Best screws and drill bit for a soffit?

[NottinghamDIYer]

I'm fitting my CCTV cameras tomorrow. What are the best type of screws to use when mounting onto the plastic soffit and what is the best kind of drill bit to use to make the hole for running the cable?

Thanks

 

[JohnD]

is it wood or plastic?

can you see the nails where the soffit is attached to the roof timbers?

stainless screws will last longer than BZP.

 

[NottinghamDIYer]

is it wood or plastic?

can you see the nails where the soffit is attached to the roof timbers?

stainless screws will last longer than BZP.

It is plastic, and I think you can.

 

[JohnD]

then I wouldn't rely on the plastic, drill through it into the wood. If the plastic is, say, 20mm thick, you screw needs to be around 50mm. I'd put a d-form stainless washer under the screw head to prevent it crushing the plastic, but your fitting bracket may spread the load enough. You want round-head or pan-head screws, not countersunk.

If you want to retain cable along the soffit, clip pins may fall out, but a garden vine-eye or hook, into the timber, won't. It's like a cup-hook but with a much longer shank.

 

[foxhole]

then I wouldn't rely on the plastic, drill through it into the wood. If the plastic is, say, 20mm thick, you screw needs to be around 50mm. I'd put a d-form stainless washer under the screw head to prevent it crushing the plastic, but your fitting bracket may spread the load enough. You want round-head or pan-head screws, not countersunk.

If you want to retain cable along the soffit, clip pins may fall out, but a garden vine-eye or hook, into the timber, won't. It's like a cup-hook but with a much longer shank.

There may not be any wood, soffit is typically 16mm thick and solid so doesn't crush and will hold screws well.

 

[NottinghamDIYer]

There may not be any wood, soffit is typically 16mm thick and solid so doesn't crush and will hold screws well.

What kind of screws are best if there is no wood there?

 

[JohnD]

There may not be any wood, soffit is typically 16mm thick and solid so doesn't crush and will hold screws well.

Oh, I think I've only seen cellular soffit. I put some hanging baskets up once where it had been retrofitted.

But won't it have been nailed to the ends of the roof timbers?

 

[The Pars]

20mm drill hole for cable entry from soffit and use screws provided with camera to install

 

[foxhole]

Oh, I think I've only seen cellular soffit. I put some hanging baskets up once where it had been retrofitted.

But won't it have been nailed to the ends of the roof timbers?

Yes but may be no timber where he wishes to install camera.

 

[JohnD]

mmmm

On my house, I can see the ends of the trusses sticking out of the eaves, and I thought his soffit would be nailed to them. I can see some screw or nail caps at about the right spacing in his pic. Isn't that right?

 

[^woody^]

Screws = any

Drill bit = sharp

 

[cdbe]

mmmm

On my house, I can see the ends of the trusses sticking out of the eaves, and I thought his soffit would be nailed to them. I can see some screw or nail caps at about the right spacing in his pic. Isn't that right?

Yes. One polypin exposed at the wall end, the other end of the board nailed/screwed to rafter and covered by the fascia overlap.

I'd have thought many domestic cameras are designed to be mounted vertically on a wall, not upside down under a soffit.

 

[foxhole]

Yes. One polypin exposed at the wall end, the other end of the board nailed/screwed to rafter and covered by the fascia overlap.

I'd have thought many domestic cameras are designed to be mounted vertically on a wall, not upside down under a soffit.

They are designed to be mounted just about anywhere you can fix securely.