Thorfun

and that's where my confusion lay. I'm am now educated. 🙂

I honestly have not got a clue. But I can’t drill in to the beams so it has to be the blocks. I presume it’ll be fine otherwise @nod and all the other builders would’ve found out by now, right?

I didn’t know that! So 50mm minimum then which will give 30mm of strong fitting.

yes. exactly, right? you drilled a hole and then screwed the concrete screw in? that's what i've done before as well. i guess i'm completely misunderstanding the meaning of "self-tapping". i thought it means you don't have to drill a hole but that's not true is it? you drill the hole and then the self-tapping screw creates the thread that holds it in to the hole, right? i'm such a twonk sometimes. 🤦‍♂️

struggling to believe that a screw can self-tap in to concrete! i guess i'll have to buy some and give it a go.

thanks. that looks like a rather sharp point on that thing! much sharper than the other concrete screws i've seen. but, regardless, definitely looks like a concrete screw so those blue ones i linked before should do the trick. drill a hole and screw in, right? if i go for 50mm screws is that excessive? the photo of yours looks shorter than that.

i am heading that way just without the plug i'm thinking. i've no issues with the Spit gun. used it before to fit timber to steels and it was fine.

also, i'm going to use MF12 soffit cleats (https://www.buildingmaterials.co.uk/british-gypsum-gypframe-mf12-soffit-cleat-box-of-100?mh_keyword=&mh_matchtype=&mh_adgroupid=&mh_network=x&utm_term=&utm_campaign=pMAX:AllChannels|CatchAll&mh_campaignid=18789495083&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-_33sZnmiQMVGqRQBh3JeAMpEAQYASABEgIN-PD_BwE) i think trying to accurately nail through the hole is going to be fraught with danger! i'm really thinking a nice safe drill and concrete screw will be better for me as a DIYer. it's just needing to translate @nod and his blue tip tek screws. 😉

@Nickfromwales would it be these standard single-shot concrete pins? https://www.kelvinpowertools.com/spit-50mm-single-shot-concrete-and-stone-pins-for-p370-100pk-c-550-p-7815 if so, how come there's conflicting info between yourself and @nod as he said it's all so confusing. 😞

thanks. are you able to link suitable fixings please? my mate has a Paslode Spit P370 Spitfire.

ahhh....Newton's 3rd law. i got an E in my physics A-level. but my body has lots of soft and squidgy bits that can absorb forces so definitely not as rigid as a solid floor above!

I have a friend with a Spit gun I’ve borrowed before but thank you for the offer. My concern is the force of the nailer and any potential effect on the finished flooring on the floor above. there’s about 50mm EPS, ufh pipes in 50mm Cemfloor screed, then porcelain tiles. For the sake of time I would be extremely gutted if the vibrations did anything to damage the tiles.

sometimes @nod I need a translator to understand what you mean! luckily, these days we have ChatGPT. so, using that information do you mean something like this? https://www.toolstation.com/dewalt-tapper-pro-blue-hex-head-self-tapping-screws/p86871 and this https://www.fastbuildsupplies.co.uk/tapcon-hex-head-screw?child_id=5019&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADLDIQF58tKyCzXVc2eAGcaNGrnBw&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIofe35fvliQMVk6VQBh0h3BhqEAQYAyABEgKu2vD_BwE and I know they say self-tapping but surely that's not in to concrete, right? so drill a hole in the block and use these to fix the MF in to the block?

Interestingly I found a link the TIMco nail-in anchors (https://timco.co.uk/0640ZNA-zamac-nail-in-anchors-zinc) and it states ”NOTE: Not recommended for overhead applications such as suspended ceilings.”

Found this on Google https://www.fastco.co.uk/blog/what-are-tek-screws/ but it suggests that they’re used to screw in to metal. @nod how do these work in to blocks?

Thinking ahead. Creating a false ceiling in the basement using MF and will need to fix to the blocks in the block and beam ceiling. I will put 100mm Rockwool above and hang 19mm Gyproc plank and 12.5mm standard plasterboard underneath. so that will be quite a weight at about 28kg/m2. i’m planning on using MF12 soffit cleats and FEA1 folded angles as my hangers for the MF7 and MF5 ceiling sections. what’s the best fixings to make sure things stay up? Concrete screws? Rawl plugs and wood screws? Something special? and how far in to the blocks should the maximum be? I.e. fixing length.

done. Didn’t take as long as I thought it would. Which is a first! 😂

Not sure what it says. I think it’s ducting to the pole. I’ve started now so I’ll carry on until I finish or it’s dark! do they come with ducting bits? I’m short a 45deg bend and I’m hoping they’ll have some on-board to save me going to buy one.

Thanks. Time to get the shovel out then. 😢

the water in to the sump is constant! there's an aquifer that runs under the sandstone 2m down and the flow is constant. so without power we will soon flood regardless of the weather. 😞 it is more of a trickle in the summer months so it does ebb and flow with the seasons.

Greetings all. today's job is to finish running the ducting for our new BT connection next week to near where the pole will go. it's currently about 4-5m away. anyone been through the process of getting a new pole installed and know how close they want/need the ducting to be? do they turn up with a mini-digger to dig a hole for the pole anyway and so can extend what i've done to be in the exact location? or do they want it to be exactly where the pole will be?

I do have solar pv (10.5kWp array) and batteries (LuxPower with 6.4kWh storage) but the LuxPower has a max 13A on the EPS so we only have a few emergency items running from it in case of a power cut. I didn't want to put the whole house lights through it hence looking for 24V batteries so Loxone can run and can power the low voltage lighting which is enough to allow us to see in all rooms of the house if needed. I also found that the LuxPower is not quick enough to react to a power cut (despite what their manual says) and my computer equipment did not remain on in the last power trip we had. and so I have bought a dedicated UPS for that simply to keep the equipment going until the LuxPower kicks in. yet to test it in anger yet though but it should mean that our wifi and router remain active allowing me to wfh in a power cut. my advice is to make sure you know how much power the battery system for your whole house backup can run.

Wise words sensei

Lucky to get away

can't believe you beat me. I thought you'd be still at it for another 10 years! congratulations. I'm only a couple of weeks behind you.