Gasworks Ltd is a well-established heating company working across Swindon and the surrounding area. With three qualified engineers, the team carries out gas central heating installations, servicing and repairs, alongside general plumbing maintenance. Radiator and boiler installations form a core part of their day-to-day work.

The challenges of dot & dab walls

Director and lead engineer Chris Hart has over 35 years of experience in the industry, having started his career at British Gas before founding Gasworks in 2006. Over that time, one challenge has come up again and again when installing heavy radiators:

“The most common issues faced with hanging radiators are always plasterboard related,” Chris explains. “Especially when hanging large double panel radiators. Finding good radiator fixings for standard plasterboard walls and dot and dabbed walls has always been a problem.”

“Dot and dab” walls create a cavity behind the plasterboard, which means traditional wall plugs often rely on the board itself rather than the solid blockwork behind. With heavy items like double panel radiators, this can lead to crushed plasterboard, loose brackets and a lack of confidence in the finished install. For more information about the challenges of fixing to dot & dab walls, check out this guide!

Heavy radiators on dot & dab walls

For a recent job in Swindon, Gasworks fitted two heavy double panel radiators, each weighing around 30kg, onto dot and dab walls using Corefix Connect 100 heavy duty dot and dab wall fixings.

Chris first discovered Corefix around two years ago when fixing a new boiler onto a dabbed external wall. “The boiler weighed 68kg,” he says. “I used Corefix Connect fixings and as a result, I now use them to hang all of my new boiler installs where appropriate.”

On this radiator installation, the fixings performed exactly as expected. “None at all,” Chris says when asked about challenges. “As long as I can find my 10mm drill bit, they always fix without a problem.”

Solving the dot & dab issue

Corefix Connect uses a patented engineered steel core that bridges the cavity behind the plasterboard and transfers the load directly into the blockwork. This prevents the plasterboard from crushing and creates a rigid, lasting fixing point. With a 55kg safe working load per fixing, and compatibility with all common masonry types, it gives installers confidence when mounting heavy heating equipment.

“The rads were both double panel radiators weighing about 30kg each and they handled them with no problem,” Chris adds.

Compared to traditional solutions, the difference is clear:

“Nothing I’ve used in the past compares to Corefix really. I used to use standard Rawlplugs with long screws, but there would be problems with the shank of the screw not being supported very well by the plasterboard as it went through the 7mm hole I drilled for the plug. You would have to make the screws really tight, and in doing so, risk damaging the board if it was too tight.”

Gasworks installs radiators and boilers every week, and now uses Corefix Connect fixings whenever dot and dab walls are involved. Chris already recommends them to other installers and sees further uses too, including fixing expansion vessels where weight can increase significantly if they fail.

For tradespeople and tool stockists, this project shows why Corefix Connect is a dependable solution for fixing heavy items like radiators to dot and dab walls. It solves a common on site problem, installs with standard tools with no special equipment needed, and delivers the strength and reliability professionals expect when fitting heavy radiators and boilers.

Corefix Connect dot & dab wall fixings are available from our trusted retailers.

You can find Corefix Connect’s technical datasheet in our Downloads section.

Don’t forget we’re here to help with any questions related to wall fixings, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

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