Tips for mounting turret under eve on soffit

rotorwash

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Does anyone have any tips and/or tricks to mount a turret camera on the soffit? I've tried searching and only found a few references of it. My soffit is actually a vent, so it is open above where I plan to route the wires. The soffit itself is made of vinyl and is quite flimsy. Do you mount the camera/junction box directly to the soffit? I've seen a post where a piece of 2x6 is used, etc. Can some of you share how you have the cameras mounted to the soffits?

Thanks!
 

nayr

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is it just vinyl? if so drill fairly large hole for the cable ends to pass through, then up in your attic take a scrap piece of 2x6 or 2x8 a foot or so long and install a long screw just partially in right in the middle.. flip the board over and drop the head of that screw down your wire hole; then from the outside use that screw to hold the board in place while you screw the camera base through the soffit to the board from the outside, then remove the screw and re-drill the hole through your backing board and then feed the turret cabling through and put it into the mount.
 

nayr

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yeah the vinyl should support it if its installed correctly, it just gives your turret something solid behind the siding to actually screw into.

if you dont think the soffit will support the weight of the camera and board your going to want to actually brace that board in with some of the rafters from above.
 

rotorwash

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That makes sense. It's along the lines of what I was thinking as well. I'm going to use a junction box as well so I don't damage the camera screwing it into the 2x6 with my impact driver. Have you ever used the J-hooks in the attic to lift the cables up and organize them? I've seen them in videos online but have not been able to find them locally. I might have to call an electrical supply house.
 

arw01

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In our area there is no access from the attic to the soffits, they put blocking in there to keep the insulation from being moved around by air flow, and to keep it from being blown all out to the soffits when you put in the blow in insulation.

I look for a spot where the soffit is nailed to a stringer and get close to that, but mine is aluminum, so a little more stout, but just a little.
 

bp2008

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Make sure the eave isn't going to be hit strongly by IR from the camera(s) or else it might reflect back and cause a foggy effect in the video. Since my soffit is angled downward at the same angle as the roof, and there is a bit of a lip sticking further down at the edge, this has been a problem for me before.
 
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