The Only Concrete Anchor You Need And How To Properly Install
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
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Tapcons were voted the favorite type of concrete anchor by my audience so I wanted to put together a straightforward video on how to install Tapcons and what do to if you hit a speed bump. Tapcons are a great product but there are several common mistakes that can derail your project which I will try to help you avoid.
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I always use a thick washer that is at least 25-33% bigger than the head of the Tapcon... it just helps spread the hold across the part being secured, especially sheet metal like you show. My solution for stripped holes... always keep a spool of galvanized wire handy. Just fold a few lengths equal to the thread length, put it in the hole and re-run the screw. The screw will bite into it and press against the sides of the hole. Works every time.
I've used zip tie 'ends' too, or small strips of wood shims or even copper wire will work too!
@@tdotw77 I use poo, but you do you
Thanks I will try that next time
@@tdotw77😅😅x.v
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I rarely have good luck with Tapcons. The holes end up being to large. I will be using your tip next time, though. Thanks.
30 years ago a carpenter from Indiana named Jim taught me a great tip and I have used it ever since. Drill a 3/16 hole with a masonry bit of course, insert a piece of tie wire ( 16 gauge annealed wire, home Depot or Lowe's) and then drive a 16d common nail. Easy ,inexpensive and strong. Thank you Jim. Edit, the piece of wire should be 4 or 5 inches in length.
That holds things into cement? A nail? Even I can do that! I have to try to secure a pergola or gazebo into an aggregate cement patio. Will that work?
@@Tinyteacher1111 yes the 16 gauge annealed wire is the key and it only works with a 16d common. It will work.
@@jackfarrell4727 Thank you! I’m 4’9”, pushing 70, and have to secure this myself, so I appreciate your response❣️
@@Tinyteacher1111 you are very welcome. Wear safety glasses.
I am 76 and been building things for many years, this is one of the best solutions I have run across.
I have been using Tapcons and other concrete anchors for years.
You stated good solid advice.
Overtightening is probably the biggest mistake.
It breaks the side walls.
One solution is after recleaning the hole there are some masonry certified epoxys.
On something like this AC.
Put some in the hole and reinstall.
When that expoxy sets the anchor will not go anywhere for this application.
For framing attachment.
Move over and drill another hole. Make sure to stay within recommended spacing.
When in doubt and possible install 2.
On commercial or industrial jobsites. This should be brought to the attention of the site engineer.
Regular workers do not understand the loads that the anchor will be expected to withstand over a lifetime.
Do not leave that to chance.
I really enjoy your channel. I've used my share of Tapcons during the hurricane plywood wars living in an east central Florida block home. Occasionally I'd spin one and lose the threads. My fix was to stick a few pieces of heavy duty grass trimmer line in the hole. Worked like a charm and held like iron.
Or just crush up a couple of 221 Wagos, drop them in the hole and they'll allow the Tapcon to tighten up tighter that a Nun's box on Sunday!!!
@@Verminator151029colorful explanation
I would say crude. Some folks need attention.......
If it straps, I use a piece of small tie wrap in the whole...
@@joemendyk9994 You want some cheese with that whine?
This is perfect timing. I just came home from Lowes with 3/8 heavy duty tapcons to mount a new mini split on a concrete block wall. Also bought the 8” tapcon sds drill bit.
I haven't had any issues with the larger tapcon screws but I have had the smaller ones snapping off half way down. Most issues have been in flagstone. Always use the recommended drill size for each.
I've never used the larger ones, only the smaller ones. I absolutely hate them lol. Same deal with wedge anchors mostly. I started to epoxy everything in....
According to tapcon the threads are not intended for more than 1-1/4” embedment in the substrate. The longer screws are not to go deeper, they’re for fastening thicker materials to the concrete. This only applies to the 3/16 and 1/4 screws, the bigger anchor bolts 5/16 and up, can go deeper into the concrete for better pull out.
100% agree with you. I HATE any Tapcon less than 5/16". They always snap.
I hate tapcons also I broke to many of them and pretty much refuse to use them now. Nail anchors work better imho.
I built a 'catio' about 6 years ago and used Tapcon. I anchored the vertical beams to a brick wall and the horizontal 2x4s to the patio floor. They've held up very well.
