ACI Adhesive Anchor Inspector cheat sheet

Hole cleaning verification: count blow cycles and brush cycles against the printed installation instruction; both are pass/fail criteria, not optional.

Hole diameter and depth are checked with the correct gauge or caliper; adhesive anchors fail capacity when drilled oversize or short of the specified effective embedment.

Concrete temperature at installation must fall within the adhesive manufacturer's published range; most systems prohibit installation below 40 °F (5 °C) unless a cold-weather formulation is specified.

Base-material temperature, not ambient air temperature, governs cure schedule selection in the manufacturer's tables.

Anchor spacing and edge distance are inspected against the approved submittal; anchors set closer than the minimum edge distance require engineer approval before loading.

Inspection record should capture hole cleaning method, adhesive lot number and expiration date, cartridge nozzle type, and cure time start.

Fully set adhesive must show squeeze-out at the collar; voids or gaps at the hole surface indicate incomplete filling and are a rejection criterion.

Proof load or torque verification, when specified, is applied only after the full cure time for the recorded base-material temperature.

Drill with the specified bit type (typically carbide-tipped rotary hammer); core drilling is permitted only when the adhesive is qualified for cored holes.

Hole cleaning sequence is brush, blow, brush, blow per most published instructions; the exact count is manufacturer-specific and must be followed literally.

Adhesive dispensed must be discarded until a uniform color is achieved; streaked or partially mixed adhesive indicates a failed mixing nozzle.

Cartridge and base-material temperature affect gel time; colder concrete lengthens cure time and the anchor must remain undisturbed for the full period.

Do not install anchors in frozen concrete or in holes containing standing water; moisture-tolerant systems still require specific hole conditions.

Anchor embedment is measured on the threaded rod or rebar from the concrete surface to the embedded end, not from the top of the fixture.

Overhead and horizontal installations require a retention method (adhesive capsule or proprietary system) to prevent adhesive flow-out before cure.

After cure, the fixture is placed and the nut is torqued to the manufacturer's specified installation torque; exceeding it can crack the concrete or spin the anchor.