Bolting Safe Into Basement Floor - Tips/Concerns

Hey TW

I have a safe that I am looking to bolt into my basement floor - specifically in my utility room (furnace, water heater, water softener).

My house was built in 1979 and I don't have the blueprints.

1) Is there any chance of me hitting pipes when drilling into the floor? Is piping normally run through a home's foundation?

2) Will 0.5" be enough to hold the safe done appropriately - would 1" be better? My thought is the shallower I drill, the smaller the chance of me hitting a pipe.

I'm a new homeowner and don't know if running piping through a foundation is even an issue.

Thoughts?

Thank you!

 

Typically pipes are run under the concrete in a bed of sand/gravel instead of through it. You want to drill a little deeper than the anchor is long (assuming the bolt won't stick out the bottom of the anchor) so that the bolt doesn't bottom out on the hole before tightening up.

 

This is what I used.

Drilled in 3" and left 1" exposed, have 4 on the bottom and 4 in the back connected to the wall.. that fucker doesn't move

 

These work awesome

Drill about 1/2" deeper than you intend to embed the bolt , vacuum out the hole , put the nut on the bolt before you hammer it on in case you deform the threads with a poorly placed hammer blow

 

I've seen guys bolt I beams to the floor, then bolt the safe to the I beams. Lifts the safe a little, allows you to get a dolly under if need, and protects from flooding.

 

Hey guys - thanks for the comments. Good tips on drilling deeper than the bolt and vacuuming out the hole first!

In my house disclosures it was stated that the property has never flooded. I am also in a very low risk area for floods according to the flood plain map, so I'm not worried about elevating the safe.

It sounds like I will not need to worry about hitting any piping while drilling into the foundation.

 

Simpson makes a bolt called "Titan HD." It's rated a little better than the wedge all bolts. The wedge all's sometimes crack concrete. Also the simpson bolts you can take back out if the need ever arises. Just a thought.

 

Wedge anchors will only crack brittle or thin concrete

and " Titen HD "

 

Brilliant.

 

Drop ins are stronger and probably easier to work with in this application.

 

You have oil heat out that way? in the northeast its commonplace to have oil lines buried just below the surface.

 

How big is your safe??

We have an 800lb safe on the main floor of the house, not bolted to anything. Only one door in the house big enough to get it out of.....

Honestly? If anyone has the balls, equipment, & the time to come into the house, lift that sucker and get it out of the house and into a truck to haul away... More power to ya. And, not to mention...trying to get inside it. Not an easy job to move on a regular day......

(aside from that, we have an alarm system - so don't get any ideas )

 

This is a small 12-15 rifle safe. It's not very heavy and can easily be moved by a couple of adults. Due to that, I'd like to bolt it down to make removing it a little more difficult. I'm living out in the West and we don't use oil - so that shouldn't be an issue. As for plumbing leaks, they happen, hopefully not to me, but that is what I have insurance for.