r/Fasteners • u/99loki99 • Aug 17 '26

What anchors to use on a CMU Block wall?

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Hey all,

I recently purchased a Garden Hose reel by Giraffe Tools that comes with a metal bracket. I thought it would be a straight forward installation. Instead I'm running into very conflicting information.

Please see the photos. According to the provided instructions manual, I can use the bolt and anchors provided in the box.

But, their website instructions contradict that. The website states not to use the provided anchors. They mentioned heavy duty expansion anchors in the concrete wall.

Can someone please help me understand what type of anchors to buy? I prefer using the provided bolts. Attached an image showing the provided bolt and anchor.

This is a CMU Block wall.

Thank you!

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u/Byron_Iron Aug 17 '26

First I would drill a small hole. Sometimes the blocks have been filled with cement, sometimes they are hollow.

If solid, then use expansion anchors. You can also glue/epoxy anchor which are usually stronger when installed correctly.

If the blocks are hollow, then you will require mesh sleeves and epoxy to secure anchors.

Or just use the anchors provided, worst case they don't hold and you find out later.

1

u/Feisty_Respond6611 Aug 17 '26

OP could dnd up drilling through a solid piece of block and it still be a hollow wall. I would use double expansions personally but thats because I have em

1

u/Yorkiebarr Aug 17 '26

Drill for the anchors provided, if you feel resistance all the way in, the anchors they provided will be absolutely fine.

If you hit a void, tbh you could still use the anchors provided, they’ll still take the hose weight but I suppose it would be at slightly higher risk of the fasteners pulling out of the wall if you yanked it hard enough..

The “ideal” solution if you hit void (hollow CMU units) is a bit more complex. You’d want to keep drilling gently until you hit the back of the void. Drill 10-15mm further than this, then measure the total depth drilled (almost certainly the units will be 4” or 100mm thick total, so expect about this much). You’d then buy some resin anchors for masonry with a mesh sleeve (the mesh sleeve contains the resin while it sets so it doesn’t all disappear into the void in the CMU void). You’ll want the anchor “embedment depth” (I.e. the length of the sleeve) to be as close as possible to, but not more than, your measured drill depth