Drywall screws to mount electrical panels

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Thanks goes out to George for the research
John Hawkinson said:
post #49
George, well, it depends...

Those numbers cite ASTM D1761, "Standard Test Methods for Mechanical Fasteners in Wood." The withdrawal number is the force required to pull the screw out along its axis, and that is probably not the number of concern. The lateral resistance is indeed similar to what you would see from the weight of the panelboard on a wall. But the lateral resistance is tested with a 25/32" (.781") thick piece of wood being screwed to a 2" thick piece of wood, and a 2 1/2" long fastener screws into both pieces of wood. Putting up a panelboard, the threads of the fastener would (presumably?) not see significant engagement with the panelboard, and I think most panelboards are less than 25/32" thick, so there may be more force concentrated on the head of the screw, which may be weaker(?). Furthermore the gypsum board between the panelboard and the stud is not as strong as the wood that this test is done with.

On the plus side, there are those safety factors. ASTM D1761 is silent on them, so one imagines they were chosen somewhat arbitrarily by the manufacturer who wrote the specifications in question.

Lastly, of course, you have to watch out for uneven loading of the screws.

I'm a bit unclear whether this thread is asking about screws being screwed into studs or into drywall, and whether the studs are wood or metal.
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In this thread was looking for guidance for inspection. . It would be nice to have an answer that would apply to all applications, drywall, wood, metal but that probably is simplifying it too much. . If I had all the different max load weight numbers in front of me for all different applications and material surfaces, I would look at how close all the numbers were falling and see if I could walk away with just one generalized answer that could be used whenever the support looks light.

John Hawkinson said:
Lastly, of course, you have to watch out for uneven loading of the screws.
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Yeah, on the example that I mentioned before of the 3 screw mounting, one centered in the top and two on the bottom. . That single centered top screw idea didn?t look right to me.

John Hawkinson said:
post #49
I'm sure you can tell I was lurking in the wings waiting for my one-year anniversary for a thread where I had something to contribute. I just wish it wasn't this one :D.
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I?m glad you jumped in !
You had a lot to add

John Hawkinson said:
post #49
Hey Scott, don't confuse us Cantabrigians with the people actually run the city. We just live here!
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Scott does seem to like ?The Peoples Republic of Cambridge?. . How bad is the totalitarianism in Cambridge ?

David
 
georgestolz said:
post #45
Well, to be fair, at least two of the pages were dedicated to berating David for bringing it up. :D
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I would have felt cheated if I'd have made it thru a whole thread without being beaten up :wink: And I'm not winking at you, my eye is still swelled shut from the beating :cool: Sunglasses cover the damage while I plot my revenge
 
truly amazed

truly amazed

I am truly amazed at this site and some of the disscussions...wow who knew you could get this much chatter on drywall screws..anyways drywall screws kick buttttt:)....I really think this forum should be called the philosophical society of electrical code interpeters(PSEC) of course pertaining to the NEC.:) I think the code book has more misinterpetations than the bible anyday..can I get a code-men
 
PSECI member

PSECI member

yeah dnem ya got me I forgot the "I" "PSECI" ..... yaaa my cousin vinny was great.....the uuuuutes your honor..the what.... the uuuuuutes...excuse me the youthzzzzzz..great flick witch pesci :)
 
Drywall Screws to anchor panel

Drywall Screws to anchor panel

I think enough has been said so I will just say I use to use drywall screws alot but now I have started using Deck screws of all sizes because they are lot stronger and will not break as easy.(no more heads ringing off). I also use hex head self starter screws and regular hex head. Semper Fi. Buddy
 
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