AAAsh Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 Hi Folks - Has anyone had an issue placing a BB32 on a balcony? I was reading the post about reenforcing deck structures and that got me thinking about the load limit of the balcony in our condo. Have contacted the property manager, but wanted to collect experiences from this forum as well. My BB is due to arrive in a few days so hopefully no issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekobo Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 (edited) Hi @AAAsh, definitely worth checking on this. if your property manager doesn't have any official load limits then I would recommend getting hold of a structural engineer to confirm what the balcony was designed to carry, in line with local building code. You don't want to invalidate your insurance or worse still, kill someone, so it is worth getting an official view. All that said, I have just looked on Dennis' KK site and it says that the gross weight of a 32 BB crated is about 500kg. That is 10 skinny people or 6 fat ones. If you can get that many people on your balcony then you stand a good chance of this being OK. Edited December 21, 2020 by tekobo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AAAsh Posted December 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 I spoke to the property manager and they said it would be fine. They used the same logic (number of people)... It is a pretty large concrete balcony that seems solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekobo Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 I always smile when @tony b turns up with his safety wagging finger. Particularly when it comes to stray wires from those Kurly Kate steel cleaners getting into your tummy. He can always be trusted to turn up to tell you not to use them and I can be trusted to ignore him and go on using them. I am a little concerned about your balcony though and would not rely on an assumption about the number of people it can carry. A KK represents a heavy load applied over a small area and could be a problem depending on where you put it. Structural engineers are pretty cheap to get an opinion from here in the UK. I would hope that you could get someone to take a look or get your property manager to see if there is any guidance in the maintenance log for the building. Or you could decide it is fine and just ignore me but as a civil engineer I would not rely on someone telling me that a bridge "seems solid". 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AAAsh Posted December 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 Good point. Have contacted the structural engineers that worked on the original designed of the property.... Fingers crossed they respond quickly and positively. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 2 hours ago, tekobo said: That is 10 skinny people or 6 fat ones. That's funny! Is height a consideration? What if one of the fat ones is really short? Do we need to through in another 1/2 fat person? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekobo Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 32 minutes ago, Paul said: That's funny! Is height a consideration? What if one of the fat ones is really short? Do we need to through in another 1/2 fat person? Ha. You so silly but so right Paul. Height is probably a consideration. You would need six tall heavy people standing closer together than social distancing (or their girth) will allow to replicate the effect of a BB32. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonj Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 I think these alternative units of load measurement has some merit for future discussions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 7 hours ago, tekobo said: I always smile when @tony b turns up with his safety wagging finger. Consider it "wagged!" 🤣 There's a lot to be considered here - how was the concrete balcony re-enforced and integrated into the building structure (i.e., was it built to be heavy load bearing or just moderately so - basic patio furniture/a few people), are you planning on the KK being close to the building structure or out near the edge for ventilation (thinking cantilevered load)? The good news here is that it's a static load (not moving) and somewhat distributed by the 4 wheels (but a fairly concentrated footprint - 25% of the weight is borne by each wheel, which has a very small contact point - very high lbf/sq in), but it's concrete, which takes compressive loads well. Good to hear that you've reached out to the original designers for some answers. Good Luck! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AAAsh Posted December 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2020 Thanks all. I have assembled a group of 8 mates - 2 tall and heavy, 1 tall and light and 5 short and heavy - they are coming over later tonight to test it out. @tekobo is that a suitable distribution?? @tony bIt is a cantilevered balcony, but I would have the grill on the side near where it connect to the building. That way I get good ventilation but also it should be one of the strongest points. Have reached out to the structural engineers and asked them to do an assessment. It will give me peace of mind. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekobo Posted December 22, 2020 Report Share Posted December 22, 2020 7 hours ago, AAAsh said: Thanks all. I have assembled a group of 8 mates - 2 tall and heavy, 1 tall and light and 5 short and heavy - they are coming over later tonight to test it out. @tekobo is that a suitable distribution?? I read your post out to The Husband. He asked what weight of beer they would consume before carrying out said test. An important consideration methinks. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tucker Posted December 22, 2020 Report Share Posted December 22, 2020 I would only put something of that concentrated weight on a balcony after a structural engineer has provided an analysis and approval. Consider that all of the weight (984 pounds / ~450 kg ) is concentrated on 4 points within an area of ~8 square feet / .75 square meters, and the weight will remain there permanently; but your mates will only be there for a short duration of time, not truly testing the strength and endurance required to support the grill over time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted December 22, 2020 Report Share Posted December 22, 2020 1 hour ago, tekobo said: weight of beer they would consume Surly you're suggesting they consume lite beer?! 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted December 22, 2020 Report Share Posted December 22, 2020 What has not been mentioned is the 8 mates on the balcony drinking Guiness and standing around the BB admiring it's good looks. Now we have doubled the weight. Reminds me of years ago and a friend's back porch that collapsed when his parents were out of town. Yea bad idea putting the keg out there and everyone trying to get a refill. 2 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 22, 2020 Report Share Posted December 22, 2020 I'm curious to hear what your structural engineers have to say. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AAAsh Posted December 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2020 Spoke to the structural engineer. He wanted some measurements of the balcony, a sketch and a couple of photos. In short, he said based on his opinion and a quick check of the numbers he does not foresee any issues. He did recommend that I position it near a structural column and not on the edge of the cantilevered balcony. He said if I do want to change the position, I should consult with the engineers that designed the building. I have contacted them several times, but can't get a response. Will try again after the new year holidays. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekobo Posted December 30, 2020 Report Share Posted December 30, 2020 (edited) 8 hours ago, AAAsh said: He did recommend that I position it near a structural column and not on the edge of the cantilevered balcony. He said if I do want to change the position, I should consult with the engineers that designed the building. Sounds like good advice @AAAsh. Good to get it verified by the designers when you can. On to more exciting business - where is your KK??? Edited December 30, 2020 by tekobo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekobo Posted December 30, 2020 Report Share Posted December 30, 2020 2 minutes ago, tekobo said: On to more exciting business - where is your KK??? Oooh. I have just seen your cook on the Everyday Cooks thread. Looking good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AAAsh Posted December 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2020 9 minutes ago, tekobo said: Oooh. I have just seen your cook on the Everyday Cooks thread. Looking good! Yeah. It arrived on the 24th and after a few "unboxing" struggles, I managed to get it setup. Will post some photos in the next few days. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 30, 2020 Report Share Posted December 30, 2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
