Mounting Pull Up Bar to Breeze Block Wall

FreeBear

ShowMeTheDough said: 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!

Your average breeze block is 100mm thick. So drill a hole 80-90mm deep, and you should be fine.

ShowMeTheDough

fenwick458 said:

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?

They're not hollow, but they're not solid concrete. From what I gather, they're what people refer to as 'breeze blocks' - ie. lightweight blocks (could be wrong here though!)

They look something like this: 

https://images.app.goo.gl/wXJEKkuvScw9waN4A

Positioning wise, I can get the holes midway vertically, but not horizontally (if that makes sense) as the length of the bar doesn't allow it to fall right. Also, the bracket overlaps two blocks so I'd be unable to hit the centre for both holes anyway. 

ShowMeTheDough

Belenus said:

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.

Thanks, this approach is definitely an option and something I will explore if bolting straight into the wall doesn't work out! 

ShowMeTheDough

FreeBear said:

ShowMeTheDough said: 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!

Your average breeze block is 100mm thick. So drill a hole 80-90mm deep, and you should be fine.

Yes - I've managed to measure one near the door for thickness, and they're 100mm 👍

fenwick458

ShowMeTheDough said:

fenwick458 said:

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?

They're not hollow, but they're not solid concrete. From what I gather, they're what people refer to as 'breeze blocks' - ie. lightweight blocks (could be wrong here though!)

They look something like this: 

https://images.app.goo.gl/wXJEKkuvScw9waN4A

Positioning wise, I can get the holes midway vertically, but not horizontally (if that makes sense) as the length of the bar doesn't allow it to fall right. Also, the bracket overlaps two blocks so I'd be unable to hit the centre for both holes anyway. 

if they are solid as you say, just aim to get the holes in the centre of a block if you can. they will be fine.

stuart45

ShowMeTheDough said:

They're not hollow, but they're not solid concrete. From what I gather, they're what people refer to as 'breeze blocks' - ie. lightweight blocks (could be wrong here though!)

They look something like this: 

They are probably medium density blocks. Real breeze blocks made from coke breeze were made a long time ago, but most people not in the trade still call them breeze blocks.

ShowMeTheDough

stuart45 said:

ShowMeTheDough said:

They're not hollow, but they're not solid concrete. From what I gather, they're what people refer to as 'breeze blocks' - ie. lightweight blocks (could be wrong here though!)

They look something like this: 

They are probably medium density blocks. Real breeze blocks made from coke breeze were made a long time ago, but most people not in the trade still call them breeze blocks.

Ah I see - thanks for the info. 

These are quite soft, I managed to turn a flat head screwdriver into one quite easily as a test. They're not so soft that you can just 'push' through though without twisting, which I believe is a characteristic of a truely lightweight block. 

stuart45

Could be these Fibolite Ultra Lightweight Solid Concrete Block 3.5N 100mm | Travis Perkins

fenwick458

ShowMeTheDough said

These are quite soft, I managed to turn a flat head screwdriver into one quite easily as a test. They're not so soft that you can just 'push' through though without twisting, which I believe is a characteristic of a truely lightweight block. 

how old is the house? if they are not covered (plastered or painted) can you post a pic?

weeg

I'm a huge fan of a resin anchor. 
It's really pretty rare to use 3.5N block above ground, so it would be reasonable to assume you are dealing with 7N block.
You're likely to have a tension force in the region of 0.5kN/ bracket (the exact figure depends on the bracket sizes), so a M8 medium duty resin anchor should do the job.