Mounting an aerial rig in our house

[dement0r]

Hi there

I am looking for advice please. We live in a 1950s council house in Lincolnshire, and we're looking at mounting an aerial rig in our front room for our 8 year old daughter. She currently weighs approx. 26kg and will be doing aerial hoop and silks (like in this video

)

Our proposed solution is to put a 2630mm, 42.4mm galvanised steel tube wall-to-wall, secured with M6x75 concrete bolts, as shown in the images here https://photos.app.goo.gl/aetVwKYPtDNSzSUT8. The blue wall is a supporting interior brick wall. My main concern is the other side, where the bay window is. My understanding is that this is steel reinforced concrete lintel. I am concerned that these are obviously designed to hold a static load, however obviously the aerial rig will have a lot of movement, and I am wondering whether it will be suitable to mount the steel bar in the brickwork above, or if we risk damaging the structural integrity of our house?

Thanks you in advance

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Think I'd prefer to hang it from the joists, assuming there's another floor above so they are thick joists.

I don't understand your idea of putting a tube across. Surely it will sink in the middle? What are you trying to actually attach? Ultimately just a single hanging point?

I'd want some sort of metal bracket/joist to span two joists, with a cable attached hanging down from its centre, passing through the ceiling. Install it from the room above.

She won't be 26kg for ever. Design for an adult, plus jolting so 100kg is probably sensible.

 

[dement0r]

Think I'd prefer to hang it from the joists, assuming there's another floor above so they are thick joists.

I don't understand your idea of putting a tube across. What are you trying to actually attach? Ultimately just a single hanging point?

Yeah I don't particularly trust the joists in our house, to be honest! Do you think that would be a better option? I thought it would probably be safer in the brickwork rather than going into wood. Also, assuming it'd need to hang from the joist rather than just screwing it in, which would mean making massive holes in the ceiling which has recently been replastered

A single hanging point would be OK, but with a pole we could mount multiple things and just slide them out when needed.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

You're talking about using a pole, I guess a scaffold tube, as a joist? Securing its ends and dangling a bouncing 30kg+ load from its centre?

You'd need to do the load calculations, but I'd expect all sorts of bending and bouncing to happen if you do that.

 

[JohnD]

Love swings and similar devices are, I understand, usually hung from a deep beam that spans a number of joists for the floor above, to spread the load. This is easier where there is a loft above and you can just place the beam on the joists and screw it down. A deep beam is fairly rigid, usually designed, IIRC, for 1% deflection.

I know a theatre where lighting poles in the rehearsal room are attached to ringbolts projecting through the ceiling and bolted to the joists above. But this is a static load. The main stage has steel Z-beams for flying.

 

[dement0r]

Yeah the the nuclear, very expensive option. But we just spent a lot of money refurbishing the room!

 

[Scally-Ho]

Can you work from the floor above and access the ceiling void?

 

[dement0r]

Can you work from the floor above and access the ceiling void?

Not without taking up laminate flooring. We talked about it and decided a galvanised steel tube seemed the least disruptive option

My main concern is the concrete lintel where the bay window is

 

[dement0r]

Think I'd prefer to hang it from the joists, assuming there's another floor above so they are thick joists.

I don't understand your idea of putting a tube across. Surely it will sink in the middle? What are you trying to actually attach? Ultimately just a single hanging point?

I'd want some sort of metal bracket/joist to span two joists, with a cable attached hanging down from its centre, passing through the ceiling. Install it from the room above.

She won't be 26kg for ever. Design for an adult, plus jolting so 100kg is probably sensible.

By the way, it's a galvanised steel tube, so it won't bend easily, especially not with the weight that's going to be put on it

 

[stevie888]

Your tube is smaller than a scaffold pole but critically what wall thickness does it have?

 

[dement0r]

Your tube is smaller than a scaffold pole but critically what wall thickness does it have?

This is what was recommended by the metal company we're buying the pole from, it's what they use when supplying for playgrounds etc

The wall is standard brick with cavity wall insulation

 

[noseall]

we just spent a lot of money refurbishing the room!

And now you are going to have someone swinging about in there? WTF?

As said, you need to secure it to x3 floor joists. Forget fixing it to masonry.

 

[dement0r]

And now you are going to have someone swinging about in there? WTF?

As said, you need to secure it to x3 floor joists. Forget fixing it to masonry.

The things we do for our kids...

Why do you advise against fixing it to masonry?

 

[noseall]

The things we do for our kids...

Why do you advise against fixing it to masonry?

Internal blockwork will be far too unreliable, especially as you can’t see what you are fixing into.

 

[stevie888]

This is what was recommended by the metal company we're buying the pole from, it's what they use when supplying for playgrounds etc

The wall is standard brick with cavity wall insulation

I meant wall thickness of tube. I agree with Noseall though: you can't take risks with your daughter's health.