RACO RETRO-BRACE
- Thread starter steve_p
- Start date
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Coppersmith
Senior Member
- Location
- Tampa, FL, USA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
I have used many of those. but never on steel framing. I suspect either the teeth would collapse or the steel studs will splay apart. With no teeth holding the bracket in place, all the weight is on the legs which will likely break through the drywall.
Not recommended in my opinion.
Not recommended in my opinion.
K8MHZ
Senior Member
- Occupation
- Electrician
I wonder if a peek at the UL listing would specify wood.
texie
Senior Member
- Location
- Fort Collins, Colorado
- Occupation
- Electrician, Contractor, Inspector
I think I would be inclined to glue in some wood runners as long as you can fit thru the hole with something like Loctite PL construction adhesive. Then the teeth will have something to bite into.
Fred B
Senior Member
- Location
- Upstate, NY
- Occupation
- Electrician
Raco does make one that would allows screws to attach to steel stud
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
What exactly are they using for steel framing for a sheetrocked ceiling? Has to be something beefier than what they use for wall studs as it needs to support the weight of the drywall where for a wall it is more of a spacer between the two sides of the wall and has little structural value otherwise.
I been around steel wall studs several times but all those applications had dropped T bar and tile ceilings. Only times I seen ceiling rock supported by metal members was somewhat older existing construction those all had a channel that wasn't that strong either by itself nor would it be something a fan brace like OP mentions would even be able to make much surface contact with, and it was supported by some heavier metal members about every four feet and those were hanging by support wires from structural ceiling.
Coppersmith
Senior Member
- Location
- Tampa, FL, USA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
You probably need to screw a square of 5/8 plywood to the top side of two metal joists (in each corner) and then drop a box from the plywood.
Perhaps a 2x4 across the tops of at least four joists would work as well.
Perhaps a 2x4 across the tops of at least four joists would work as well.
hbiss
EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
- Location
- Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
- Occupation
- EC
Steel framing comes in several gauges. A buddy of mine who owns a construction company doing mostly commercial work recently rented space in a warehouse. He built himself a 20x18' office in the corner. He used heavy gauge 2x8 steel studs (joists) for the ceiling. Matter of fact he uses the top for storage. Sheetrock ceiling and 3/4" plywood on top. Those studs are like you see on outside walls of commercial construction. Don't bounce at all.
-Hal
-Hal
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
Guessing standard drywall screws don't zip right into those like they do for common interior wall studs, or maybe even won't go in at all unless you use a screw with a self drilling tip.
I’ve only seen construction like this once , many years a ago. The screws did have drill tips and construction adhesive was applied to the joists as well.
hbiss
EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
- Location
- Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
- Occupation
- EC
Yes, self drilling. Use them all the time to attach boxes and LV rings. I used to have boxes of both pointed and self drilling on the truck until somebody dumped them all into one box.
-Hal
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
The drywall hangers are not going to like it when it takes more than a second to install one screw.Yes, self drilling. Use them all the time to attach boxes and LV rings. I used to have boxes of both pointed and self drilling on the truck until somebody dumped them all into one box.
-Hal
I’d guess very few rockers that do stick-built homes also do heavy commercial.
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