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x-pole x-pert installation – HELP!
Hey Guys!!
I've been poling for about 4 months now at a studio in Sydney, Australia, and have finallllllly managed to save up enough money to buy myself a pole for xmas! yay!!
I have searched the forums for this, but couldn't find specific answers, so if anyone could help me out, that would be great!
I have tried to set up my x-pert by myself. (they say it takes 30 mins, and I've been struggling for about 2 hours, lol! Hopeless!)
Basically, I've located the joist, marked it, and then gone and set the pole up. It's now located under it, but only loosely in place. Basically, my question is about how close the joist needs to be. Does the centre of the pole (so basically the pole itself) need to be directly under it, or is it okay if the dome generally is under it? I couldn't find a specific answer to this. My ceilings are quite high (Which I'm sure I'll be pleased with when I get the damn thing up but for the moment it's a pain ha ha), and although I'm pretty certain it's under the joist, it's so difficult to tighten it up and make sure it's dead underneath.
What would be the best method for putting it up if it does need to be directly under?
If anyone could offer any insight or help that would be great! I'm so frustrated. I've waited like 3 weeks for this pole, and now it's here and I'm so hopeless at setting it up!
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14 Replies
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I'm in the US and the ceiling joists are set far enough apart I have to set it up so the middle of the dome (the pole itself) is right on the joist. I remember reading in the UK joists are close enough the dome can touch 2 joists and they set it up with the dome in between 2 joists. I don't know about Austrailian joists, but if you can only reach one put the middle of the dome on the joist.
It really helps to have a second person. It's a huge pain to get it level when the top and bottom are moving. You want to push it into the ceiling so it stays on the joist and then adjust the bottom to get the pole level. I have a circle in pencil on my ceiling so I know exactly where the dome should be, makes it so much easier.
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It's probably pretty difficult to guarantee that the pole itself, the exact center of the dome, is exactly under the joist but you should be as close as you can try to get it. In other words…just placing the dome somewhere under the joist isn't good for your ceilings or for ensuring the pole is set up safely.
So just try to get it relatively close. Your pole should feel fairly secure when you tug on it after it's up and should not shift at all. You need to check it often while using it…every 4 hours or so or whenever you've been away from it for more than 4 hours…for stability and make certain the dome is not starting to move.
The higher your ceiling the more your pole will flex but it should be stable once you tighten it.
Once you are comfortable with how to set up your pole you should have no problems setting up a pole as high as 10.5 or 11 feet on your own.
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You should try to get it centered. An easy way to do that is to make 3 marks: 1 where you are honna put the pole, and 2 more a little wider that the domes distance on either side of that mark, that way you can put the dome over your center mark then line your pole up with the other 2 marks (or make sir the marks are in the center of the dome,) however is easier at that height.
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Ahh thanks so much guys!!
Empyrean – I thought that was the case, that it shouldn't just be 'roughly under' the dome.
Unforutnately I have really old plaster ceilings so stud finders don't work on it!
Luckily for me though my dad's going to come over tomorrow and help me find them. SO thankful he's a carpenter!
Thanks so much for that tip sensualscimitar! I think I'm definitely going to do that! Hopefully my dad brings his spirit level over tomorrow too and we can make sure it's straight!
Gosh, I'm so impatient, I just want it up already!
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No problem! Enjoy your pole.
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I am in Oz, too, and also have an x-pole. My 82 year old Mum helped me put mine up. I think that in Oz, joists are about 12-13 inches apart. I didn't have much luck with a stud finder either. I used a combination of a stud finder and tapping the ceiling with my knuckles to find where the joists are. My pole itself is between 2 joists. One edge of the dome part is below one of the joists, and the other edge is below the joist next to it, if that makes sense! If you happen to have ducted air-con in your house, the ducts will be between the joists, so I used that as another way of checking the position of the joists 😉
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So…does it go in the middle of the joist or straddle two joist? I’ve heard of both.
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In the US, it needs to be directly over 1 joist. Europe has joists that are closer together, and that is why the old installation video said you could straddle 2, but that is impossible in the US.
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Dam USA! Lol mine are 3 feet apart! Lol old house
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Even in the UK, the new instructions say directly under one joist now.
I usually start finding a joist by knocking across the ceiling. If I don’t find anything sounding different, then I try in the other direction. If you find something dull sounding, then try to find the next joist across too (should sound the same).
to be sure, try to stick a pin into the ceiling, if it hits a joist, it won’t go through. It should easily pop through plasterboard alone. Tiny holes are easy to find.
Also, your plasterboard is tacked onto the joists and then skimmed with plaster. You can sometimes spot the little circles in the plaster where the tacks are. -
yep, directly over one joist.
I think what Robyn has said about finding joists is the best way to do it. In the place we’re living now, I climbed up into the crawl space of the roof to see the joists and lined them up with my boyfriend standing on a ladder underneath me. We then used a pin to double check and it was all good. -
Yep if you can get into the space above, you can at least see the spacing and which way they run!
Just realised I should have typed “small holes are easy to FILL” (not find)
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or they’re hard to find!! (by a landlord? hahahah!)
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I would recommend a permanent ceiling mount. Once u get that up u don’t need to worry about the joist spacing. 🙂
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