Comment on ribbed plastic anchor in brick not holding -- what screw diameter do I need?
DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 17 hours ago
I think you drilled too large a hole. I always need to tap the anchors in, they don’t spin freely. No instructions on the package?
diyrebel@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 hours ago
The substraight is brick (and I think it’s solid brick not the modern day hollow bricks). But brick seems to not have the ingrity of concrete as it crumbles. So after I drill I vaccum out the debris. There are no instructions because I am in fact reusing an anchor. I had a 6mm screw in it before and I think it spun freely before until screwed. I removed the screw to hang something slightly heavier. The two little wings are a bit out of shape which I think is why it spins. But I suppose that’s just to ensure it doesn’t spin while screwing and serve no pull-out strength.
Now that you triggered me to think on this more… I suppose that’s my problem. I either need a new anchor or I need to pack something in to stop it spinning when screwing.
im_fine_sandy@nord.pub 16 hours ago
Youre right about the wings.
Youre right the thing shouldn’t spin.
Why were you drilling if it’s an existing hole? You’re using a masonry bit with a hammer setting right?
I wouldn’t re-use this thing. This is the cheap type that comes free with things that need to be fixed to a wall.
Get a new plug matched to the hole and a new screw matched to the plug.
diyrebel@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 hours ago
It was not a freshly drilled hole. I would always use the same size bit as the anchor diameter so I remembered that. A 10mm anchor in a 12mm hole would also be very loose which is not the case here.
I just now drilled a bit more after realising that the anchor should probably be flush with the brick, not the 10mm of plaster layered on top of it.
Yeah, and in fact it’s not just a hand drill with a hammer setting but a proper hammer drill with a shock absorber, a grease reservoir, and STS mounted bits (or whatever they are called). Before I bought the big gear I used a standard drill with hammer setting on poured concrete and it melted one of my bits because it had a weak hammer and spun fast enough to make the bit molten red hot.
Maybe too late to change now but I might consider a different anchor if it fails to hold my bicycle. I ended up drilling 10mm deeper so that I could push the anchor to be flush with the brick (thus 10mm recessed below the plaster layer). I also added a metal shard about the size of a toothpick between the anchor and brick. It’s holding for now but does not feel rock-solid.
Fishnoodle@lemmy.world 15 hours ago
Yeah, that type of plug in particular is really flimsy, just but some new ones that are a bit more sturdy
TranscendentalEmpire@lemmy.today 12 hours ago
Those plastic anchors do not work very well with masonry. Even when used in the correct materials, it’s unlikely they would stay very long with that much weight.
Your easiest option would be to use tapcom masonry screws. Be sure to clean out the debris from the hole beforehand and be sure to not over torque the screw otherwise it will strip the brick.
Your second option would be to use a masonry anchor. I like the lead shield anchors as they work in both hollow and solid bricks.