My porch swing collapsed this morning with me in it. It appears that the hook at the top was screwed into a 1X2 or something similar and glued in. The swing has been fine since December when I bought the house, but maybe it had something to do with heat and humidity?

Anyway, will a heavy duty anchor work in a 1X2? I would have to take the porch ceiling apart to find a 2X4, but would that be better?

The swing hangs perpendicular to my house. Maybe moving it parallel with the house would be better?

Any help here would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

hi
just used heavy duty screw anchors in the 2x4 that should hold it

 

And if there is no 2x4 readily accessible? What do I do then?

 

hi
get a swing that has a frame mounted to it and sits on the porch floor or make a frame for it

 

A very strong and cheap solution: attach a pair of 2x4s (handsome ones) to the porch ceiling, using plenty of fasteners. These fasteners should be screws that go into the framing concealed above the finished ceiling. Then the porch swing hooks go into these external 2x4s, at any points along their lengths where you'd like the swing to hang.

 

Thanks for your help with this. Unfortunately, it looks like I have a leak in my porch roof, causing the wood to rot. So I've got a few other things to worry about before the porch now. But thank you.

 

A lag-type fastener screwed into a joist is not generaly considered to be an adequate fastener for a vertical load involving persons. You should use a through-bolt type fastener with appropriate washers and nuts on the top.