salem
Central Valley, Ca
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The grab handle by the front door has three screws on top and three screws on bottom. The ones on top are loose. I've tried tightening them but it only works for a short time. There isn't much behind the wall for the screws to go into. I tried those plastic expanding things but that didn't work either. Any ideas?
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lostbytes
Was lostmarbles years back on here....
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Need to use the metal types toggle bolts. Providing there isn't any supporting wood in wall. Need deep scanning stud scanner on inside of unit wall to use to find out. Sometimes just knocking will give you a hint of something solid between the outter and inside of wall. If by door. Are you able to get behind frame of door to see?
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lostbytes
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If using those toggle bolts. You might have to snip those expanding ends to get into that narrow wall. Those toggle bolts are made for 2" regular homes where as the RV walls are 1"-1 1/2".
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GDS-3950BH
DC
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lostbytes wrote:If using those toggle bolts. You might have to snip those expanding ends to get into that narrow wall. Those toggle bolts are made for 2" regular homes where as the RV walls are 1"-1 1/2".
2" walls in regular homes?
Remove the handle, take a drill bit and mark it with a piece of tape so you don't penetrate the interior. Drill out the holes and rout the bit around at an angle, creating a cone in the interior foam. Inject some epoxy, power grab, liquid nails etc into the holes, then reinstall the handle after it has cured.
* This post was
edited 06/11/21 06:31am by an administrator/moderator *
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wa8yxm
Davison Michigan (East of Flint)
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This may take some doing
Drill all the way through to the inside
Lay a metal plate on the inside and drill it as well
Use not screws but BOLTS just long enough to go through the wall and a bit more
Use "CAP" style nuts and flat washers on the bolts
Seal the handle to the outside wall to prevent moisture entry
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ferndaleflyer
everywhere
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I sure wouldn't want to trust any weight on something as discribed above. Nothing in the wall to support it is an accident waiting to happen.
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D.E.Bishop
Eagle Rock, CA
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I kind of hate to say this but toggle bolts really suck for very thin walls. They require a really big hole in the wall in comparison to the screw in them. They will hold well but there are a couple of better choices.
I would bet that the screws used to hold the handle are no bigger than #10 and the total skin thickness is no more than 3/16". A product made specifically for thin brittle materials are Jack Nuts. The whole required to install them is as large or larger than a comparable toggle but when finished the whole will be just slightly larger than the screw used to hold the handle.
A very similar item would be a Molly Bolt.
Both can be installed easily in foam filled walls, while Toggle Bolts are somewhat difficult.
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Cummins12V98
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"Drill out the holes and rout the bit around at an angle, creating a cone in the interior foam. Inject some epoxy, power grab, liquid nails etc into the holes, then reinstall the handle after it has cured."
Great idea, the epoxy is the right choice. Liquid Nails simply will take a LONG time to be hard enough to hold a screw. Vac the holes out prior to inserting the epoxy.
Once the epoxy is cured pre drill screw holes the diameter of the screw minus the treads.
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PartyOf Five
Wheaton, IL
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We kept upgrading screw sizes, then added a plate to the wall, and attached the bar to the plate. The plate is the full width of the wall to catch studs and is stainless (to match the new handle) which is like the ones used in bathrooms.
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jdc1
Rescue, Ca
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PartyOf Five wrote:We kept upgrading screw sizes, then added a plate to the wall, and attached the bar to the plate. The plate is the full width of the wall to catch studs and is stainless (to match the new handle) which is like the ones used in bathrooms.
LOL. That's what I did to the kids bathroom towel bars when they were young. Cut a piece of 1X4 a couple inches longer that the bar. Screw it to the wall where studs are, then screw the towel bar to the 1X6. Try ripping that off KIDS
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