Eye bolt for pulley?

[berndawg84]

This is a little bit of a silly question but I don't want to buy the wrong thing. I'm doing BIAB in my kitchen. I want to install an eye hook in the ceiling to use with the Wilser bag/pulley setup. Will any basic eye hook do? I want it to be able to support 40 or so pounds (maybe 15-20 pounds of grain plus water weight, to be safe). Home Depot has these hooks for $2, but not sure if they'll be good enough? They don't have a weight load limit listed.

http://www.homedepot.com/b/Search/N.../Ntt-eye+bolt?Ntx=mode+matchpartialmax&NCNI-5

 

[z-bob]

That link took me to all their eye bolts. I'd probably use one like this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt...-Plated-Lag-Thread-Screw-Eye-806946/204273499 Notice the lag screw threads. You could also use one with an open hook instead of an eye.

I'm about to do the same thing in my kitchen, and I'm thinking of hiding the eyebolt in the 4' fluorescent ceiling fixture so my wife doesn't see it and get pissed everytime she goes in the kitchen. I'll just remove the diffuser when I brew to exposed the hook. (I have not taken the diffuser off yet to make sure there's room) I'm also going to try using paracord with no pulleys, just a carabiner at the bag.

 

[kh54s10]

Make sure you check with your significant other before putting an eye bolt in your ceiling.

 

[berndawg84]

Haha, I'm good there, already asked her. We're in a rental that's being demolished soon anyways, a hole in the ceiling won't matter.

 

[berndawg84]

That link took me to all their eye bolts. I'd probably use one like this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt...-Plated-Lag-Thread-Screw-Eye-806946/204273499 Notice the lag screw threads. You could also use one with an open hook instead of an eye.

I'm about to do the same thing in my kitchen, and I'm thinking of hiding the eyebolt in the 4' fluorescent ceiling fixture so my wife doesn't see it and get pissed everytime she goes in the kitchen. I'll just remove the diffuser when I brew to exposed the hook. (I have not taken the diffuser off yet to make sure there's room) I'm also going to try using paracord with no pulleys, just a carabiner at the bag.

Thanks, that's one I looked at. Seems like it might work well enough for the weight. Yea I could do an open hook, but I thought an eye hook would be best to make sure the carabiner stays secure and won't come off.

We're living in a rental right now and it will be demolished eventually, so I don't care about a hook in the ceiling. My wife doesn't either, so we're good! I squeezed the bag without a pulley, using a heavy grain bill last time, no way I'm ever doing that again

 

[Morrey]

Phew, those wort soaked grains bags are a booger to handle. Hot and heavy. W/O a pulley or some sort of lifting/draining system, BIAB is a challenge.

 

[thekraken]

The weak point here is going to be your connection to the ceiling. I'd get a lag screw threaded one like z-bob suggested and make sure it went into a ceiling joist. If you miss a joist is when it'll fail, or rather the ceiling's dry wall will fail and you'll pull a chunk of ceiling down, you'll be getting a head start on that demolition... The eye bolt will be fine though

 

[berndawg84]

The weak point here is going to be your connection to the ceiling. I'd get a lag screw threaded one like z-bob suggested and make sure it went into a ceiling joist. If you miss a joist is when it'll fail, or rather the ceiling's dry wall will fail and you'll pull a chunk of ceiling down, you'll be getting a head start on that demolition... The eye bolt will be fine though

That's a good point. There is no ceiling joist in our kitchen, it's just a normal ceiling. So it's possible it may not hold...I may need to get a sturdier bolt installed, rather than just put a screw in the ceiling and hope it holds haha

 

[thekraken]

It's not a question of how sturdy the bolt is, a coat hanger could be made to hold the load. You just need to make sure you are secured in the ceiling. Surely your ceiling has joists behind the drywall. You'll need to find one to screw into just like you do to find a stud in your wall when you're hanging heavy things on your walls.

Do you have a stud finder?