The trouble with drilling concrete, is often the drill bit walks on you soon as you start drilling, This can be a real pain if you are lining up more than one hole like what you did here. So what I do is use a punch to start the hold and use a small drill bit that will set in the punch mark and drill a pilot hole. Even a new sharp drill bit will walk on you sometimes. I do like those anchors. Have used a lot of drop in anchors also, trouble with those is you need to drill a much larger hole to accommodate the anchor not the bolt.
If you have trouble with breaking Tapcons or stripping out the holes, use your drill to drive them, not your impact. I think if you read the directions it actually says to drive them with a drill and not an impact. After I started using a drill to drive them I haven't snapped one or stripped one.
EXACTLY!
Any bolt, screw, nail, etc.. will break if you put enough force on it.
@@kalijasin Well, no doubt. But Tapcons are notorious for it. It's to the point where I always thought they were a crappy product. Many of my coworkers always said that Tapcons sucked and couldn't be trusted. They would use Tapcons as a last resort. I'm just saying that once I started using my drill to drive them, my problems with Tapcons were solved. To the extent that I actually like them and trust them now.
What setting should i set the drill motor to as to not apply to much torque, thanks
@@drdwgmd14 I don't use the clutch settings. I set my drill to drill mode, drive until the drill stops and the Tapcon is tight. The wide part of the head firmly contacting the work piece. Workpiece firmly attached. If you're breaking them then experiment with clutch settings and find what works. My drill is an old Dewalt and it might not be very powerful anymore, but it can still drill concrete and sets Tapcons on drill mode without breaking them. I've broken exactly one since watching this video 8 months ago. I use the hex head Tapcons and a hex nut driver. Make sure to use the recommended diameter size drill stated on the packaging. If you're not in a hurry use a shop vac to suck the concrete dust out of the hole, if you don't have a shop vac or if you're in a hurry like at work or something, you might have to run the Tapcon in and out of the hole a couple times to clean out the concrete dust to get it to tighten down. But long story short, if you use the right diameter drill, use hex head Tapcons, drive them with a drill, and make sure there's not too much concrete dust leftover from drilling the hole, you'll have a 99% success rate with Tapcons.
I have generally had very good results with Tapcons. I once used the phillips head type, couldn't get enough leverage to drive it in all the way and stripped the head. (Pulled it out with pliers.) Since then I have used the hex head only with no problems. I use a ratchet wrench which, though a little slower, reduces the chance of breakage or other problems.
Yeah, I try to stay away from the phillips head concrete screws for the exact issues. I agree the hex head is my favorite but have seen solid results with the Torx head 👍
Use an impact driver with Phillips head even with regular screws into wood. Of course you have to be careful right at the last sixteenth.
Yeah Phillips are the worst. Hex or torx always! 🛠️🔩🔧
This fellow is an excellent instructor. Good Job !!
Thank you!
One tip I would recommend is not to tighten the bolts until you have all 4 bolts 90% or so in place. This will help preventing any possible alignment issues that could also cause your last bolts to not go in easy and even possibly strip
Totally agree tapcons are the way to go, not cheap but the best. Ive no idea what sort of metal these are made out of and what that coating is but they are both impressive.
I just use Tapcon's bit that is sold right next to these anchors usually. Perfect hole every single time, and these anchors are top notch.
I just used some tapcons yesterday to anchor a wrought iron fence post to a drive way using angle brackets. In order to clear the hole of dust and debris I used a can of compressed air with a thin straw attached to the nozzle. This is the stuff normally used to blow dust out of computers and keyboards. The thin straw fit really well and the pressure was more than adequate to clear the holes. On first use I got a blast of dust in the face because I wasn’t expecting it to come out with that much force.
Not a whole lot with tapcon. I found my problem that I don’t keep the drill perpendicular and causing a bigger hole. I prefer using the Red Head instead. Valuable information. Thank you for sharing
Yep, I use Tapcons for a lot of jobs at work, or in some cases zinc anchors. I prefer the rotohammer for much faster work. One thing you may want to consider when mounting fan units are vibration dampeners. The low hum/rumble can be annoying to a lot of people and mounting on spring dampeners is a good approach to minimize the vibration.
