Home-built Pipe Grid

[Brandofhawk]

Hey All,

So... I've encountered this in a few different spaces. I'm sure many of you have seen or are in similar situations at hand and can potentially help me figure this out...

Recently I've picked up a gig at this theater, and the owner wants me to come back as a house tech / technical director sort of capacity. Its a small 50 seat theater. The main stage space is like... 15' x 15' and its setup as a "blackbox" theater, though I would consider it more Pro-style as the seats are fixed position. Of course it falls somewhere in the gray area in between...

For lights, he has a leprechaun 624, and 5, 4 ch dimmer packs and 1 6 ch dimmer pack. Each has their own circuit for power. He has about 10, Par 46's, 2 par 64s, 6 par 38s, 4 s4jrs (either 26 or 36). None of this weighs entirely to much...

Now here is my issue,
He built the pipe grid himself.
It looks to be chain, eye-bolts and shackles all lagged into the rafters in the ceiling or it is bolted through the rafters where it doesn't have to go through the drop ceiling / drywall. The pipe is about 1.5" OD. I don't actually know the schedule or anything more about it. I do know he said that he went to the local pipe store to buy it. He also attached cross pipes between a few of them with plumbing strap. They like to rotate.

Without photos of it, it feels hard to explain what I really am seeing.. but I do know its NQR (not quite right).

I have done what I can to make it... safer... but I know that it is still wrong...
My question is,
How do I get him to see that this is potentially unsafe because the hardware isn't rated, the pipe isn't the "right" size and type (I only know this from previous jobs really It could be just fine? limited experience with it), that the rafters may not be rated to hold weight of this kind (surely not what you could potentially hang from a pipe grid).

Where should/would I go to get correct pipe and hardware? And really any other questions you think should be asked about how to do it right.

If he isn't going to change it, should I walk away from the theater?

 

[DrPinto]

Trust your gut feeling. If you feel that it's "NQR", I wouldn't even walk under it, let alone hang instruments from it.

You need to get someone in there ASAP who knows rigging to look it over. That someone should be certified and insured.

I would hate to be involved in a lawsuit if anyone gets hurt from this homemade grid.

 

[JLNorthGA]

Ditto to what the Doctor says.
Forged hardware - shackles, eye-bolts and everything. I prefer going for a higher schedule chain - 80 or 100 - though as you aren't really lifting things with it - you may get away with 40 or 43.

Get a certified rigger or an engineer to sign off on it.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Insist on getting an engineer in to review. A structural engineer who works as a small office locally should not be that expensive. Be prepared to tell them what you'll be hanging on it. Just lights? Maybe 30 plf or perhaps less. Scenery? Someone on a Tarzan rope or swing - much more stringent. I would be more concerned by the attachement to the building and maybe the building above all else.

 

[lwinters630]

Should you walk away or run?

Knowledge is responsibility and that turns into liability.

If you are paid as an outside agent I hope your assets are protected in the event of a suit.

As a minimum, document your safety concerns in writing to the one who hired you. If you hang a fixture on a pipe that a reasonable person with your experience has potential to fail and injure someone, you are liable. By hanging it, you accept the existing structure is acceptable. If there is reasonable questions as to safety, don't hang on it.

When hanging overhead you cannot "think" it will hold, you must "know".

Have the theatre do what ever is necessary to make this safe.

 

[FatherMurphy]

If the OD is 1.5", the pipe itself is most likely 1 1/4" schedule 40 black pipe, which, properly supported, is fine for use with lighting. The only problem you might have would be getting cheese-borrough-type clamps to hold properly, since they're designed to clamp to 2" OD (truss) or 1.9" OD (1 1/2") pipes. The rolling cross bars are more worrisome - if they can roll, they can also slide lengthwise, and drop off on one end. A steel plate and some u-bolts at each intersection can make that more rigid pretty cost-effectively, plus there's any number of grid clamps of different styles available for the same purpose.

'Properly supported' is the big question - Having a professional engineer and a professional rigger onsite to look at what's actually there is the important thing. If the theater owner isn't willing to pay for a couple of safety inspections, then it's time to bail. Things could be just fine, they might need a few minor changes, or it might all be teetering on the brink of disaster - we can't tell over the internet, but professionals onsite could.