Securing a safe to a post-tensioned slab - DIY

[carolpalmer]

helpful info

very informative writeup

[carolpalmer]

Cautious

it is quite risky, drilling. Let professional have a go.

[John Browning]

it is quite risky, drilling. Let professional have a go.

You have to be a total moron to actively decide to just blindly drill into a PT slab. However, morons are a source of job security for construction companies worldwide.

+1 to if you don't know, ask a pro.

[Red-Osier]

Good info, Lot of guys would forget the Acryl 60 in the step 8 you provided.

[sixoclockhold]

Did we hire Carol to pump you up?

Sorry but all you've done is applied a bunch of weight to the bottom of your safe. It's not secured to the floor in any way shape or form. Lets not forget that concrete shrinks and will dislocate the adhesion to the slab all by itself over time. You didn't even follow Sika's instruction of a 1/16" fractured surface for adhesion properties. General that needed some mules to direct eh? I doubt that would even work after everything cured and I slam that make shift slab with a sledge a few times jarring my teeth. Then apply a nice 5 ft. pry bar on those corner studs at top of safe (wow the leverage baby) lifting the slab just enough to slide a wedge under it or just drive the steel wedge from the beginning and forget jarring my teeth. Sledge again, timber.

But in all seriousness I would just bring a saw and be inside in less than 3 minutes drinking your beer in the fridge.

Thanks for the entertainment, that why I love Calguns.

[sixoclockhold]

And I really don't care what you say. Your tools are new, you have no practical experience at commercial maintenance for 40 years like me.

I will drive wedges under your slab as sure as the sun rises and tip that beast of a safe over. Been there done that.

I've hit rebar probably a couple dozen times in my life. Just like a safe cracker, I know what it feels like when you do.

(1) call back in 40 years......

[Quickdraw559]

First time I’ve seen this thread. Time to bring it back to life!

I hold ICC certifications in Reinforced Concrete, PT, Masonry, as well as installers/inspectors certs in epoxy doweling. I was the lead inspector on a couple PT high rises in the city and have stressed over 1,000 bonded and unbonded cables, even surviving 2 breaks that could have ended my life. I have gpr’d hundreds of thousands of sq ft of concrete and watched thousands upon thousands of anchors drilled and installed.

It is nearly impossible to drill through a PT cable with a standard masonry bit. I would be more worried about creating micro-fractures in and around your work area that will lead to increased degradation of the concrete, especially when considering the fact that you will be moving and placing a safe there. Cracking up your slab that is under stress from the cables is not a good idea. That said, given the minimum concrete cover and required embedment of a good anchor, chances are slim you’ll even hit one.

No advice to give, that’s not in my job description.

[vg247]

I anchored my safes into my PT slab on a newer home (14 years old) and it was fine, perhaps just luck... but for those who want to play it safe, sturdy safe has this clever option here:

https://www.sturdysafe.com/pages/mountable-floor-plate-for-gun-safe