H Cat Safe Mounting

[Rider888]

Im sure this has been asked in the past but can someone recommend some fasteners that I can use to mount my small H-Cat safe into the floor upstairs?

All I can tell you is that the floor upstairs is timber or maybe some sort of particle board but I do know that there is a huge air gap between the upstairs floor and downstairs ceiling so I have minimal chance to ruin the ceilings downstairs

I am thinking some sort of Dynabolt but I have no idea so any help would be great.

Thanks

[deye243]

You will have to look up the Regs but I'm sure if your bolting into floor joists and wall studs you will be fine

[yoshie]

Coach bolts into the structure (beam/bearers etc) if you can't find a bearer on the floor, you can always bolt to the wall if you can find a stud or noggin

[Rider888]

Thanks for the responses. I dont think I want to go into any sort of support beam, being a rental. Also I cant be sure I will have floor joist where I am planning on locating the safe

[bladeracer]

Im sure this has been asked in the past but can someone recommend some fasteners that I can use to mount my small H-Cat safe into the floor upstairs?

All I can tell you is that the floor upstairs is timber or maybe some sort of particle board but I do know that there is a huge air gap between the upstairs floor and downstairs ceiling so I have minimal chance to ruin the ceilings downstairs

I am thinking some sort of Dynabolt but I have no idea so any help would be great.

Thanks

You will want to put coach screws into the joists and studs, don't just fix it to the flooring.

[Wapiti]

You're going to have to bolt it to the floor joists mate, and to studs in the wall.
Yoshie is spot on, you need coach bolts as he kindly pictured.
Get yourself an electronic stud-finder from the hardware store, it will tell you where these studs in the wall are. Unless they have improved since I bought one, you will have to look for the nails through the floorboards to see where the joists underneath are. If there's carpet (hopefully not, eeeech) you will have to lift it from a corner carefully.

Check your local regs (SA?) for minimum size, length and number of the fasteners you are required to use.
If there isn't any spec, I would go for 75mm in the floor of the safe into the joists, and 50/60mm for the wall studs/noggins.

You don't say if it's your house or you rent, so I'd add to make sure if it's not your joint, you get approval. I'd go apeshit if someone did that to us when we were stupid enough to have a few rental homes.

[No1_49er]

You don't say if it's your house or you rent, so I'd add to make sure if it's not your joint, you get approval. I'd go apeshit if someone did that to us when we were stupid enough to have a few rental homes.

Two post above, OP has said that it is a rental

[No1Mk3]

NSW Regs for Level 2
require you to bolt flush to the wall into main wall studs with 4 galvanized coach screws of minimum 8mm x 65mm, or if bolting to floor and wall 2 in each position, floor bolts into joists. Nothing else will be accepted.

[Wapiti]

Better not have to endure your landlord going apesh*t then.

[Ratsmitglied]

NSW Regs for Level 2
require you to bolt flush to the wall into main wall studs with 4 galvanized coach screws of minimum 8mm x 65mm, or if bolting to floor and wall 2 in each position, floor bolts into joists. Nothing else will be accepted.

They've actually taken the size requirements out of the most recent publication, simply having

• when mounted into brick, stone or concrete —be attached by at least 4 appropriately
  secured anchor points, internally fitted through holes in the rear and/or base securing
  it to the floor and/or wall
• when mounted into main wall studs — be secured to the wall studs and/or floor joists
  by at least 4 appropriately secured anchor points
• solid steel fixtures attaching the safe anchor points to the structure of the premises
  where the firearm is authorised to be kept.

[No1Mk3]

NSW Regs for Level 2
require you to bolt flush to the wall into main wall studs with 4 galvanized coach screws of minimum 8mm x 65mm, or if bolting to floor and wall 2 in each position, floor bolts into joists. Nothing else will be accepted.

They've actually taken the size requirements out of the most recent publication, simply having

• when mounted into brick, stone or concrete —be attached by at least 4 appropriately
  secured anchor points, internally fitted through holes in the rear and/or base securing
  it to the floor and/or wall
• when mounted into main wall studs — be secured to the wall studs and/or floor joists
  by at least 4 appropriately secured anchor points
• solid steel fixtures attaching the safe anchor points to the structure of the premises
  where the firearm is authorised to be kept.

Cheers mate, will download latest edition.

[Rider888]

NSW Regs for Level 2
require you to bolt flush to the wall into main wall studs with 4 galvanized coach screws of minimum 8mm x 65mm, or if bolting to floor and wall 2 in each position, floor bolts into joists. Nothing else will be accepted.

They've actually taken the size requirements out of the most recent publication, simply having

• when mounted into brick, stone or concrete —be attached by at least 4 appropriately
  secured anchor points, internally fitted through holes in the rear and/or base securing
  it to the floor and/or wall
• when mounted into main wall studs — be secured to the wall studs and/or floor joists
  by at least 4 appropriately secured anchor points
• solid steel fixtures attaching the safe anchor points to the structure of the premises
  where the firearm is authorised to be kept.

Has this changed? I am under the old regulations and not about to change. I have 4 bolts into the floor for all my safes

[No1Mk3]

NSW Regs for Level 2
require you to bolt flush to the wall into main wall studs with 4 galvanized coach screws of minimum 8mm x 65mm, or if bolting to floor and wall 2 in each position, floor bolts into joists. Nothing else will be accepted.

They've actually taken the size requirements out of the most recent publication, simply having

• when mounted into brick, stone or concrete —be attached by at least 4 appropriately
  secured anchor points, internally fitted through holes in the rear and/or base securing
  it to the floor and/or wall
• when mounted into main wall studs — be secured to the wall studs and/or floor joists
  by at least 4 appropriately secured anchor points
• solid steel fixtures attaching the safe anchor points to the structure of the premises
  where the firearm is authorised to be kept.

The number and placement of fasteners has not changed, just the minimum size requirement for fixing to wall studs/floor joists has been removed. I would still use 8x65 as a guide to what they would like to see.

Has this changed? I am under the old regulations and not about to change. I have 4 bolts into the floor for all my safes

[Ratsmitglied]

Yes, all they've done is removed minimum fixing sizes in the fact sheet.

The specific requirement in regulations and in legislation is that the safe is securely attached (these haven't changed), with no reference to fixing sizes, so this simply means that NSW FAR isn't adding additional requirements beyond what is legally required.

And yes, where appropriate I would use the previous information as guidance for what is required (of course, it doesn't work with a steel-framed house!)