Hey Chris,
I've hadsomething similar happen. Sometimes it can be as simple as the hole that the anchor is in is just a wee bit too large. It happens with plastic anchors and curtain rods, towel bars, anything that gets pulled on a little. I hate plastic anchors for that reason. Patching the hole and going right back into it will likely pull out the first time you use it again.
I would try a molly BUT be certain that you get one that is the correct size for the thickness of your wallboard. If they are too small they will break the wallboard from the back and weaken it so that when it does (and it will) pull out it will take a huge chunk with it.
We installed a towel bar in a guest bath and I didn't think about this. So, when my brother came to visit and used the freshly remodeled bathroom the first time, the towel bar pulled out and left holes the size of silver dollar. You should have seen his face.. poor guy.
We went in behind that wall through a closet and cut holes in the sheetrock so that we could access the back of the damaged wall. Then we mounted wood behind it that was 1" thick, 4" wide and 10" long. We used liquid nails to hold it up and then put a four screws in from the other side going through the undamaged sheetrock into the wood near the four corners. After patching and re-painting the sheetrock in the closet we went back to the bathroom and patched and re-painted the wall in there. Luckily it was fresh enough that the paint just blended right back in. The closet needed to be painted anyway so it gave me an excuse to freshen it up.
It's strong enough now that a three year old can yank a towel off of it and I don't ever worry.
Best of luck to you!
Kate O|||||||O
I've considered taking the whole thing down, removing the lose anchor, filling the hole with spackle or paster of paris, and starting over. And I've considered using a molly or something that, I hope, would open behind the back paper of the plasterboard and distribute the stress of the rod over a large area. Any recommendations?
Chris