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Just like it says. What do I need to do this too wise? Do you remove the safe interior so it is steel to cement? Thanks in advance.
 
Posts: 1740 | Registered: December 04, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of sgalczyn
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Floor of a safe is usually pre-drilled for anchor bolts....why the wall mount?


"No matter where you go - there you are"
 
Posts: 4561 | Location: Eastern PA-Berks/Lehigh Valley | Registered: January 03, 2001Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Most gun safes have holes in the floor for bolting down the safe. Mine has little cutouts in the carpet. You set some anchors in the concrete floor beneath the safe.



Demand not that events should happen as you wish; but wish them to happen as they do happen, and you will go on well. -Epictetus
 
Posts: 8202 | Location: Utah | Registered: December 18, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
thin skin can't win
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Tagged to follow.

After reading all the risks of hitting a post-tension cable, I was considering this for a safe in our current slab house. Figured I could slow a casual crook down about as much by bolting to studs as floor, and for a serious thief neither will matter.

Moving to a different home, same construction, and plan to have a safe installed within a few weeks of arrival there.

It's Jackson, MS. I need at least a safe....



You only have integrity once. - imprezaguy02

 
Posts: 12350 | Location: Madison, MS | Registered: December 10, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Most safes have holes already in their base. You could of course add some to the wall, but that is debatably necessary.

You can use Red Head either shield, wedge or epoxy anchors, half inch anchors, at least 3" into the concrete, plus your safe and an air gap thickness.

What I do recommend, is adding a non-decaying shim of at least half inch, between the safe and the concrete. It could be plastic, rubber, anything to create a thermal break.

Having a safe sitting directly on concrete creates the potential for it to not be able to maintain a stable temperature, and encourage humidity.


Arc.
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Posts: 27000 | Location: On fire, off the shoulder of Orion | Registered: June 09, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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A couple of tips from when safe guy did mine in the garage.
1. Use hockey pucks under safe to prevent bottom from rusting out.
2. Drill holes all the way through slab, so when you someday take out the safe, you can just hammer down.




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Posts: 17459 | Location: Northern Virginia | Registered: November 08, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Ammoholic
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quote:
Originally posted by Georgeair:
Tagged to follow.

After reading all the risks of hitting a post-tension cable, I was considering this for a safe in our current slab house. Figured I could slow a casual crook down about as much by bolting to studs as floor, and for a serious thief neither will matter.

Moving to a different home, same construction, and plan to have a safe installed within a few weeks of arrival there.

It's Jackson, MS. I need at least a safe....


If you've ever ran a hammer drill you can tell the difference from drilling in one material to the next. I've never heard of them being used in residential construction. Maybe it has to do with geology of where houses are. It's all rebar here, so very small risk of hitting anything.

We get X-ray's done when we need to drill through commercial buildings, but that's rather pricey and may cost as much or more than safe.



Jesse

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Posts: 20758 | Location: Loudoun County, Virginia | Registered: December 27, 2014Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Non-Miscreant
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Pretty much as stated above. Just how much strength you need in those anchors is debatable. If you elect to put a couple in the back or side wall, It will do no harm.

Some other suggestions. Next time you're driving on the interstate and see a truck mud flap, pick it up. They also make a good mat for standing on.
For reference on the size, I put 10 9/16s anchors in just for the vault door. My guess is someone could still get in with a sledge hammer. And a few months of exercise.

Any free standing safe would also be easy to enter given a suitably healthy individual with a sledge hammer will be able to enter your safe, given enough time.

So get thee to a Home Despot. Buy a cheapo hammer drill and some suitably sized concrete bits. Make sure the bits are right sized for the anchors and will fit through the predrilled holes in the safe. Hint: 9/16s anchors won't fit through a 9/16s hole. Check everything before you start.


Unhappy ammo seeker
 
Posts: 18385 | Location: Kentucky, USA | Registered: February 25, 2001Reply With QuoteReport This Post
thin skin can't win
Picture of Georgeair
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quote:
Originally posted by Skins2881:
quote:
Originally posted by Georgeair:
Tagged to follow.

After reading all the risks of hitting a post-tension cable, I was considering this for a safe in our current slab house. Figured I could slow a casual crook down about as much by bolting to studs as floor, and for a serious thief neither will matter.

Moving to a different home, same construction, and plan to have a safe installed within a few weeks of arrival there.

It's Jackson, MS. I need at least a safe....


If you've ever ran a hammer drill you can tell the difference from drilling in one material to the next. I've never heard of them being used in residential construction. Maybe it has to do with geology of where houses are. It's all rebar here, so very small risk of hitting anything.

We get X-ray's done when we need to drill through commercial buildings, but that's rather pricey and may cost as much or more than safe.


I was told, here I think, that if I've got all the patched hole doohickeys (technical term alert!) on outside/side of foundation every 1-2 feet, that is a sign of post-tension slabs.

I may have been misled!



You only have integrity once. - imprezaguy02

 
Posts: 12350 | Location: Madison, MS | Registered: December 10, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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The guys who bolted mine to the floor used hockey pucks as spacers between the safe and the floor. They set the anchors and tightened the bolts down so the pucks were captured between the safe and the floor. If the room were to get wet, I wouldn't have to unbolt the safe from the floor to clean up. As far as providing a thief any advantage, given enough time with/without the puck spacers is not really a deterrence.


