be used to bridge a 5.5 ft wide 4.5 ft high
opening through a ground floor, concrete block, load-bearing wall in a 2
storey building which has a concrete ceiling/floor between the two levels?
Our current builder has installed a reinforced concrete lintel turned
on its
side with approximately 6 inches of lintel beyond the opening on either
side, but another builder has just told us that this is not sufficient
support and should be replaced as it is potentially dangerous. Who do we
believe?? and if this is wrong, what is best to use for the job??


Is your builder working from plans already agreed with the local BCO or
is he working under a building notice? Either way the BCO has the final
say.

That was my thought too. Building control should certainly have been
involved in a job like this, and should have approved this; both the
lintel selection and the manner in which the work was done - sounds to
me like this hasn't happened?

The BCO might demand to see calculations to back up the choice of
lintel, which if it was me, would mean I would be hotfooting it to a
structural engineer.

David

Mara wrote:
PS, the wall is 3 inches wide, and the building was put up in the
1960s......

Using what? Leggo?

In message , Mara
writes
Hi,
what reinforcing method should be used to bridge a 5.5 ft wide 4.5 ft high
opening through a ground floor, concrete block, load-bearing wall in a 2
storey building which has a concrete ceiling/floor between the two levels?
Our current builder has installed a reinforced concrete lintel turned on its
side with approximately 6 inches of lintel beyond the opening on either
side, but another builder has just told us that this is not sufficient
support and should be replaced as it is potentially dangerous. Who do we
believe?? and if this is wrong, what is best to use for the job??
Thanks in advance
Mara


A reinforced concrete lintel will typically have a proper orientation.
(ie "this way up"). The structure of the reinforcing requires it.
Basically the steels in the bottom of the beam are under tension while
the concrete at the top of the beam is under compression.

Turning the lintel on its side would result in little or no reinforcing
of the concrete.

Have a look here, about half way down, left hand side, for a sketch.

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/sbe/proj...orralweb/wcons
truction%20courseworkp5.htm

Hth
Someone

somebody wrote:
A reinforced concrete lintel will typically have a proper orientation.
(ie "this way up"). The structure of the reinforcing requires it.
Basically the steels in the bottom of the beam are under tension while
the concrete at the top of the beam is under compression.

Turning the lintel on its side would result in little or no reinforcing
of the concrete.

Many *pre-stressed* (one brick deep) lintels have pieces of
wire rope running through them in the middle - these should
bear more load "on edge".

On Wed, 16 Nov 2005 15:30:32 +0000 (UTC), "Mara"
wrote:

Hi,
what reinforcing method should be used to bridge a 5.5 ft wide 4.5 ft high
opening through a ground floor, concrete block, load-bearing wall in a 2
storey building which has a concrete ceiling/floor between the two levels?
Our current builder has installed a reinforced concrete lintel turned on its
side with approximately 6 inches of lintel beyond the opening on either
side, but another builder has just told us that this is not sufficient
support and should be replaced as it is potentially dangerous. Who do we
believe?? and if this is wrong, what is best to use for the job??
Thanks in advance
Mara


The lintel should not be on its side.

The ends should be 150mm (or more) on the old wall, ahd have a
concrete pad stone - this otem means concrete bricks, of 7N blocks.

As to the strength, only a strutrial engineer can tell you for sure.

You have got the BCO involved in this have you ?

Rick