Screw Fixing

[RickH]

I built garden walls and left out bricks where 'brick lights' are to go.
The walls are double skin facebrick front and block rear.
Issue is brick lights are around 75mm deep ....... which means there is around 45mm gap behind them ... before there is a block to fix into.

Originally I thought I'd use Tapcon screws but these are proving very hard to find in the 3/16" size (~4mm) would be difficult to line up holes.
plan B would involve fitting a wooden packer to the face of the block in the recess and then screwing fitting to that block .... (not a fan of wood screwed to blocks that get damp due to holding back soil.

plan C .... (not really considered yet) wedge llights in place with packers and then foam around then ..... use foam as fixing ?
Access for light is from the front so the foam does not impede that.
Anybody got a better plan

 

[footprints]

How about using long screws with short lengths of conduit / pipe as spacers, or fix a plastic surface box as the spacer?

 

[foxhole]

Screw to rear using a short length of pipe ( copper or plastic ) as a spacer ..

 

[RickH]

The problem is would need 4” screws, and be difficult to line up 4 plugged holes, 4/pieces of pipe, and the cast in hole supports in fitting won’t allow bigger than 3/16”

This was why I thought of screwing a piece of treated decking onto the block work, then could simply fix light casing to that with stainless steel screw.

 

[Tigercubrider]

make up a packer out of some kind of plastic like a chopping board. It doesn't;t need to be "brick sized" although less work than individual strips screwed in. You could cut a series of H sections to make one per brick light hole and repeat the pattern to save material.

 

[footprints]

Wood will be fine for many years, easy to replace as long as the screws are rustproof. But as we both said the spacers are the alternative if you don't want wood in there. Unless you happen to have some scraps of the reclaimed plastic "wood"type fence posts lying around.

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[RickH]

I have treated decking planks spare .... I could cut the 12 packers for the 12 lights ..... and give them extra overnight soaking in wood preserver, that should then outlast me. I will ask around if anyone has the plastic decking

 

[RickH]

make up a packer out of some kind of plastic like a chopping board. It doesn't;t need to be "brick sized" although less work than individual strips screwed in. You could cut a series of H sections to make one per brick light hole and repeat the pattern to save material.

Nice idea .... if I can find some 35 - 45mm thick polypropylene off cuts ... I'll try an eBay search

 

[foxhole]

The problem is would need 4” screws, and be difficult to line up 4 plugged holes, 4/pieces of pipe, and the cast in hole supports in fitting won’t allow bigger than 3/16”

This was why I thought of screwing a piece of treated decking onto the block work, then could simply fix light casing to that with stainless steel screw.

If your diagram is accurate the bricks have a rim so only a single screw is required thru the centre.

 

[RickH]

Because these are Brick format a centre fixing would not be enough .... inside the cast Alloy fitting are 4 fixing holes, could just use 2 I suppose.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I didn't understand foxhole's post tbh, why would you only use one?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Something like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/28495500...OY38EebOVD24rSXP0NjtB9K3E=|tkp:Bk9SR9Lip5_oYA

 

[RickH]

Something like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284955005598?hash=item4258a4529e:g:jUcAAOSwc5FjFKBc&amdata=enc:AQAHAAAAoNXrbQH3A43v604aXPxp2BJjOpZI4kcbq30b2wpVF/h9rCFaPl+0I4j46NchYeuXVEHRSBDVT35I7mw2wWoGgZyfr5VCxVx55RGnl8ehNcuacZFOfdKZvQND+68ur9SRtzGWPYWMY+7bejejRCJyPyM70wRNMDTeKPLoDB/Crypo6hQAE7DZyZoEkl06izOY38EebOVD24rSXP0NjtB9K3E=|tkp:Bk9SR9Lip5_oYA

Yep Thant would be good