Should I repair deck with carriage bolts?

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Fooser1

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I have a deck with a double girder resting on a notched 6" post. Unfortunately the girder was simply nailed to the post and has now separated from the post (see photo).

http://www.houserepairtalk.com/photo/girder-separated-from-notched-post-1500.html

girder-separated-from-notched-post-1500.html


I have in mind to repair this post and reinforce the others by adding two carriage bolts with washers to each post. Is this the right approach? Am I ok to just go ahead and do this or should I consult an engineer or something? The deck feels very stable but I just want to be sure if I ever have a party or something that it does not collapse!

I also have in mind to add 1/2" by 4" lag screws to the ledger board every 36 inches as the ledger board appears to have just been nailed as well. Is this smart?

Thanks in advance for all your help and advice!
 
Hot dipped galvanized 5/8 bolts washers and nuts. If you have a big hammer I would put the post back in place first so you don't get a bunch of wood between them that will give you more trouble make sure the post is moving and not the beam. The beam should have 3 nails every 12 to 16 inches but adding screws will not hurt them.
You may have to lift the beam just a little to get the post back in place.
 
Thanks for the advice NealTW. To lift the post, would a 4x4 and a car jack work?
 
That would work but it can get dangerous when things kick out and hurt people, I prefer to just cut the 4x4 just a bit to long and hammer it in under the beam and just give it about 1/8" lift.
 
While carriage bolts have an aesthetic appeal, the square shank under the head may cause the post to split, unless the hole is oversized.

I use machine bolts, bar clamp the post too the dbl. 2x header, a 4x4 and a hydraulic jack, pull the members together, relieve the lift, drill the bolt holes tight and center punch the thred end of the bolt.

For the ledger, what you are considering will be appropriate if you are sure you are bolting to the rim joist.
 
While carriage bolts have an aesthetic appeal, the square shank under the head may cause the post to split, unless the hole is oversized.

I use machine bolts, bar clamp the post too the dbl. 2x header, a 4x4 and a hydraulic jack, pull the members together, relieve the lift, drill the bolt holes tight and center punch the thred end of the bolt.

For the ledger, what you are considering will be appropriate if you are sure you are bolting to the rim joist.

Good catch, I missed the carriage bolt, I agree bolt with head and washer.
 
Wood, as it ages, looses its pliability.

The necessity to circumvent the fracturing that can occur, is to oversize the bored hole, IE., a loose connection.
 
I agree one 5/8 plated bolt nut and the biggest washer I could find for surface area.

I think the bolt will be enough to pull the joint back into place. You will know soon enough once you try.
 
I agree one 5/8 plated bolt nut and the biggest washer I could find for surface area.

I think the bolt will be enough to pull the joint back into place. You will know soon enough once you try.

Once he takes a little weight off it the nails that are there will be the only thing holding it from going back in place.
 
Once he takes a little weight off it the nails that are there will be the only thing holding it from going back in place.

That’s correct. Unless he has a hot tub up there or something or wants to jack it up I would think it will not be more weight than the bolt would slide over. But could be wrong. not sure how hard that deck cover is pulling though.
 
That’s correct. Unless he has a hot tub up there or something or wants to jack it up I would think it will not be more weight than the bolt would slide over. But could be wrong. not sure how hard that deck cover is pulling though.

I would try to put the post back first, don't want to pull the beam over.
We changed out a post twice with a hot tub above it, third time we talked them into digging it out and put a better footing under it. Yes the water was in the tub. I'm not sure I would lift that weight on a concrete slab though.
 
I would try to put the post back first, don't want to pull the beam over.
We changed out a post twice with a hot tub above it, third time we talked them into digging it out and put a better footing under it. Yes the water was in the tub. I'm not sure I would lift that weight on a concrete slab though.

I was thinking about the weight last fall when I was crawling around under my deck. I wasn’t 100% sure about the floating aspect of my deck when I built it but after 2 winters and one with the tub on it I feel good about the self-contained deck structure now. In the OP photo it is hard to tell what pulled away from what. I would just pull it together.
 
I was thinking about the weight last fall when I was crawling around under my deck. I wasn’t 100% sure about the floating aspect of my deck when I built it but after 2 winters and one with the tub on it I feel good about the self-contained deck structure now. In the OP photo it is hard to tell what pulled away from what. I would just pull it together.

look at the post and the beam in relation to the the rim joist.
 
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