Hi,
I'm in the process of building a garage that has a garage door opening of 22'. 3 - 12" LVLS were figured for the bearing header (it supports the weight of trusses, shingles, drywall, blown in insulation - truss length is 30'). I had the width and used 4 -12" LVLS.
I notice that there is about a half inch deflection in the beam. I still have a garage door liner to install which could be shimmed to hide the deflection, but I would prefer to have straight. I worry that over time gravity or even potential snow load could increase the deflection. If I were to jack up the center and install an angle iron, would that eliminate the deflection? If so, what dimensions would I need to use to assist the LVL header?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Any additional structural member properly installed should reduce deflection, however without a visual and real analysis one cannot predict your resultant deflections.
Be aware that your beam deflection is also occurring in the adjacent studs/structural members.