For those who have almost anything to do with house projects you will probably have come across expanding bolts. These are very useful items to have lying around if you are likely to be asked to do some DIY work and also have really thin walls. The question you may be asking is just how and when should you be utilizing expanding bolts.
You use expanding bolts when you need to fasten some type of lightweight thing to a wall that is hollowed out. You can get expanding bolts within dimensions that range from an 8th to a 1 / 2 of an inch across and all the way up to eight in . long.
How to use expanding bolts can also be quite easy. The first thing you need to do is drill a hole in to the wall and insert the head of the bolt. You then hammer this in, initially gently then much more firmly, right up until it is firmly lodged within the hole. You then remove the setting tool and place the item that should be hung on the bolt and use a nut to hold it in position.
There are some things that you have to note though before getting going.
When you are drilling the hole for the bolt to sit in you should use a drill that’s a quarter in . bigger than the diameter of the bolt. You know you have made the hole too large when the bolt does not hold the edges correctly which you’ll discover if the bolt moves when you tighten up the actual nut.
You also need to make sure that you get the top of the bolt right to the bottom of the hole when you are hammering it in. If you do not do this then the bolt will not have enough grip on the wall. You also need to ensure that the hole is actually cleaned out correctly so the expanding bolt is actually gripping the actual surface of the wall not dust and dirt.
When you’re hammering the actual bolt in make sure that you have it settled properly. If you do this frequently enough you will certainly learn to feel when the anchor is correctly set. It will begin to sound much more solid and can stop moving.
When you’re fastening the load into the expanding bolt you have to be sure you tighten up the nut enough. If you don’t then your expanding bolt needs to cope with holding a load that moves. This can cause the bolt to rip loose.
You also need to make sure that the walls you’re using the expanding bolt in is of good enough quality to support the bolt. In the event the concrete splits then you can certainly be certain that it is most likely going to split and fracture around the bolt too with time.
Using expanding bolts is not the most difficult. The key is within utilizing it properly the first time around. If you feel it is not likely to hold you will then be better off trying again in a brand new portion of the walls.


