How to wall mount an umbrella to a brick pillar?

[Damo101]

Hi,

I'm seeking diverse perspectives, particularly from builders or structural engineers, on mounting an umbrella to a brick pillar.

Pillar height - roughly 3m

Umbrella weight - 8 kilos (the bracket is roughly 1.2m with 3 mounting holes, top and bottom) 

Brick pillar - roughly 36cm square

I've put up thousands of mirrors, pictures, shelves, dryers, etc., on walls, but I need opinions on this particular job.  

My understanding is that it is a 1.5 brick pier pillar.  I'm assuming the outside brick shell is 10-hole brick, but I'm unsure about the center core.  These pillars are in the backyard acting as support structures to bedrooms, but the front yard pillars only have a timber frame placed on top of them (they were going to be balconies) I'm assuming the engineers would have structured them the same.  

I'm seeking opinions on what you think the center core would consist of e.g. concrete, steel beam, and whether there would be some metal structural framing tying the brick together.

When the umbrella is closed and resting up against the pillar that isn't the issue, but when erected it has a diameter of 3m, and with strong wind gusts the kilograms of force increases greatly (on windy days the umbrella would remain down).

Would M8, 110mm steel rods, or M10 130mm steel rods in chemical epoxy sleeves be possible with this pillar? 

Pictures include:

* Backyard pillar 

* Front yard pillar

* Bracket

Thanks

Damien 

[Damo101]

Hi Alan,

Yeah, you can do that; it wouldn't need council approval. 

I'm not sure what the weight would be all up; it depends on the height and width of the post, but the idea would be to take any problems away from the house and pillar.

Thanks for the idea and input. 

Damien     

[Noyade]

Afternoon @Damo101 

"I am hoping to avoid that to prevent more clutter, which is why a wall-mounted umbrella was an attractive option."

Just a 5c thought.

A steel collar for the top and bottom connection anchorage. Headless bolts welded to steel plate with ends that fit pre-drilled opposite members.

Apply the nuts and tighten. The bolted sides need to be slightly shorter. The umbrella connection (three short bolts) will be tapped thread wise.

Same for the bottom.

No drilling into the brick.

If the issue is the structural integrity of the pillar - all the above is null and void.

Cheers.

(Any excuse to draw.)

[Dave-1]

@Damo101 

Just a note, for an umbrella on a post with a 3m span, I would go fora 800mm deep hole. Anything less and you will find it tilting with time.

I did think of something along the lines of @Noyade suggestion, Just not sure how much more strength it would give to the connection points but definently worth a consideration.

Dave

[Damo101]

Yeah, that is what I thought.  I have M8 110mm, or M10 130mm length rods on standby.  The average brick width is 11cm, so the M8 and M10 would go in roughly 95mm and 115mm, respectively.  

Damien

[Damo101]

Hi @Noyade,

That is interesting.  I think I'm understanding, but I don't understand how no drilling into the brick works (sorry, mentally not with it today). 

* You place a collar on the top and bottom mounts 

* headless bolts/rods welded to a steel plate

Do you mean the plates are welded to the brick?

Damien

[Noyade]

The idea is four thick steel (5mm) plates surround the pillar.

Two (with the welded bolts) are shorter that the other two.

The pre-drilled plates match the bolts and are tightened with 4 nuts.

One plate will be drilled and tapped (prior to fitting) to accept short bolts for your umbrella mount. Are there three? I can't tell.

Squeezed together for a tight fit.

I'm just thinking this will make a firmer anchorage point than drilling into the brick and having the fasteners subjected to wind forces.

Its all metalwork - and just an afternoon thought @Damo101 🙂

I've only drawn one corner. I have plenty of pencils - let me know if you want more detail.

Cheers.

[Damo101]

You use the outside of the pillar to create the hold rather than the inside.  Interesting.  I wonder how much pressure brick can hold with this method.  

There are two brackets, top and bottom, which connect the umbrella via pins.  You can remove the brackets and join them back whenever you like.  Each bracket has three mounting holes.  

If I can get hold of a builder, I'll have to mention this to him.  I'm not sure how much pulling this would do to a brick pillar.  The pillar is about 400 kilos in weight without adding the center core weight, which would be either concrete or a steel post - so the total weight is probably around 500 kilos. 

Thanks for the idea and drawings.  A visual of it helps a lot.  

Damien 

[Noyade]

Glad the concept makes sense Damien.

It's basically a 'girdle' for a brick pillar.

I don't believe the nuts need a crushing force applied (no man wants that) - just enough to hold it in place - gravity will produce an outward force on the top collar which will also help hold it in place.

I'm thinking 100 mm X 5 mm plate.

A quick Google suggests it's a BigW product?

https://www.bigw.com.au/product/wall-mounted-garden-parasol-with-metal-pole-300-cm-black-vidaxl/p/99...

I now see it's square tube with a round fastening collar?

I was playing with steel outside - I had the opposite positioned.

Cheers and good luck.

Graeme.