Mounting pipe railing or pipe based structures doesn’t need to be complicated. Though there are many different kinds of flanges that will accomplish this, I will narrow down your search and give helpful hints to point you in the best direction.
Wall Flange
There are times when hand railings, guardrails, or even parkour type pipe structures need to mount directly into a wall. This is a horizontal connection where the pipe rail is either terminating into a wall or giving your structure much needed support.
The EF11G wall flange is the go-to fitting. It has four mounting holes that fit ¼” diameter screws. It is built with one set screw which is more than enough strength to keep your pipe from pulling off the wall.
Base Flange
Base flanges are more commonly used on railing. If you are mounting a short handrail at your house on the front steps, or 1,000 linear feet of guardrail to a concrete walkway, base flanges are the ideal solution to keep your posts rigid.
The EF12G railing flange is a great base flange. It has two mounting holes that fit ½” mounting hardware. This is built for a much stronger connection using two set screws. Here is a side not to explain why two set screws are so important for base flanges:
Think about a set screw based fitting. When you tighten down one set screw, you have created a pivot point inside the fitting. No matter how tight that set screw is, that pipe can still swivel about an ⅛” either direction. This makes for wobbly hand railings. Using a flange with two set screws ensures the post on your handrails will be solid and rigid.
Side Mounted Flange
There are moments when you need to mount a pipe on a wall, but the pipe needs to be vertical. Let’s say you have concrete steps at your front door, and there simply is no room for mounting the railing on top of the stairs. Mounting your posts to the side of the stairs may be your best option.
When this is the case, the best fitting to use is the EF15G side mount flange. This flange comes with three mounting holes that fit ⅜” fasteners and two set screws for a rigid post.
Toe Board Flange
OSHA has specific instances where they will require a guardrail with toe board. Attaching toe board to flanges can be a chore and require a lot of extra hardware or welding. That is why the EF18G toe board flange exists.
This beefy flange has two mounting holes that fit ⅝” mounting holes, four slots for attaching toe board, and two set screws for a solid railing post.
You will see other flanges on the site, however, they are for more specific use cases. Some are designed for attaching to steel beams, for offset posts, and for limited space. From my experience, these 4 flanges will do the trick 99% of the time.
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to write us an email at info@easyfit.com.
