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 Bolting down a safe?
#325750
03/02/08 09:25 PM
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 983
NTEX
OP
Tracker
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OP
Tracker
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 983 |
I was wanting to bolt my safe to a pretension concrete slab? I am worried about the pretension part!!!! Has anybody done this with or without any problems? Any tips would be great!!
Thanks
 "You cannot invade mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass." -Admiral Yamamoto on the widespread civilian ownership of guns in the US.
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Re: Bolting down a safe?
[Re: NTEX]
#325751
03/02/08 09:34 PM
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 173
Duckfoot
Woodsman
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Woodsman
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 173 |
NTEX,
In my real life, I am a structural engineer. I would not expansion bolt the safe down to the slab. The post tension tensons are positioned approximately in the middle of the slab. If you drill into the PT reinforcement that tendon could fail. With this failure your slab has the potential to perform inadequately, causing cracking in the slab. This failure is expensive to repair. You could have the slab scanned by a testing agency, they could give approximate locations of the tendons and other reinforcement.
I would recommend lag bolting the safe to the studs in the wall behind the safe.
This is my 2 cents, hope it helps.
-Duckfoot
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Re: Bolting down a safe?
[Re: Duckfoot]
#325752
03/02/08 09:37 PM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,002
bigbuckboy
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,002 |
just get a hammer drill and some 5/8 by 4/34 anchors and put two in the bottom of the safe will hold forever. I will promise and truck wouldent be able to pull it out
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Re: Bolting down a safe?
[Re: Duckfoot]
#325753
03/02/08 09:42 PM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 37,484
Big Orn
great white gorilla
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great white gorilla
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 37,484 |
Do you mean post-tension concrete slab?
Do you have a print or schematic showing the cables?
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Re: Bolting down a safe?
[Re: Big Orn]
#325754
03/02/08 09:44 PM
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 983
NTEX
OP
Tracker
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OP
Tracker
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 983 |
Sorry, yes post and no schematics!!!
"You cannot invade mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass." -Admiral Yamamoto on the widespread civilian ownership of guns in the US.
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Re: Bolting down a safe?
[Re: bigbuckboy]
#325755
03/02/08 09:57 PM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 37,484
Big Orn
great white gorilla
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great white gorilla
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 37,484 |
Quote:
just get a hammer drill and some 5/8 by 4/34 anchors and put two in the bottom of the safe will hold forever. I will promise and truck wouldent be able to pull it out
If you happen to hit a cable - with the tension they are required to have on them, your neighbor may be in for a new bay window.... 
NETX,
If the slab is on-grade, you might can rent a GPR (Ground penetrating radar) device and locate the cables. If it's on a deck you can use either GPR or Xray.
If you knew the depth of the cables, you could use 1/4" Hilti (or equal) fasteners and just go shy of that depth.
It's hard to make that call without details on the slab and cables, though.
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Re: Bolting down a safe?
[Re: NTEX]
#325756
03/02/08 11:03 PM
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 374
tc/encore
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 374 |
I have drilled thousands of holes through post tension slabs doing termite control. If you you use a good grounded hammer drill and a GFI unit to shut it off, if you hit metal, you will be fine.....Drill it and anchor it.
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Re: Bolting down a safe?
[Re: tc/encore]
#325757
03/03/08 01:15 PM
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 14,033
John2
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 14,033 |
If you look on the edge of your slab you might be able to tell where the bolt/nuts are.On mine i could see where they dabbed concrete in the holes around the nut after the forms were pulled.
Not all those that wander are lost..
Back The Men in Blue that wears a badge
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Re: Bolting down a safe?
[Re: John2]
#325758
03/03/08 01:50 PM
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,896
DCS
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,896 |
If your not able to bolt your safe down or having second thoughts about bolting it down, you might consider framing up around it and incorparating that structure as part of the room. My neighbor who was a gun dealer at the time, did that and created sort of a small "safe room". Put a heavy duty metal door that rolled up and that was capable of being locked with pad locks. The safe was actually bigger then the doorway. Short of doing some major demo work, that safe was not coming out! I know this is a lot more work then you wanted to do, but just an idea.
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