 

[z-bob]

Take a look at these toggle bolts (home depot doesn't sell them) http://www.lowes.com/pd/TOGGLER-2-Pack-0-25-in-x-2-5-in-Yellow-Zinc-Toggle-Bolts/3183821 You could screw a 1/4" eyebolt into the anchor, and even remove it when not in use. The anchor stays in place, and the hole has a white plastic trim around it. It requires drilling a 1/2" hole to install.

I used 4 of them (the next smaller size) to install a shower grab bar for my father a couple of weeks ago, but that was in drywall and tile, not just drywall. They should be plenty strong, I just don't like using plaster to support a weight overhead.

A "normal ceiling" does have joists, they are hidden behind the drywall or plaster.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

Do you have a stud finder?

 

[wilserbrewer]

Take a look at these toggle bolts (home depot doesn't sell them) http://www.lowes.com/pd/TOGGLER-2-Pack-0-25-in-x-2-5-in-Yellow-Zinc-Toggle-Bolts/3183821 You could screw a 1/4" eyebolt into the anchor, and even remove it when not in use. The anchor stays in place, and the hole has a white plastic trim around it. It requires drilling a 1/2" hole to install.

I used 4 of them (the next smaller size) to install a shower grab bar for my father a couple of weeks ago, but that was in drywall and tile, not just drywall. They should be plenty strong, I just don't like using plaster to support a weight overhead.
.

JMO guys, I think you want the eye screw to be secured to a ceiling joist. A toggle bolt is relying on the strength of Sheetrock.

Whatever you do I would also suggest proof loading any installation to 3X your intended load.

Put a rope on it test with at least half your body weight for 5 gallon batches, and almost all you got for 10 gallons.

 

[Morrey]

you'll pull a chunk of ceiling down, you'll be getting a head start on that demolition

That was funny!

 

[berndawg84]

It's not a question of how sturdy the bolt is, a coat hanger could be made to hold the load. You just need to make sure you are secured in the ceiling. Surely your ceiling has joists under (above) the drywall. You'll need to find one to screw into just like you do to find a stud in your wall when you're hanging heavy things on your walls.

Do you have a stud finder?

Yes, I have a stud finder, good call, I'll use that.

 

[cloudybrewer]

Remember, when you pull on the rope to lift the bag, you are pulling with MORE weight than the bag contains to pull it out of the kettle. If you weren't, the bag wouldn't move. So your bolt must be secured to hold more than twice the weight of your water saturated grain bill. So when Wilser said three times the weight, he meant it.

 

[ZmannR2]

That link took me to all their eye bolts. I'd probably use one like this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt...-Plated-Lag-Thread-Screw-Eye-806946/204273499 Notice the lag screw threads. You could also use one with an open hook instead of an eye.

I'm about to do the same thing in my kitchen, and I'm thinking of hiding the eyebolt in the 4' fluorescent ceiling fixture so my wife doesn't see it and get pissed everytime she goes in the kitchen. I'll just remove the diffuser when I brew to exposed the hook. (I have not taken the diffuser off yet to make sure there's room) I'm also going to try using paracord with no pulleys, just a carabiner at the bag.

That's exactly what I got in my garage. Straight into the stud. Pre drill a hole a little small so it's nice and tight! Hand crank that puppy in using some channel locks and bam! I can hang off mine. No need to get more complicated than that

 

[reversepivot]

If you can't fins a joist, big toggle bolts will hold over a hundred pounds, depending on the thickness of the drywall in your ceiling. Another option, go get a giant punch bowl. I found one at Value Village for like $2. Drill lots of holes in the bottom. I used a 1/2" bit. After your mash, lift the bag, slip the bowl on top of your kettle/tun, and let the bag sit there and drain. Since you're doing this after the mash, not the boil, the plastic punch bowl won't have any temp worries. You still have to lift the bag on your own, but only for a few seconds while you slip the bowl in there. I actually still use this, although I have a pulley now, just to contain the drips while it drains.
Warning- make sure the holes you drill are all within the diameter of your kettle!