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Posts: 4306 | Location: DFW | Registered: May 21, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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[/QUOTE]

I was told, here I think, that if I've got all the patched hole doohickeys (technical term alert!) on outside/side of foundation every 1-2 feet, that is a sign of post-tension slabs.

I may have been misled![/QUOTE]

I used to live in Rowlett, my slab was post tensioned. You were not misled.
 
Posts: 1552 | Location: South Carolina | Registered: August 06, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Ammoholic
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quote:
Originally posted by Georgeair:
I was told, here I think, that if I've got all the patched hole doohickeys (technical term alert!) on outside/side of foundation every 1-2 feet, that is a sign of post-tension slabs.

I may have been misled!

I suspect you were. Simpson Strong Tie is one system used in doing that sort of wall. The plywood form boards are held to each other by these rods threaded on each end a plastic cone shaped piece maybe 1.5" in diameter at its widest against the board quickly tapers down to the rod. Nuts on the outside hold them together. When done, you over-tighten the nuts and the ties break pretty much at the taper point of the plastic cones. Boards come off, plastic cones pop right out, and if you want to be bothered you can patch the holes, but if you are just building a drainage structure (like we were), you might opt to leave those small cone shaped digits alone. None of this has to do with tension cables, pre or post, it is just to keep the form together while the concrete sets up.

Cheers,

-Nick

ETA: I may have misunderstood/conflated your post with the O.P. If these holes are on the sides of a wall, it is unlikely they are related to tension cables. If they are on the sides of a slab they could well be.
 
Posts: 6872 | Location: Lost, but making time. | Registered: February 23, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
That's just the
Flomax talking
Picture of GaryBF
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quote:
Originally posted by 1flynDO:
Just like it says. What do I need to do this too wise? Do you remove the safe interior so it is steel to cement? Thanks in advance.

I did this years ago, so details are sketchy in my brain. My safe is not high-end and super heavy. I bolted my safe to the basement wall using two bolts (probably ½ inch) which thread into threaded lead anchors (maybe Star brand) that required 7/8 inch holes in the foundation. I drilled the safe holes right through the carpet lining. Of course you have to get everything lined up carefully-measure three times.

 
Posts: 11875 | Location: St. Louis, Missouri | Registered: February 04, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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current concrete commercial and residential constructions allow Tapcon or titen bolts in lieu of sleeved or epoxy anchors.

simply drill concrete hole for desired bolt, 1/2 or 3/8. bolt self taps into concrete. based on concrete strength, depth of bolt tension strength can be 1,200 lbs or more.

available at your local big box lumber store.

ymmv

john
 
Posts: 476 | Location: Greensboro, NC | Registered: November 26, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Posts: 12580 | Registered: January 17, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Moving to a different home, same construction, and plan to have a safe installed within a few weeks of arrival there.

It's Jackson, MS. I need at least a safe...


You may need body armor as well. Where did you decide to live in Jackson? If I recall you were looking at short term rentals.
 
Posts: 17177 | Location: Stuck at home | Registered: January 02, 2015Reply With QuoteReport This Post
safe & sound
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quote:
simply drill concrete hole for desired bolt, 1/2 or 3/8. bolt self taps into concrete. based on concrete strength, depth of bolt tension strength can be 1,200 lbs or more.



This is how I install them every day. 3/8" Tapcon with 5,400 pounds of pull strength. Easy to remove with nothing left in the floor. Superior holding to most of expansion anchors.


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Posts: 15696 | Location: St. Charles, MO, USA | Registered: September 22, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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posted Hide Post
 
Posts: 10045 | Registered: October 15, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by Georgeair:
quote:
Originally posted by Skins2881:
quote:
Originally posted by Georgeair:
Tagged to follow.

After reading all the risks of hitting a post-tension cable, I was considering this for a safe in our current slab house. Figured I could slow a casual crook down about as much by bolting to studs as floor, and for a serious thief neither will matter.

Moving to a different home, same construction, and plan to have a safe installed within a few weeks of arrival there.

It's Jackson, MS. I need at least a safe....


If you've ever ran a hammer drill you can tell the difference from drilling in one material to the next. I've never heard of them being used in residential construction. Maybe it has to do with geology of where houses are. It's all rebar here, so very small risk of hitting anything.

We get X-ray's done when we need to drill through commercial buildings, but that's rather pricey and may cost as much or more than safe.


I was told, here I think, that if I've got all the patched hole doohickeys (technical term alert!) on outside/side of foundation every 1-2 feet, that is a sign of post-tension slabs.

I may have been misled!


It could also be patches from drilling the house and shooting in subterranian termite poison. That is very common to drill every 18-24" shoot the termidor in there and then patch it.
 
Posts: 21335 | Registered: June 12, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by a1abdj:
quote:
simply drill concrete hole for desired bolt, 1/2 or 3/8. bolt self taps into concrete. based on concrete strength, depth of bolt tension strength can be 1,200 lbs or more.



This is how I install them every day. 3/8" Tapcon with 5,400 pounds of pull strength. Easy to remove with nothing left in the floor. Superior holding to most of expansion anchors.


That's what my safe company used, but they used 1/2" tapcons and 4-5" long.
 
Posts: 21335 | Registered: June 12, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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