Hercules Hooks Used in Ceilings

Function

• A Hercules Hook is a J-shaped section of thick metal wire. When you poke the top end of the J-shaped wire through a wall, that end curves back toward you as you push it in deeper. When you hang something on the Hercules Hook, you apply downward force on the protruding end of the wire. The wall material acts as a fulcrum, and the wire acts a lever.

Effect

• Much like one end of a seesaw moves up when you push the other end down, the inside portion of the J-shaped wire pushes against the interior of the wall as you pull down on the section of the wire outside the wall. The Hercules Hook doesn’t fall out of the hole, because the internal gripping force created by the fulcrum-and-lever design keeps its J-shape oriented upward.

Ceilings

• If you install a Hercules Hook on a ceiling, the design won’t work properly because you’re applying force in a different direction. On a wall-mounted hook, pulling down on the J-shaped wire tilts its inner portion against the wall’s interior. In contrast, hanging something on a ceiling-mounted Hercules Hook amounts to pulling the wire directly away from the ceiling, which can cause the wire to slip out of the hole.

Significance

• Depending on the weight you suspend from a ceiling-mounted Hercules Hook, it might not slip out right away. Over time, however, it likely will work free, so using the hook on a ceiling presents a serious safety hazard. In contrast, a Hercules Hook mounted on a wall can reliably support significant weight. The manufacturer claims a Hercules Hook can hold up to 150 pounds, which is much more than most hollow-wall anchors can bear.

Expert Insight

• A comparison performed by “Popular Mechanics” found that the best-performing drywall anchor held only 35 pounds, while the Hercules Hook managed to support 68 pounds before the drywall itself failed. Similar tests by "Consumer Reports" found the hook tore out drywall at 40 pounds.