attic ladder fastening

[David C. Macy]

It seems almost every pull down ladder I inspect always has a screw inserted where there are signs all over the ladder that state

"drive nail through hole in metal bracket"

Is this something that should be addressed in an inspection report?

[Larry D. Kage]

Typically, the nail has much more shear strength than the screws I see rammed into those holes...but it depends on the screw/bolt used.

[Doug Edwards]

I always do. Usually the instructions says something along the lines of, "failure to follow these instructions may result in catastrophic failure and result in serious injury". or words to that effect. I don't usually make a big hairy deal out of it but do tell them it should be corrected. Words like "Oh my God!" and other alarming exclamations are not normally part of my presentation. I try to be more matter of fact, keep things in perspective but make my point. Most of the time I find drywall screws which are designed to snap off the head if it gets too much stress or torque applied to it, not a great feature for an attic ladder fastener. The only screw I have ever seen recommended for this application is a 3 inch 1/4 lag screw. I carry one around for the show and tell portion of our inspection just for this purpose.

[David C. Macy]

This one looked like it was about 2 1/2 to 3 inches, there was an extra one tied on the rope access.

[Larry D. Kage]

Originally Posted by dmacy

This one looked like it was about 2 1/2 to 3 inches, there was an extra one tied on the rope access.

Hard to tell with that one.

This is what I was thinking about:

http://www.strongtie.com/ftp/fliers/F-SDSLDGR10.pdf

[David C. Macy]

I like the identification stamp on the head of the screw. Someone was thinking!!

Thanks for the link.