UPDATED (Pls See Latest Answr) Are these pipe hangers safe/suitable..?
by
Tim
+12
Hello,
I needed a pull-up bar and made one using two pipe hangers (1 1/2 inch openings) that I nailed into the ceiling joists with roofing nails and then put a 5 foot long, 1.25 inch thick galvanized pipe into the hangers. Do you think it is safe to do pull-ups from this set-up? I am curious how much the hangers are designed to hold, as I could not readily find that information online. There is also a little bit of space inside the hangers, since they are a quarter of an inch bigger than the pipe's thickness. Wondering if I should try and fill those gaps with something in order to eliminate any wiggle room. Thanks for any input.
Tim
Nope. Those are use to hold pipes and ductwork. Safe working load is 46 pounds. They also aren't stiff enough and will flex. You would need to nut an bolt anything you use. Nails would sheer from human weight.
In addition to the danger of injury to the person using the bar to do pull-ups, is it good for the structure of the joists/building for an adult-sized person to be doing such an activity?
I wouldn't feel safe using that.
Hi, Tim,
Your joists were not designed to withstand pull ups. Try building a free standing one to be situated on your basement floor, or for outdoor use.
Like the others commenting, I doubt this is good solution. Even Superman looks like he disapproves.
Tim,
You could use wood (2x6) with a hole removed from the center to accommodate the diameter of the bar and bolt it through the floor joist as William suggested. You could also use steel chain, like you would for a porch swing, with eye hooks and S hooks, but it will move when you use it. The joists are strong enough, if you properly secure whatever material you decide to use, as you are not permanently attaching a heavy load. You might want to opt for a wall mounted chin up bar.
Thanks for your comments everyone. I was a little concerned about damaging the joists. I have seen some YouTube videos where people set up a pull-up bar using the joists to support it, but they were attaching something more stable than pipe hangers for the bar (i.e. wood with a hole in it, as Seth mentioned). I sensed a lot of pressure on the joists when I was testing it out last night. Also, this might just be in my imagination, but the kitchen floor above it where I set up the pull-up bar seemed to sound a little creakier when I was walking on it this morning. I guess I'll need to find a better solution. The only problem with a wall one or free-standing one is that they take up more space (esp. a free-standing one), and I am very limited on space in the area.
No I would not trust that.
Hi Tim, The hangers and pipe i am sure would hold a couple hundred pounds. But instead of roofing nails, I would drill trough the joists and install a couple 1/4 or 5/16" bolts. The tensile strength of soft steel is around 40,000 lbs per sq/inch. Both straps would be about 1/10th of that, so the straps are strong enough.
Only one way to find out!
I personally would not trust it.
No that is not strong enough it will break
I think you need something thicker
I would not recommend using this because of the hangers and in addition whatever you do decide to use that is strong enough should be screwed in rather than nailed (especially roofing nails)! Be safe, not sorry!
Update: I noticed that the joists that I nailed the hangers into now have some cracks in them (see first three pics below). I'm not sure if the cracks were caused by nailing in the hangers with a hammer, or by me testing out the bar by hanging my weight from it (I did about 15 pull ups on it). The cracks were not there previously though. Do you think these cracks are something that I should be concerned about?
Also, I was still hoping to install a pull-up bar from the joists, since it allows me to maximize the space in the basement (I don't have a good spot to put a pull-up bar on the wall or to have a free-standing one from the floor). Does the following idea of using 2x6's bolted to the joists, with holes in the 2x6's for the bar, look like the best idea (see last three pics below for examples)? Are the joists strong enough for this? This is what Seth proposed above (who seemed to think that the joists would not be damaged by it), and I have seen a handful of people build one this way on YouTube.
Thanks for any feedback.
Tim
*Note: my bar is 60 inches long (5 ft). Not sure if the long length of it would cause any extra pressure on the joists that hold it up, since my weight will not be directly underneath those joists but will be more towards the middle of the bar.