Dave Murnan and Pat Beaty
The Daily World

Q. How do I know my deck is safe? I read about the horrible accident in Westport recently and want to make sure the same couldn’t happen at our house.

A. Unfortunately, this question is all too rarely asked and ongoing deck safety issues mostly ignored.

So, let’s begin by asking when your deck was built and whether it was inspected by a building official. Deck connection codes have changed over the years precisely because of failure, injury, even deaths.

The most relevant changes and the first point of inspection will be the way the deck is fastened to the house. What you want to see is the hex-heads of bolts staggered along the on-edge deck’s rim joist that is attached to the house. If you only see nail heads you will want to consult with your contractor or building official for a much-needed complete deck inspection. The installation of lags or bolts doesn’t have to be expensive, but there may be other things that need to be done.

For example, decks built closer to salt water tend to have more problems and sooner. Anything made of metal seems to deteriorate more quickly. These can be metal saddles imbedded in the concrete pier-blocks; joist clips and of course, nails. Even treated wood can fail, especially where the deck boards are nailed into each joist. This is where water tends to get trapped leading to rot and failure. The posts holding up the deck tend to rot at the piers and the metal brackets attached to the beam above it are also included in a “first-points-of- failure” inspection and should be looked at and stab-tested annually.

And don’t be lulled into thinking that because your deck is just a few feet off the ground that a catastrophic failure couldn’t happen, indeed limited air circulation under a deck creates an even better chance of wood failure and another condition we see … let’s call it “moist pier block syndrome.”

When pier blocks are constantly shaded they tend to stay moist, even gathering moisture from the ground when everything else is bone dry.

This becomes a desirable environment for bugs and worms followed by the voles and other critters that burrow under the piers looking for food … which is bugs and worms! The problem is that they leave tunnels that undermine the pier-blocks and eventually the piers settle — sometimes several inches and not all at once, which can stress the rest of the deck support system.

That’s when the next weak links show up, such as nails connecting the deck to the house pulling out or rusty metal connectors failing. Now you hopefully understand how holding a big party on a deck with any of the issues we have mentioned or any other conditions we have not talked about could have potentially serious consequences.

We suggest getting a code-knowledgeable person to check your deck components. If issues are found, consult with your local building official and make any and all corrections under the auspices of a permit. Then get the final building official’s inspection and sign-off that you paid for. It may be your best insurance that the job was done properly. Your safety and that of your family and friends is in your hands.