Fixing storage heater

[Welsh_sparky_21]

Was changing a storage heater today, I’ve used 6 spring toggles to fix it to the wall. No straps behind the wall at all, is this safe? Seemed solid when I was giving it a pull. Didn’t have any wood for fixing a pad

 

[littlespark]

Preferably you should have at least 2 good fixings to wood, one at each end.

a good stud finder would help, or if it’s regular plasterboard, tap along the wall with your knuckle…. The hollow sound will change as you move away from/ toward a beam.
failing that, small screwdriver pushed through along a line every 40-50mm or so until you hit the woodwork…. The next beam should be 600mm away from that.
Messy, but the holes should be hidden behind the bracket.

 

[Welsh_sparky_21]

Preferably you should have at least 2 good fixings to wood, one at each end.

a good stud finder would help, or if it’s regular plasterboard, tap along the wall with your knuckle…. The hollow sound will change as you move away from/ toward a beam.
failing that, small screwdriver pushed through along a line every 40-50mm or so until you hit the woodwork…. The next beam should be 600mm away from that.
Messy, but the holes should be hidden behind the bracket.

jabbed a hole right across with a driver and got nothing

 

[freddo]

Probably fine, the 3 I removed friday were all fixed back to plasterboard with 3 no.8 screws in red plugs. They had been there 20 years.

 

[Welsh_sparky_21]

Probably fine, the 3 I removed friday were all fixed back to plasterboard with 3 no.8 screws in red plugs. They had been there 20 years.

The ones I took out where fitted with gyprock fixings lol!!

 

[richy3333]

Ive had to do similar before but was happier that it was sat on a solid floor and not carpet. Do you know the ratings of the fixings?

 

[littlespark]

What’s holding the wall up?

seriously. Is it a regular plasterboard wall? Dot and dab? Is it a partition wall between rooms?


when I first qualified, early 90’s, I was going round fitting storage heaters in all the council houses. Team of 8 in 4 pairs. We were given fibre rawlplugs and 2” x 10 screws. Some walls were impossible to drill that deep, others crumbled.
The type of families we were dealing with, not surprised the kids tore the heaters off the wall.
Left a screwdriver on one kitchen floor and it stuck to the grease. ?

 

[UNG]

failing that, small screwdriver pushed through along a line every 40-50mm or so until you hit the woodwork…. The next beam should be 600mm away from that.

Or 400mm or 450mm or any other spacing the joiner felt like using
Older properties are generally at 16in spacing

 

[littlespark]

Or 400mm or 450mm or any other spacing the joiner felt like using
Older properties are generally at 16in spacing

True. 600 for modern builds, but could be anything really.
OP has stated there isn’t any at all, so it doesn’t really matter in this instance

 

[WallaceP]

Should be ok if the plasterboard is in good condition. Just make sure you have the fixings at the bottom of the slotted holes on the heater. That way as the heater settles and drops down the fixing will move up along the hole rather than pull out from the wall.
If you are really worried cut the wall open and fit some supports in, it will be hidden anyway.

 

[Welsh_sparky_21]

What’s holding the wall up?

seriously. Is it a regular plasterboard wall? Dot and dab? Is it a partition wall between rooms?


when I first qualified, early 90’s, I was going round fitting storage heaters in all the council houses. Team of 8 in 4 pairs. We were given fibre rawlplugs and 2” x 10 screws. Some walls were impossible to drill that deep, others crumbled.
The type of families we were dealing with, not surprised the kids tore the heaters off the wall.
Left a screwdriver on one kitchen floor and it stuck to the grease. ?

Regular plasterboard wall separating 2 rooms. Wasn’t much space behind the wall until you were through the other side into the next room. The ones that came down were held up with gyprock fixings which a thought was nuts lol!

 

[Welsh_sparky_21]

Should be ok if the plasterboard is in good condition. Just make sure you have the fixings at the bottom of the slotted holes on the heater. That way as the heater settles and drops down the fixing will move up along the hole rather than pull out from the wall.
If you are really worried cut the wall open and fit some supports in, it will be hidden anyway.

Not massively worried. Previous heater was held up with gyprock fixings, gave it a good pull and wasn’t any movement from it.

 

[littlespark]

Would not trust those things to hold any weight. (Screw in plasterboard fixings”
Seen many a simple pendant held up with a couple, just for them to drop out when someone tried to fit a shade

 

[Welsh_sparky_21]

Would not trust those things to hold any weight. (Screw in plasterboard fixings”
Seen many a simple pendant held up with a couple, just for them to drop out when someone tried to fit a shade

Definitely, crazy to fit a storage heater with them

 

[UNG]

Regular plasterboard wall separating 2 rooms. Wasn’t much space behind the wall until you were through the other side into the next room. The ones that came down were held up with gyprock fixings which a thought was nuts lol!

This sounds like a paramount board wall, basically two plasterboards with an egg box type separator that puts the boards about 30mm apart

 

[freddo]

This sounds like a paramount board wall, basically two plasterboards with an egg box type separator that puts the boards about 30mm apart

Was just thinking that, there is quite a lot of that flimsy rubbish around here.

 

[Dave OCD]

There is around here too, one estate has standard metal wall boxes held in place by 4" nails pushed horizontally through little holes around the front edges of the boxes. Many a time I've swapped them for dry liners, 35mm just fit.

 

[Welsh_sparky_21]

This sounds like a paramount board wall, basically two plasterboards with an egg box type separator that puts the boards about 30mm

This sounds like a paramount board wall, basically two plasterboards with an egg box type separator that puts the boards about 30mm apart

Could well be that

 

[littlespark]

One house I owned, I tried to hang a picture at the top of the stairs, next to the bathroom door. wall felt strange. I thought it was one of these type walls.
Further investigation showed it was an old door.

when the house was built in 70’s, the toilet was at the top of stairs, a bathroom and sink in another room next to it.

Previous owner had taken the wall down between the rooms to make one big bathroom…. And left the spare door in place.
Door frames removed and plastered perfectly smooth. No one would have known.

 

[Mikegh]

A new house would solve the problem

Possibly overkill though