I haven’t used this brand, but I have put shelves on a concrete wall with concrete screws. They are the best choice for that relatively light-duty application.
Tapcon is my go to DIY especially here in Florida where high winds are common. Very few failures.
You make very good videos. Very detailed, even when there's a potential problem. Very professional and to the point. My favorite channel for DIY. Thanks.
Thanks so much for the kind words and support 👍
Never did an anchor in concrete before but my first was a Tapcon and I had no problems just following the instructions even though I had no idea what I was doing.
Great video, I have also used the screws, with a smaller bit, so I was a little confused. Thank you for talking about that subject, big help.
I use a plastic drinking straw and a pair of safety glasses to blow out the drilled holes. Beats dragging out a compressor and works better than a shopvac!
My main problem is hitting a rock in the concrete that the drill bit doesn't want to go through, so the bit takes the path of least resistance around the edge of the small rock, resulting in a slightly enlarged hole or the hole getting off my mark if the rock is just below the surface. I've used a fair number of these to mount various things to my unfinished basement walls and I probably have to relocate new holes about 1/10th of the time for this reason. Thanks for the tips!
The cure to this is higher quality tougher drill bit materials like cobalt or diamond tips (downside: more expensive)
@@Tokaisho1 Ah, thank you. I'll be on the lookout for those.
That problem ceased for me when I got a rotary hammer.
@@johndough9187 I use a hammer drill that's high-end consumer grade, but the bit still wanders to the path of least resistance especially when the rock is near the surface. Thanks for the tip though.
@@Pseudo-Geek One solution is to turn the hammer drill to normal (ie for wood) drilling mode and press hard for a while to "grind" an indentation into the rock so the bit doesn't wander off it when back on hammer mode (I use this method to start holes in concrete too). And what johndough said - an SDS rotary drill will have enough cutting power through the rock that this problem won't happen anway.
when doing concrete anchors and the strips. i carry a block of hardwood, take a small ribbon of the hardwood the same length of the hole, and aprox 1/4 of the hole space drop it in the hole and reset the screw, sometimes 2 pcs opposite sides will be the last go to fix.
I recently had an issue with smaller diameter tapcon screws and slightly over-sized pilot holes. I placed a plastic toothpick in the hole with great success. Someone below mentioned weed trimmer line. Would have been too thick for me, but I'll put that idea in my back pocket.
I am a mechanical engineer, and this is my opinion. the Topcon directly screwed into the concrete, its secured depends on the quality of the concrete, if it has too much sand and gravel, the hold will be weak. The other problem is that the threads are cutting through the concrete with very shallowed threads to the root diameter of the screw and it doesn't provide a good hold if a force is applied to pull it out. I spoke to a supplier, and they recommend using and epoxy for concrete gel into the hole to provide strength. For use horizontally on a vertical wall, with a perpendicular download, it should be ok. I don't recommend the use of Topcon for heavy load or applications with pull force. the advantages of using a lead anchor are that lead is a soft metal, and the screw will push material against the concrete hole creating a tremendous amount of pressure, to pull the screw, the concrete has to break first
the more age on the concrete, the more likely a tapcon won't do it. they are also overkill for light duty anchoring. Walldog (tm) screws work great for the light stuff - and also for light stuff in sheetrock. addendum: if you need to level things, you also want a pinset or wedge anchor with double nuts.
I have used Tapcons in very old, porous brick and they have held very tight.
@@KameraShy that's one of the differences between clay and concrete.
I use a socket wrench to screw the anchors in. It takes a little longer but it ensures the head of the anchor is not over torqued.
The ONLY Tapcons I willingly use anymore are ones that are least 5/16 or bigger. The little ones just snap so easily. The bigger ones do work well and I don't have any issue with them. I also generally squirt in some heavy duty construction adhesive into the hole depending on the project.
THANKS SCOTT,GREAT INFO AND…IT IS ALWAYS GREAT TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS 🤗👍💚💚💚
Another good video man. I enjoyed it. Very much appreciated 👍👍
Thanks for the feedback!
I like tapcons too, but you have to be careful to get just the right size hole. Even using the concrete drill bit they provide, if you hit a hard spot in the concrete, the hole can be too big and strip out. Too small and the screw can jam and snap off.
