Henry Pasion, World Executives Digest | An anchor is a tightened which is used to join or affix one article to another, when screws, glue, nails, or any other common fasteners are ineffective or inadequate. In general, there are two types of surfaces where anchors are effective and useful; one is a very hard and rough concrete and the other one is, hollow, including wall, ceiling, doors, etc. There are different types of wall anchors, each one having its own strength and weakness. So, it is important to know which anchor is useful for what purpose. Now we will discuss in detail about hollow wall anchors. These anchors are the simplest and easiest to install and come in a variety of different styles and sizes. This type of anchors is normally used for medium-duty applications. They will usually add permanent screw threads to any substance to which they are joined or attached.
Hollow wall anchors are simply inserted into a pre-drilled hole. As the name implies, they can be used only on hollow walls such as blue board, drywall, etc., and these anchors will expand as the screw is fastened and operated by spreading within vacant part of the wall. Once anchors spread, they cannot be pulled back through smaller installation hole. This anchor can be put in place using a drill or hammer and can be installed on walls of various thickness. These types of anchors are also known as Molly bolts and their maximum holding load is 22.5kgs.
How to Install Hollow Wall Anchors?
Hollow wall anchors are very popular or chamber type tightening anchors for drywall, plaster board, and common board materials. Normally, plasterboard fixings get a grip on the board and then expand into the core material to get a hold. However, hollow wall anchor work by getting enlarged in the hollow space behind the plasterboard fastening the fixture thereby making a much stronger anchor point. In this type of fix, you can detach the fixture and screw, but the rest of the body will stay in original position allowing refitting.
There are two ways for installation of hollow wall anchors; we can either use hollow wall anchor setting tool or just screw the anchor in using normal screwdriver. If you’re new to the concept of hollow wall anchor, then you may find the installation little difficult. Now we will discuss the two installation procedures in detail.
- Using a hollow wall anchor setting tool: First and foremost, check if there is enough space inside the hollow wall in order to allow the anchor to spread. Drill a right sized hole and insert the hollow wall anchor into the wall. Now, slowly glide the nose part of the hollow wall anchor setting tool between the neck and lower-side of the screw. Firmly press the handles together so that the rest of the body of the anchor will start crumpling and spread its arms inside the wall. Now, push the handles continuously until you feel the solid pressure. In this way, hollow wall anchors will completely expand and release the tool. Finally, loosen the center screw, place your article over the hollow wall anchor, put the screw back and fasten.
- Using a standard screwdriver: Try to weigh how much the fixtures to be mounted on a hollow wall anchor and then purchase the anchor that has a weight rating slightly higher than the weight of the item to be hung. Drill a proper hole and then insert the anchor, making sure that it fits comfortably without any extra gap. Finally, place the screw in the anchor and rotate it clockwise using a screwdriver, this will spread the arms of hollow wall anchors.
So, keep these little things in mind, when using hollow wall anchors.
