Re: on the
As others have said, hang a
track if at all possible. You will be far happier with the results. The curtain will be the same height all the way, off the floor or just brushing, your choice. carriers have
trim chain so small adjustments are very easy. BTW, if you don't already have the
curtains, ask for CCF-2 or CCF-3 fasteners instead of "S" hooks. They
snap closed with out bending but are easy to adjust if/when necessary. In your area look to
BMI as a possible source. I can sell you
track and
drop ship if you want to install yourself.
As for the cable, 1/4" has a
breaking strength of 7,000 which
theatre riggers use a
design factor of 8 which means a safe
WLL of 875#. If your curtain puts a 50# load on the cable and you provide enough tension to make the cable sag "only" 3" in the center, you are putting a load of 1150# on each end of the cable. If someone pulls on the curtain with another 20# of down force, the tension on the cable shoot up to 1750# on each end. That's a lot of force on a cinder
block wall. Not to mention that you have far exceeded the recommended
WLL of the cable
For the cinder
block you want/need to spread the force out as far as possible and there are two ways to do it. both should be employed in your situation. the first tactic is to spread the force out sideways by using a bracket that allows several fasteners to be inserted in the wall at each end. The most effective would be an square or circle with 4 holes for bolts and angle braces coming from each
point, meeting in the middle at a distance from the wall at least equal to the distance between points. Where they meet, have a forged eye to fasten the cable or
turnbuckle. The second method of spreading the force is to use an
epoxy adhesive type of anchor that uses a
screen insert to spread and hold the adhesive in the hole.
Hilti Online - Adhesive Anchors
Note the threaded rods and
screen inserts at the bottom of the
page. You put the
screen insert in the hole and then fill it with the
epoxy. The
screen allows the
epoxy to spread around and in back of the hole, like a big
mushroom, in the hollow cinder
block, but keeps it in place around the threaded rod until it sets up. The threaded rod has notches and crimps in the end to provide lots of locking notches and surface area for the
epoxy to adhere to. This method will provide a pull out tension superior to anything except a
bolt completely through the cinder
block with backing plates on the other side.
Hilti, Powers, and other fasteners have this
epoxy system. Check with your local Fastenall or Whitecap or similar Construction supply company. They usually have small tubes intended for one or two bolts so you don't have to buy the $90 cartridge and $150 dispensing gun for only 8 bolts.
If you have to go the
GAC route (Please, Please, don't!!!!) for your peace of mind and well being, use an
epoxy anchor
system. Although there are a number of vendors in your area, if you want a quote on a
track, contact me PM.
