What is a Shear Panel?
A shear panel is a wall in a structure which is designed to counteract lateral stress, ensuring that the structure remains sound even when it is subjected to violent shearing motions. Lateral shear is especially common in earthquakes, when structures are whipped back and forth as the ground moves, and it is also caused by high winds, particularly in the case of tall buildings. Many building codes around the world require the use of shear panels in construction for safety. Shear panels are also known as shear walls or braced panels. They are constructed by bolting a number of lateral supports to the external framing of a building, along with the internal joists in the floor and roof. These supports stabilize the structure, and when covered by a wall, they turn into a solid reinforcing wall which will resist lateral shear. The strength of resistance depends on the size of the structure, the width of the shear panel, and the construction materials used. In order to be effective, a shear p
Rox, Sheer panels are the OSB, or plywood that’s used at the corners of the walls. They provide what is called, sheer strength, to the walls. In the old days, they used to cut in diagnal boards at the corners to stop the walls for “racking.” A wood frame wall with twist and turn on you unless you lock it into place. The sheer panel does this. In some parts of the country, you just do the corners, but in other areas, you do the entire house. PEX is the new type of tubing that’s being used in homes for the water lines. The red is for hot water and the blue is for cold water. You run the lines to a “manifold” and then branch out from there. In the pictures, you can see the manifold is a copper tube with multiple lines coming off of it. One line would have come from the water heater to it, and then all the other lines go to there respective valves. The advantage is that it’s all one line. Pipe is not flexible and a leak can occur at a joint. The more joints you have, the greater your odds
