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Attaching fire alarms to ceiling?

WassermeloneWassermelone Registered User regular
We have some fire alarms that used to screw into the ceiling except that when taking off the normally detachable part, the whole thing has literally ripped out of the brittle plaster. Screws are no longer an option because where they are placed on the fire alarm, there isn't enough ceiling for them to actually screw into. There is however, still quite a bit of overlap between the plate that attaches to the ceiling and the ceiling still.

Is there any sort of non permanent glue, non screw way to stick them back to the ceiling? Not looking for a super long term solution, but in the mean time I would like the fire alarms to not be just hanging from wires through a ragged hole in the ceiling! Something semi secure would be nice.

Posts

  • FelixFelix Registered User regular
    Maybe some of those 3M Command strips?

  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
  • bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    Can you rotate the screw holes or move it slightly?

    bowen on
    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
  • wrong_buttonwrong_button Registered User regular
    Getting anything non-permanent to adhere to a plaster ceiling is gonna be rough due to the texture/porous nature (my old house was built in the 20s, lemme tell you horror stories).

    How big of a hole are we talking about? Could you use a drywall anchor/screw set in the existing holes it pulled out of?

  • HevachHevach Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    If the hole's small enough, molly screws might work. If it's bigger, look into a snap toggle. Snap toggle bolts have wings on them (usually spring loaded but there's some weird forms out there) that slide through the hole and pop open, then you screw the bolt into the wings instead of the wall. Sometimes it can be a huge pain in the ass if the wings are spinning freely behind the bolt - I've found a stiff wire wrapped around one wing and trailing out of the hole can hold them in place until you get it tight enough for them to grab.

    Snap toggle has the advantage that, since you're not securing the screw to the sides of the screw hole, it own't rip it out larger taking it back out. You might be stuck with the little spring loaded bit in your ceiling, though. I've got a handful of them lost in walls and ceilings around my house.

    Hevach on
  • RendRend Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    Try velcro strips.

    Velcro is boss as hell, and the glue side is not normally permanent.

    [edit] Evidently command strips are the same as or similar to this. But still. Velcro.

    Rend on
  • MichaelLCMichaelLC In what furnace was thy brain? ChicagoRegistered User regular
    edited March 2015
    MichaelLC was warned for this.
    Don't start fires in your house?

    Tube on
  • NoquarNoquar Registered User regular
    I'm not sure what a "super long term solution" is, but I think this is your opportunity to mud the ceiling, prime and paint it, and start from scratch.

  • WiseManTobesWiseManTobes Registered User regular
    I read this as attaching Fire Arms to ceiling, am somewhat relieved.

    Seconding Velcro, you can even buy pre sticky tape style pieces. Can you sand a bit around the area? that will help with any tape style solution.

    Steam! Battlenet:Wisemantobes#1508
  • GaslightGaslight Registered User regular
    I just want to share that every time I see this thread I think it says "Attaching fire ARMS to ceiling" and I imagine some kind of automated sentry gun turret.

  • HevachHevach Registered User regular
    Geth WOULD like a post about automated sentry guns...

    On the subject of velcro: I've got the same problem the OP does, old style plaster walls and ceilings that want to crumble rather than accept any kind of fastener. It's worth a shot, since it's cheap, but adhesive hangers have not worked well for me on the plaster.

  • WassermeloneWassermelone Registered User regular
    Thank you for all the help!

    3m command strips did not hold at all, but velcro helped.

    Also the reason we were not doing a permanent solution was that we had people coming by to look at our place. Our landlady already has people coming to fix the fire alarm situation permanently but in the mean time we didn't want them hanging from wires in the ceiling with people viewing the apartment.

  • NoquarNoquar Registered User regular
    Thank you for all the help!

    3m command strips did not hold at all, but velcro helped.

    Also the reason we were not doing a permanent solution was that we had people coming by to look at our place. Our landlady already has people coming to fix the fire alarm situation permanently but in the mean time we didn't want them hanging from wires in the ceiling with people viewing the apartment.

    That makes sense especially being a lease. I was definitely viewing it from the homeowners POV of I know this is going to come back to bite me later, so do it now.

  • WiseManTobesWiseManTobes Registered User regular
    Ok, now can we work on the Ceiling mounted Sentry Turrets?

    Steam! Battlenet:Wisemantobes#1508
  • GaslightGaslight Registered User regular
    MichaelLC wrote: »
    Don't start fires in your house?

    Are you really arguing that there is no need for fire alarms in the house as long as you don't plan on starting any fires?

    Unplanned fires in the house are the REASON you need fire alarms. I don't need an alarm to tell me about a fire I started on purpose.

  • MichaelLCMichaelLC In what furnace was thy brain? ChicagoRegistered User regular
    Gaslight wrote: »
    MichaelLC wrote: »
    Don't start fires in your house?

    Are you really arguing that there is no need for fire alarms in the house as long as you don't plan on starting any fires?

    Unplanned fires in the house are the REASON you need fire alarms. I don't need an alarm to tell me about a fire I started on purpose.

    It's just general good advice.

  • HevachHevach Registered User regular
    edited March 2015
    It's great advice, sure, but what percentage of home fires are intentionally set by a homeowner who is seeking to prevent fires? "Don't set fires in your home" will prevent about 1% of fires. Assuming a person starting a fire in their own home is still open to arson related advice.

    Hevach on
  • ceresceres When the last moon is cast over the last star of morning And the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderator mod
    That's enough of that.

    And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
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