Is this big damage?

[Ctwoodtick]

Just looking for some gut feeling opinions on this one. Completely by accident I noticed a floor joist in my basement that holds up the first floor. I had a very good size crack in it. The more I look at it the more I’m wondering if it could be because of any bug issue. Knowing that there’s a lot of collective knowledge on this site I wanted to put up some pictures and see what you all thought. Thank you in advance.!

 

[Ctwoodtick]

I should’ve mentioned above that I’m not noticing any sawdust or that sort of thing Hindi area or on top of the drop ceiling panel that was directly below it.

 

[Dieselhead]

The knot is the cause of the crack, that should have been cast aside during framing. I’d “sister” another same size board along side of it end to end.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

The knot is the cause of the crack, that should have been cast aside during framing. I’d “sister” another same size board along side of it end to

Thank you. I figured the knot had something to do with it. I was hoping to sister it myself but the joist has wiring running though it so I will have to hire someone to do this for me. Thank you again

 

[John Galt]

Knots are basically considered holes in structural framing when grading the lumber.

 

[Ricks]

You maybe able to strengthen that beam with quarter inch angle iron. Any good metal fabrication shop should be able to get that for you. They will even drill holes for you.

The right size angle iron will be stronger than the beam. What isn’t clear in your picture is where the electrical line is and how it would affect placement of the angle iron.

 

[bigealta]

That is a huge knot, as said above no way that should have been installed.

Sistering is the cheapest easiest way if you can pull the wire from one side if it ties into a junction box or outlet not to far away.
Of course you would have to be comfortable working with electrical connections.

 

[Whitenuckler]

I don't see the electrical within a few feet of the knot. I would just sister a 3 ft piece on both sides with smaller size. Get some long bolts and go through all 3 after jacking up the crack area.

 

[bigealta]

I'd do the above too.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

Here are a couple more pics of the area. The trouble electric that goes through the joist is a good 7 feet away so not an issue. The Romex going along the joist seems to have a bit of slack so I may be able to move that to put in sister pieces. Same with the PEX lines. The idea of an angle iron sounds better to me because I would guess it would be easier to fit with the nearby drainpipes.
On the on the side of the crack opposite of the drainpipes I have about 30 inches before the outside wall sill.
On a funny note, I called a guy to give me a quote on fixing the crack. He asked that I send him pictures of the crack. He commented that it was clearly not a moisture issue, causing the problem. He then tried to transition to talking about how he could look for ice dams on my roof while he was there. I asked him “why exactly are we talking about ice dams”? and it just got worse. I decided pretty quickly that this would not be the fella that I’d have messing around with electrical stuff in my basement, lol.

 

[Whitenuckler]

Here are a couple more pics of the area. The trouble electric that goes through the joist is a good 7 feet away so not an issue. The Romex going along the joist seems to have a bit of slack so I may be able to move that to put in sister pieces. Same with the PEX lines. The idea of an angle iron sounds better to me because I would guess it would be easier to fit with the nearby drainpipes.
On the on the side of the crack opposite of the drainpipes I have about 30 inches before the outside wall sill.
On a funny note, I called a guy to give me a quote on fixing the crack. He asked that I send him pictures of the crack. He commented that it was clearly not a moisture issue, causing the problem. He then tried to transition to talking about how he could look for ice dams on my roof while he was there. I asked him “why exactly are we talking about ice dams”? and it just got worse. I decided pretty quickly that this would not be the fella that I’d have messing around with electrical stuff in my basement, lol.

I would not use angle iron, as it's too small unless you use 4 inch. Much harder to work with. If your joists are 2 x12, I'd get an an 8ft piece of 2 x 10, or whatever the next size down is. Then 2 bolts on either side, all the way through.