Joist Damage

[Jerry Simon]

Maybe 3 or 4 basement ceiling joists, out of dozens, had this oddness.  At first I thought it was termite damage, but closer examination seems like it might be old, crystalized sap pockets?  (A complete guess).  Pockets are only about a 1/4" thick inside the joists.

Probed joists open and this stuff fell-out (third pict).  Rigid flakes that could be crushed into a powder with your fingers.   If you look closely at the first picture, there is another horizontal crack along the top of the joist parallel to the visible bottom crack, and it almost looks like the *stuff* in the joist expanded and pushed-out the face of the joist to cause the cracking.  Never seen anything like it, and nothing like termite damage or powder post beetle damage I've ever seen.  Not widespread either.  Rest of each subject joist is solid.

Does anyone know what this is?

 

 

Edited January 31, 2023 by Jerry Simon

[Les]

looks like really old formula caulk/sealer.  stuff before greatstuff was on the menu

[Bill Kibbel]

It looks very much like what I see occasionally in cedar posts.  It's never raised any red flags for me to investigate.  I'm pretty sure that what I've seen is dried sap.  I don't think it's the cause of the cracks.  I think it's normal checking.  It just occurs along where the most sap has collected as this is the easiest/weakest place for the crack to form.

[Jerry Simon]

28 minutes ago, Bill Kibbel said:

It looks very much like what I see occasionally in cedar posts.  It's never raised any red flags for me to investigate.  I'm pretty sure that what I've seen is dried sap.  I don't think it's the cause of the cracks.  I think it's normal checking.  It just occurs along where the most sap has collected as this is the easiest/weakest place for the crack to form.

Agree up to the point of being normal checking and not being cause.  Again, if you look closely at first pict, there is a smaller/thinner l crack along the top of the joist that runs parallel to the wider, lower crack.  There is sap/material behind the entire portion of the face of the joist between the two cracks, almost like the material expanded and pushed-out the face of the joist, causing the upper and lower crack.  Otherwise, the lower crack would definitely appear to me to be normal checking.

 

[Rob Amaral]

Dried sap       

[Jim Katen]

The splits are damage that the tree suffered while it was still standing - perhaps the result of a severe wind storm. Sap entered the split areas and dried over time. Somehow, this made it past the lumber grader. After all this time, I wouldn't worry about it.