Yep, it is very difficult to get the right size hole. You are almost always going to move the drill and even slightly wallows out the hole.
Put a piece of galvanised (for softness) wire in the hole for the tapcon thread to grip - the same technique used with a matchstick for an overlarge screwhole in wood. If it is MUCH too big you can also just use a plastic anchor.
Only issue I have with tapcons is they can't really be used in situations where minor adjustments could be needed over time like red-heads.
I look forward to a video a year from now on how to repair a concrete base that has cracked due to vibration 😂
Said with love! Great video as always but like of vibration support was an odd one. The thing is, it's not that the fans are going to cause the unit to pitch this way or that, it's just a continuous low vibration that never stops. I installed 2 units on wall brackets (to avoid critters) and had to retro-fit dampeners after the fact because the low vibration was causing all the walls and ceilings around it to vibrate. Once I retro-fitted I cut it down by more than half.
Obviously different situation here, but all that vibration has to go somewhere. And onto that pad it will go!
Used a lot of 3and a half 1/4 3/8 tapcons
Tapcons work great with brick also. Used them to anchor grab bars on a brick wall.
I don't know if it applies to drilling concrete, but when the hole is completed, pulling the drill out while letting the bit spin slowly forward extracts a lot of the debris. But in general going up and down while spinning the bit high speed risks enlarging the hole when drilling some materials. One technique is to pull the drill all the way out periodically to clear debris, then insert the bit all the way in before pulling the trigger so as to not create a slightly new direction. This detail may be overkill for concrete. Second point: I wonder how durable these Tapcon anchors are over time since the thread diameter is only slightly larger than the core diameter
A very easy way to clean out the concrete dust from the drilled hole is to blow it out with a piece of tubing. I’ve also used soda fountain straw (a small, one inside of a larger one for added length.). Just be sure to keep your face shielded from the dust blast.
SDS rotary hammer drills are awesome for concrete drilling. They go through it like soft wood.
For permormance in concrete, consider using a 4 flute quality drill. Speed is just double of the 2 flute and dulling is almost half.
Ive seen some of the blue coated Tapcons get rusted out in exterior applications in humid Florida. I prefer the stainless versions if the project allows.
Always good information, expalins what i did wrong last year, I didn't vac out hole before inserting screw.
Thanks for the feedback 🙌
The only problem I’ve had with Tapcon anchors was on the base of a swimming pool pump. The exposed heads rusted so bad the first season I replaced them with new Tapcons and immediately coated them with Plasti-dip. Seems to be working.
For stripped out holes, I use automative paste wax on the tapcon and put epoxy into the hole.
Using a 2x4 or 4x4 with the correct sized hole drilled in it as a guide will help keep the bit from wandering.
you should use rubber blocks with rails on them under that unit so when it snows the unit is not burried and the fan doesnt freeze stuck.
If a Tapcon strips out just take a piece of bailing wire or weedeater string and stick it in the hole and screw in your Tapcon. Make the wire or string longer than the hole so you can cut it off after you screw in the Tapcon.
Take spare copper from Romex cut-offs and you can use it to "bite" the tapcons. Copper is malleable enough to deform but will also provide the resistance for the anchors to grab.
I had trouble. I had some Phillips head (actually torx head) left from another job. I couldn’t get things tight with the suggested hole. I went a little larger and it was loose. I went to Home Depot and purchased wedge anchors.
For the job you're performing, I would have inserted rubber damping squares between the concrete and the feet of the AC condensor to limit vibration to the unit.
Best, mosts economical solution I've found if installing several screws: use SDS+ drill bits (under $10) instead of the crappy Tapcon bits that die after a few holes, and source Tappers brand screws rather than Tapcons. The Tappers are a fraction of the price and, to my mind, better quality than the Tapcons. And, as csimet suggests, use washers to supplement the screws where desired.
Never tried the compressed air before. I use a hand pump with a tube that goes to the bottom of the hole to push air all the way down. Without it the vacuum on top struggles to suck up since there’s no air flow, the compressor seems like an easier way of achieving this flow.
Had to do pull out load test on single tapcon screw broke test rig at over a ton😊😊
To the point about debris clearing, a can of compressed air such as used in cleaning computer keyboards and electronics would be a great help to blow out the bottoms of the dust and grit, and portable and convenient.
