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do_shut_up_portia
I wouldn’t chance that after all that hard work and expense! Also take your rings off ❤️
bblickle
Maybe. You could halve the load by putting a board down to the next shelf (making coffee cups and dog treats separate compartments). Doesn’t look like it would affect you much.
Mainah888
Yes, those plastic clips get brittle with time. If they were new I wouldn’t worry so much, but if they are older, I’d reduce the weight.
Royal_Cryptographer7
Not unless you reenforced the shelves. It’s not the shelving itself I’d worry about, it’s the little wood or plastic pegs holding the whole thing up
iloveschnauzers
If you are in an earthquake region, those will jump to their deaths.
timespassing_
I do not put canning jars on anything that doesn’t transfer the weight to the floor. Maybe the shelf fails, maybe the the clip fails, maybe the cabinets fall apart… or fall off the wall. Too much risk outside of my control. Floor shelves screwed to the wall for stability in my house!
OGHollyMackerel
Is that a crack or a black stain on the right upper top of cabinet just over the cans?
Alert-Potato
When I have a situation like this, I measure the exact height between the shelves just below it, so where the mugs are. From the top of that shelf, to the bottom of the applesauce shelf. Then cut two or three pieces of a 3/4 or 1 inch dowel exactly that length. Then jam them in at the front, back, and maybe middle of the shelf behind the middle thing where the doors close, and they’ll provide some extra support. They should be a fairly tight fit, if they aren’t, assess whether you need them 1/16-1/8 longer and try again.
Disclaimer: I’m a redneck, and this has been a How to Redneck Engineer guide. I am not an actual engineer, and can not make any claims as to the actual structural integrity this may or may not add.
doggydoggycool
I have cabinets with those plastic pegs, they couldn’t hold the weight of some glass bowls and plates by year two (I swapped them out for metal ones). I would definitely put them in a safer spot
BugSignificant2682
You should find out soon
_Biophile_
We once bought a large cabinet for commercially canned stuff. It was held up by those little clips. One day … CRASH, the whole shelf went down. Fortunately we have cedar shelving now and home canned stuff and don’t have to worry so much.
Aggravating-Wolf6873
I wouldn’t do it because the risk is too high. The mess and loss would be awful.
QuitRelevant6085
As someone who lives in the “Ring of Fire” (Pacific Rim), it makes me cringe every time I see heavy, unsecured objects like this (especially glass) stored high. Super dangerous if a quake happened. Falling objects like this can be deadly (not to mention shattered glass getting all over the floor)
CElia_472
I just added 1 more thing to a shelf yesterday, and the plastic piece busted off. Lost a ton of spaghetti sauce, gravy, etc.
Take it from me those plastic pieces holing that shelf up will not hold forever. We bought some metal ones to replace them. Do not be like me
ETA: I am sure I will find spaghetti sauce in that pantry until the day I die, and after that, the next homeowners. I will make sure to leave behind a note on what transpired and an apology.
stvhml
The weak link might be how the cabinet is secured to the wall. It doesn’t seem like it would be a problem but I’ve seen them pull apart loaded with china. If the studs that the cabinet is screwed to are too far from the sides of the cabinet then the top cleat can flex between the screw and the cabinet side and the extreme weight can slowly pull the sides, which hold the weight of the shelves, away from the back, which is screwed to the wall. With weight like that you wouldn’t want this distance to be more than 3 or 4 inches.
Stardustchaser
That’s one way to find out…
Wonderful_Judge115
I have metal pegs and I still wouldn’t do this. If this is the only cabinet with space, I’d put these on the bottom shelf.
ticktocktoe
A standard cabinet, if installed properly should be able to handle hundreds of pounds – most are guaranteed to around 500-600 pounds.
Understanding that a shelf could have different failure modes than a whole cabinet. I would still trust it with 1-200 pounds.
You’re completely fine
hank91
I would say that’s at risk – Those plastic pegs holding up the board are not rated to hold a lot of weight. switching out for metal pegs might be a good idea. Otherwise you would cut some wood and fasten it to the cabinet/wall with some screws to hold the weight safely.
Hanginon
IMHO It’s a bit of a risk, but a risk that can be rather easily negated.
For me, after having some of my plastic & adjustable shelf pin type supports like these fail, but not catastrophically, I went with solid reinforcement.
The pre sized wood runners and screws are easily available at most home improvement/lumber stores and installation is really simple. You don’t even have to remove the shelf or old hardware, just cut sizes and add the bracing between them.
EDIT; Afaik, that small piece of wood acting as a more robust shelf support is referred to as “a cleat’. ¯\_( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)_/¯
Good luck, and your applesauce stash looks delicious!
