Mounting electrical boxes to concrete
#1
02-09-16, 07:21 PM
Mounting electrical boxes to concrete
Are the basic masonary (blue) screws with the PLASTIC ANCHOR you hammer in acceptable to mount a box to concrete?
as opposed to the tapcons or metal anchors I bet most guys prefer.
as opposed to the tapcons or metal anchors I bet most guys prefer.
#2
02-09-16, 07:26 PM
Group Moderator
I prefer Tapcons but they don't allow any wiggle room if the drilled hole is a little off so the plastic anchors are perfectly acceptable. Recommendation..... use three.
#3
02-09-16, 07:40 PM
Masonry (blue) screws are synonymous with the brand name Tapcon. If you use a plastic anchor you don't use a masonry screw - you use the screw that came with the kit (usually a standard machine screw).
#5
02-09-16, 08:59 PM
Group Moderator
Usually when you use the plastic anchors.... they come with their own screws that are just steel with no coloring.
The screw below is a tapcon and goes directly into masonry with no anchor.
The screw below is a tapcon and goes directly into masonry with no anchor.
#7
02-10-16, 06:44 AM
Are you generally using the name brand "tapcon" to describe all masonry screws?
What I used were 3/16 x 1-1/4 phillips blue coated masonry screws (not tapcons). I assumed they were not self tapping like the tapcons. So I used the green plastic plugs labelled for that size of screw and I used the right bit to drill for the plugs. The plugs were more cylinder like not like the ones pictured below that you see in the kits
I used them on 4 boxes and a few straps in my basement. Should I be concerned that I didn't use the right material?
What I used were 3/16 x 1-1/4 phillips blue coated masonry screws (not tapcons). I assumed they were not self tapping like the tapcons. So I used the green plastic plugs labelled for that size of screw and I used the right bit to drill for the plugs. The plugs were more cylinder like not like the ones pictured below that you see in the kits
I used them on 4 boxes and a few straps in my basement. Should I be concerned that I didn't use the right material?
#8
02-10-16, 08:12 AM
No concern, those expanding anchors are just fine for normal mounting of boxes and conduits on masonry. For a panel, I'd use something more substantial like Tapcon (or equivalent) or stainless steel lags w/ lead anchors. Even still that's probably more than is really necessary.