Failure mode is snapping off in the hole. That one sucks bigtime. For a stripped hole I use heavyweight Weedwacker string I cut lengths of it and stick it in the hole as much as I can then re insert the Tapcon. It also works for regular screws if that is all you have for concrete or a mortar joint and wood too.
USED THE 1/2 in to pull out 4X5 x 5 in. Thick concrete slabs. Unbelievable how STRONG THEY ARE !
I always a rotary hammer drill and Hilti fasteners, and depending on the anchoring substrate (hollow block, etc) and load calculations I make, I may use the mesh sleeves and properly specified threaded rod with structural epoxy as per Hilti recommendations. This is generally for anchoring machinery, pumps, evaporators, pallet racking, etc.
That's the right way for heavy stuff, but it is overkill for this job which is basically just to stop the unit wandering about.
You lost 99% of the audience. But I hear you.
I have drilled holes and as I am nearly done I will hit steel or river rock or (something) so I cant bottom out the drill. I guess I could cut off a tapcon and just put in the cut off screw. This was for things that where not real heavy at all going up on a concreate wall.
Something that I noticed is that your hammer drill driver was in speed one. My makita, the xph14, can drill that 3/8 into concreteIn speed two no issue. I don’t know what model yours is, but it looks like it’s seen a lot of work. That might be why it took so long
Edit: I want to clarify that I am not trying to say that you gave out wrong information, it was clear in the video the standard hammer drill did struggle, and the rotary hammer drill worked a lot better. I’m just trying to maybe give a reason why the standard hammer drill struggled so much
Keep a cup of water on hand and very frequently quench the bit to keep it cool. Heat is the enemy of these bits and ruins their hardness. Ten quenches per hole is not unheard of, beats ruining bits.
Are you going to show us about that Mr. Cool too? I think the main issue people have with them are longevity and quality being mostly unknown.
I usually rub a little beeswax on the Tapcon threads which makes them go in easier.
If you strip out the anchor I never drill a bigger hole I use weed wacker twine. Grab a roll of the bigger diameter twine and just put a couple of pieces cut to the depth of the hole then put the anchors back in. I've never had a problem using this method. Good thing about this its years before the twine breaks down if at all.
Thank you! Great information as always.😊
If i have room ill drill a smaller hole first through the part im mounting so then i know its in the right place and usual ill only mark and drill one at a time at least for the first 2 in opposite corners depending on the precision necessary like hanging a tv
Whatever you use a rubber insulator should be used under the mounting pads. Absorbs the vibration and stops water from accumulating under the metal mounting pads.
i always buy the tapcons that come with the drill bit
Thats what I used last year to anchor some stuff
You could always fill back the damaged hole with more cement or something like an epoxy or whatever is the most popular products nowadays for that!
Hey man, by chance were you just buying fittings at Lowe’s to hang up a red stag mount?
where is the ducted heat pump install video? there is no link that I can see, would love to watch that as I'm getting mine installed by myself.
Thank You!
Note: that drill sizing is ""NOT"" as you say with all bolt screw in anchors. Different brands different sizes are needed. If You drill to big for your size place some copper wire or steel wire in the hole and impact it in to required torque.
A number of years ago, I had to add a wood filler strip to the door threshold of my mother's 40 year old house. I used the specified concrete drill, but the concrete was extremely hard & penetration was nearly impossible. In the process of drilling forever, the hole enlarged, & the Tapcons became almost useless. I have no idea why the concrete was so difficult to drill & the whole affair was unpleasant, to say the least.
I had all kinds of trouble installing new commercial doors into some buildings that were built 100 years ago - and an old concrete guy told me that concrete basically never stops curing and just gets harder and harder with the passage of time. I believed him for sure by the time I finished that job!
What portable air compressor were you using when you cleaned out the hole? I looked in your Amazon store but didn’t see it.
Thanks for the heads up and I just added it. Here is the one I was using amzn.to/3rRfcGx
That's why I use an old school Ratchet rather than a drill or impact.
No risk of stripping out the hole or breaking apart the tapcon.
Tapcons are great, but I like my Ramset and nails more because it goes boom
Where is the link to the Mr. Cool ducted system install that you mention in the video?