Unstable_C4
Yes, I have a shelf just like that and it collapsed twice with just empty glass food storage containers
23 Comments
Hi u/burningisntfun,
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I wouldn’t chance that after all that hard work and expense! Also take your rings off ❤️
Maybe. You could halve the load by putting a board down to the next shelf (making coffee cups and dog treats separate compartments). Doesn’t look like it would affect you much.
Yes, those plastic clips get brittle with time. If they were new I wouldn’t worry so much, but if they are older, I’d reduce the weight.
Not unless you reenforced the shelves. It’s not the shelving itself I’d worry about, it’s the little wood or plastic pegs holding the whole thing up
If you are in an earthquake region, those will jump to their deaths.
I do not put canning jars on anything that doesn’t transfer the weight to the floor. Maybe the shelf fails, maybe the the clip fails, maybe the cabinets fall apart… or fall off the wall. Too much risk outside of my control. Floor shelves screwed to the wall for stability in my house!
Is that a crack or a black stain on the right upper top of cabinet just over the cans?
When I have a situation like this, I measure the exact height between the shelves just below it, so where the mugs are. From the top of that shelf, to the bottom of the applesauce shelf. Then cut two or three pieces of a 3/4 or 1 inch dowel exactly that length. Then jam them in at the front, back, and maybe middle of the shelf behind the middle thing where the doors close, and they’ll provide some extra support. They should be a fairly tight fit, if they aren’t, assess whether you need them 1/16-1/8 longer and try again.
Disclaimer: I’m a redneck, and this has been a How to Redneck Engineer guide. I am not an actual engineer, and can not make any claims as to the actual structural integrity this may or may not add.
I have cabinets with those plastic pegs, they couldn’t hold the weight of some glass bowls and plates by year two (I swapped them out for metal ones). I would definitely put them in a safer spot
You should find out soon
We once bought a large cabinet for commercially canned stuff. It was held up by those little clips. One day … CRASH, the whole shelf went down. Fortunately we have cedar shelving now and home canned stuff and don’t have to worry so much.
I wouldn’t do it because the risk is too high. The mess and loss would be awful.
As someone who lives in the “Ring of Fire” (Pacific Rim), it makes me cringe every time I see heavy, unsecured objects like this (especially glass) stored high. Super dangerous if a quake happened. Falling objects like this can be deadly (not to mention shattered glass getting all over the floor)
I just added 1 more thing to a shelf yesterday, and the plastic piece busted off. Lost a ton of spaghetti sauce, gravy, etc.
Take it from me those plastic pieces holing that shelf up will not hold forever. We bought some metal ones to replace them. Do not be like me
ETA: I am sure I will find spaghetti sauce in that pantry until the day I die, and after that, the next homeowners. I will make sure to leave behind a note on what transpired and an apology.
The weak link might be how the cabinet is secured to the wall. It doesn’t seem like it would be a problem but I’ve seen them pull apart loaded with china. If the studs that the cabinet is screwed to are too far from the sides of the cabinet then the top cleat can flex between the screw and the cabinet side and the extreme weight can slowly pull the sides, which hold the weight of the shelves, away from the back, which is screwed to the wall. With weight like that you wouldn’t want this distance to be more than 3 or 4 inches.
That’s one way to find out…
I have metal pegs and I still wouldn’t do this. If this is the only cabinet with space, I’d put these on the bottom shelf.
A standard cabinet, if installed properly should be able to handle hundreds of pounds – most are guaranteed to around 500-600 pounds.
Understanding that a shelf could have different failure modes than a whole cabinet. I would still trust it with 1-200 pounds.
You’re completely fine
I would say that’s at risk – Those plastic pegs holding up the board are not rated to hold a lot of weight. switching out for metal pegs might be a good idea. Otherwise you would cut some wood and fasten it to the cabinet/wall with some screws to hold the weight safely.
IMHO It’s a bit of a risk, but a risk that can be rather easily negated.
For me, after having some of my plastic & adjustable shelf pin type supports like these fail, but not catastrophically, I went with solid reinforcement.
It’s a relatively simple task for any handy person with just a few tools to buy, cut to fit, and install some **[more robust support](https://www.craftsmanspace.com/sites/default/files/woodworking-joints/cleat_shelf_support.jpg)**, at least for a few shelves that you expect or want or need to do the more ‘heavy’ lifting/support.
The pre sized wood runners and screws are easily available at most home improvement/lumber stores and installation is really simple. You don’t even have to remove the shelf or old hardware, just cut sizes and add the bracing between them.
EDIT; Afaik, that small piece of wood acting as a more robust shelf support is referred to as “a cleat’. ¯\_( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)_/¯
Good luck, and your applesauce stash looks delicious!
Yes, I have a shelf just like that and it collapsed twice with just empty glass food storage containers
Couple of ways to find out.