I built a ferment shelf that failed because I skipped a simple step

Last week, I put together a wooden rack to store my active ferments in the pantry. I figured it was sturdy since I used thick boards and screws. After placing a dozen full jars of pickles and hot sauce, I left it alone for a few days. Then I heard a loud crack and found the entire thing had tipped forward, shattering glass and leaking brine all over the floor. The liquid seeped into the cracks and under the baseboards, which was a huge pain to clean. It turns out I never anchored the rack to the wall, so the top-heavy weight pulled it down. From now on, I'm bolting everything down before I add any weight. Check your own setup to avoid this messy and costly error.

3 comments

3 Comments

phoenix97027d ago

Are toggle bolts even needed? A low, wide rack placed against a wall wouldn't need them.

amy_murphy8521d agoMost Upvoted

Okay but "flimsy under that top-heavy load" sounds like a worst case scenario. How much weight are we actually talking about here, like a couple coats and a bag? If the rack is low and wide like phoenix said, it's not going to tip over easily. Are we overthinking some basic wall anchors?

green.grant27d ago

Upgrade to toggle bolts if your drywall anchors feel flimsy under that top-heavy load.