Still working on the project 😅
Never have i ever stripped out a hole .... has always been a case where i just straight up sheeared the head off.... on the 3/16 and 1/4 " screws ... i really wish tapcon made 5/16s as most times the 3/8s are a bit too bulky for my small hang applications
Could use a can of keyboard dust off to blow dust out of hole too, if you don’t have a compressor.
Great video 🎉
Good Video except for the fact that you didn't use the rubber isolation pads that come with the mini split. The isolation pads are there for a reason which is to avoid vibrations and reduce the refrigerant flare connections from loosening. As an HVAC licensed contractor I see this all the time. The tapcon explanation is good although opting out of installing the unit correctly will cause problems for the home owner in the future. They are paying you to be the PROFESSIONAL. You should be going above and beyond what a handyman does.
That for the feedback and I agree that was a miss on my side.
I have a question about using Tapcon screws on a concrete wall. I drilled to the required depth to secure some lockers, but out of the nine screws I installed, four snapped. I wasn’t applying much pressure, so I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong. Any advice?
So what is the advantage of these over a split bolt?
I like tapcons too but not in exposed aggregate. I found out the hard way!🤣
How do you keep the cement drill bit from drifting around the target drill point as concrete bits will not bite into the desired target?
Certified Medical Coder (15 years) here. This is not exactly true. An office visit (aka for a skin check) is a service, but if a lesion is located and a procedure is done on that, the office visit is INCLUDED in that service. This is not an insurance loophole to not pay. It is a guideline spelled out in the coding procedure manual.
Now say you do an office visit and it is also covering another issue the patient was having. A modifier 25 can be added to the office visit (with corrected linked diagnosis codes attached that separates it from the procedure) and then add the procedure with the associated diagnosis codes. If insurance still deny the claim as bundled, send in an appeal with chart notes. This is where good chart notes come in handy.
If your coders and billers are not doing this for you, it’s time for additional training in denials or higher someone with more experience.
To reiterate, it’s not always the insurance fault. It’s using the proper coding and billing to communicate effectively.
Steps off soap box.
My Tapcon fails have all been due to poor hole drilling when I'm in a confined area or awkward angle on a ladder. I end up wobbling the masonry bit and ruining the hole. Sounds simple to fix in theory, but not so easy in practice!
I'm definitely a tapcon fan, but I'd be uncomfortable using a impact driver to drive it in, too easy to strip the hole. I use a ratchet instead, and when you tighten the object flush to the wall, (or floor), just stop right there, don't tighten it any more or you risk stripping the hole
Yep - ratchet is the go to
I don't have a hammer drill, just a milwaukee impact drill, will that work with concrete carbide hammer drill bit 3/8" to drill the holes needed to drive the same bolts you used in this video into a 4" concrete pad block 4"x16"x16"? my guess is it would just take longer to drill the hole right?
Are Tapcons the choice for hanging outside things on stucco/wood frame houses?
I normally use a hammer drill, and I must not keep it straight throughout drilling. I consistently create holes bigger than the screw.
What size is it, oh its 5/32' of an inch.. Or 4mm
What do you do when you run into metal, such as rebar, inside the concrete? This happens to me ALL THE TIME, and I end up with a myriad of holes searching around for no metal in the concrete.
Two options. 1.) Replace the drill bit with a rebar cutter as soon as you hit said rebar and then swap back after you cut through. 2.) Use full head carbide / 4 cutter bits.
@@robertrada4783Thank you very much!
Are Tapcons appropriate for securing items to stucco?
Also, for anchors it's best to drill all the way through the concrete. If the head of an anchor breaks you just pound it through and place another.
How about sealing the holes around the wedge anchors or these Tapcon screws? I am putting in an outside hand rail into concreate and dont want moisture to get in the hole and freeze. Any tips?
My problem is more with the concrete than the Tapcons. I've got an old farm with what I call "farmercrete" -- concrete made as cheaply as possible with local river rock (some up to 3" in diameter), dirty sand, and a minimum amount of cement. The big problem is those rocks -- some of them are so ridiculously hard you can't drill through them, and if you do, the Tapcon will bind up as you insert it and it'll break off. Or you'll blow out the concrete when you drive the Tapcon because the large stones move instead of allowing the Tapcon to bite.