wood floor joists - differential drying?

[PSUengineer1]

I have 2x10 wood floor joists spaced about 16-inches on center, spanning about 14 feet in a modular-built home (2 sections). I have no issues with any connections or sizing of joists. About 70,000 gallons of water leaked in the home onto the floor shown in attached pictures. The linoleum, OSB, and luan were all replaced. The floor joists were not. The floor is now "squeaking" and the floor is "humped" as shown in red in photo 1. Photo 2 shows that the bottom of one of the floor joists under the "humped" area is about 1/4 inch above the other floor joists when a 4-foot level is placed across the bottoms of 3 consecutive joists. Are the bottoms of the joists in the area of "humped" floor not aligned because of differential drying of the wood joists? Thank you for considering.

 

[Ron]

That's quite possible. Wood absorbs moisture based on its density and the density of two different members will vary. Further, depending on where the particular board was cut from the log, there will be variations in the way moisture is absorbed. As moisture is absorbed, it will cause expansion. If moisture absorption is not consistent within the board, it will cause warping. If not consistent from board to board, it will cause differential movement.

 

[SlideRuleEra]

Also, you mentioned that the flooring was replaced. Unless this was done very quickly, say within a day or two after the wood was soaked, the saturated floor / top of the joists could dry more slowly than the bottom of the joists (if they were open to the air). This could add to the effects that Ron described.

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[hokie66]

Attached pictures?