Mounting & Rigging—It’s Not as Simple as It Seems  

Where does safety rank in your church’s AV production planning? Church AV systems aren’t just about achieving great sound and visuals (although that’s important, too.) But how do you safely mount heavy, expensive speakers, lights, and video displays on the walls and ceilings?

If your church is planning for large-scale set design, you need to trust experienced and licensed church AV installers with the actual mounting and rigging process. Even if your church production department is very knowledgeable about AV and has seen it installed before, rigging is highly technical and requires expertise to do it right. If done wrong, you could be facing a major safety hazard. 

Does your AV staff really know how to rig an AV system? Learn about the risks and requirements and why you should trust church AV installers like CCI Solutions, your destination for church AV in Seattle, WA, and nationwide. 

SEE ALSO: A Guide to Wireless Microphone Systems for Churches 

What Can Go Wrong? 

Many churches we work with have as much AV hardware as a rock and roll concert. That equipment costs and weighs a lot, and when suspended over people’s heads, you need to be extremely careful installing these systems. A thirty-pound speaker can be lethal if it falls and hits someone from thirty feet above. And when a speaker or light is hung at an angle, that will impact how much weight a cable can carry. 

Even people with rigging experience can make mistakes. When working on the ceiling above, if someone accidentally drops a light or tape measure from the ladder, it could cause serious injury if it hits someone down below. 

We’ve seen churches hire an integrator to install the AV system in the main sanctuary. Then, once the integrator leaves, the in-house production department decides to install equipment in secondary rooms by themselves. Even if youth rooms or chapels don’t require rigging on high ceilings, if you don’t have the background knowledge behind rigging math to install equipment properly, you could cause permanent damage to the room through simple installation mistakes. 

Materials Matter 

When installing lighting trusses or loudspeakers, your church must use the most durable, quality materials for your parish’s safety. Any old carabiners you find at Home Depot won’t necessarily be designed for your application. If you use the wrong clamps, cables, eyebolts, or carabiners, you could be putting the people in your church at risk. Hardware is not something to be taken lightly, and that’s why it’s so important to hire a professional to rig your church AV. 

Liability  

Even if your tech directors understand the science behind rigging and know which hardware to use, you need to consider who will be reliable if anything ever goes wrong. If a projector or light falls and hurts someone, the church will be responsible. 

One of the greatest advantages of hiring a church AV installer is that we’re licensed and insured. So, if anything were to happen, we would be responsible for it—not your church. Lawsuits can cause churches to close their doors forever. Make sure your lighting and AV are safely and securely installed and maintained by a professional! 

Your Church AV Is in Good Hands 

When you partner with CCI Solutions, you can rest assured your lighting, audio, and video hardware is securely mounted on ceilings and walls. Contact us here to discuss your church’s production technology needs today!