Differences between steel column types

[raymondjiii]

In my garage I have hollow steel columns supporting steel I-beams. In other parts of my house I have concrete filled steel columns supporting micro-lam type beams.

Is one type of beam stronger or better than another? I am planning on renovating and I need to temporarily move a concrete filled steel column should I replace it with another type say a sch 40 steel column? (Is one stronger than the other?)

[Animal AKA Will]

A concrete filled column is stronger than a hollow column of like size.

The first question I have is why are you moving the column?
I would avoid moving that column & renovate around it. I have had to replace a column like you describe because the footing was poured with bad concrete. I had to place 12' 2X10's on the floor on either side to distribute the weight & use house jacks {3" columns with a screw end} to support the beam while I removed the faulty footing, repoured & replaced the column.

[raymondjiii]

Hi, I should have been more specific about a few things.

But first, with respect to your first sentence. Since my original post I have found that a schedule 40 (hollow) steel is SUBSTANTIALLY stronger than a concrete filled (lally) column. However it is deamed overkill for the "average" house. (lally column is more than enough strength.)

But yes, in addition to renovating (like what you did) I wanted to replace or redo what is under this column. They have the column sitting on the sill plate, which apparently is ok by code. However, the bottom 2x4 of the double sill plate is almost "dust like." So what I plan to do is remove the column and all the sill plate. Then drill some holes into the old footing and insert some vertical rebar pins. Then tie a horiztonal rebar piece across the rebar pins. Lastly fill the void with concrete (see below about what I mean by "void.")

When the house was originally built back in 1968, they framed everything before pouring the concrete floor. So there are parts of the house where the sill plate is technically below grade. (The front of my house is slab on grade with no little frost wall.). When you pour a slab like that (against the 2x4 sill plate) you can develop little voids which make great express lanes for termites to go directly to their meal. So I am removing (what's left) of the sill plate, cutting the sheating up 3" and filling in this void. I'll have the concrete (high early) poured tomorrow and finish the framing in a week or so. Then I will attempt to remove that lally column.