Mounting Pull Up Bar to Breeze Block Wall

ShowMeTheDough

Hi, 

Hoping to get some advice on fitting a heavy duty/commercial pull up / chin up bar to my garage wall (internally). 

The walls are 100mm thick breeze blocks (not solid concrete, but not the super lightweight Thermalite type thing), are in good condition and the total height of the wall is around 5m.

I have been told that normal wall plug anchors will not work as they'll just break up the surrounding block material after a short period of time. 

I have been advised to use resin anchors (drill the holes, fill with polyester resin and then install bolts).

Has anyone got any experience with this sort of thing/mounting heavy loads to this kind of wall - will the above method work, or would it not be advisable to fit this piece of kit directly to a breeze block wall? 

The pull up bar itself (plus brackets) weighs 10kg, is 1100mm long, and the brackets stick out approx. 500mm from the wall. I weigh 85kg. Needless to say, there will be a considerable load that the wall has to be able to support once the bar is under use. 

Any advice gratefully received! 

williamgriffin

Try using sleeve anchors. 

ShowMeTheDough

williamgriffin said:

Try using sleeve anchors. 

Hi, thanks - 

I have been told these aren't advisable in breeze blocks/light weight blocks due to the expanding nature of them, i.e they would just break up the surrounding material in the block. The resin option supposedly prevents this. 

I'm a novice with this sort of thing so really don't know, I just don't want the wall to give way..

FreeBear

Sleeve anchors in aerated cement blocks are good for shear loads. But with a pull up bar, there will be additional forces trying to pull the fixings out. Chemical (resin) fixings may work depending on how deep you drill the holes.

ShowMeTheDough

FreeBear said:

Sleeve anchors in aerated cement blocks are good for shear loads. But with a pull up bar, there will be additional forces trying to pull the fixings out. Chemical (resin) fixings may work depending on how deep you drill the holes.

I'm looking at M8 bolts, 110mm long. Would probably drill as far into the block as I could without coming out the other end!

There are 2 brackets, each with 2 drill holes, so 4 bolts in total. 

fenwick458

M8 Shelided rawl bolts will do the trick. providing the holes are clean and solid, sometimes depending on what you hit when you drill them the holes can end up bigger than you want, then it might take  bit more effort to get the shield to start to expand. but once it does and it tightens up, it's not coming out

ShowMeTheDough

fenwick458 said:

M8 Shelided rawl bolts will do the trick. providing the holes are clean and solid, sometimes depending on what you hit when you drill them the holes can end up bigger than you want, then it might take  bit more effort to get the shield to start to expand. but once it does and it tightens up, it's not coming out

These bolts were what came with the bar, but the company that supplied it have advised not to use them in breeze blocks as they're too soft  Resin + M8 studs is what they suggest.

Guess there's only one way to find out!

To be honest my main concern is whether the wall itself is strong enough. The bolts loosening is one thing, but ripping blocks out is another!

Belenus

How about putting up a substantial wooden batten a lot wider than the pull up bar with multiple fixing points to spread the load over more bolts.

Or you could attach a tall rectangle of thick plywood resting on the floor and wider than the pull up bar and attach the pull up bar near the top so that plywood takes some of the vertical shear load.

That still leaves the forces trying to pull the fixings out which will require substantial bolts as discussed above.

fenwick458

ShowMeTheDough said:

fenwick458 said:

M8 Shelided rawl bolts will do the trick. providing the holes are clean and solid, sometimes depending on what you hit when you drill them the holes can end up bigger than you want, then it might take  bit more effort to get the shield to start to expand. but once it does and it tightens up, it's not coming out

These bolts were what came with the bar, but the company that supplied it have advised not to use them in breeze blocks as they're too soft  Resin + M8 studs is what they suggest.

Guess there's only one way to find out!

To be honest my main concern is whether the wall itself is strong enough. The bolts loosening is one thing, but ripping blocks out is another!

I wouldn't worry. I've had several pull up bars fitted in block walls with them and none have ever come loose.
My bars always come away from the wall too by 600mm, so even more leverage than most

ShowMeTheDough

fenwick458 said:

ShowMeTheDough said:

fenwick458 said:

M8 Shelided rawl bolts will do the trick. providing the holes are clean and solid, sometimes depending on what you hit when you drill them the holes can end up bigger than you want, then it might take  bit more effort to get the shield to start to expand. but once it does and it tightens up, it's not coming out

These bolts were what came with the bar, but the company that supplied it have advised not to use them in breeze blocks as they're too soft  Resin + M8 studs is what they suggest.

Guess there's only one way to find out!

To be honest my main concern is whether the wall itself is strong enough. The bolts loosening is one thing, but ripping blocks out is another!

I wouldn't worry. I've had several pull up bars fitted in block walls with them and none have ever come loose.
My bars always come away from the wall too by 600mm, so even more leverage than most

Thanks - this gives me confidence! 

To confirm, when you say 'block' walls - do you mean solid concrete blocks, or breeze blocks? 

fenwick458

4" solids, medium density blocks. if you are fixing to hollows, then I would be worried. is it possible to line  up the fixing holse with the block centres?