How deep can a wall scanner scan, if a wall scanner can scan deep? (For metal)

[SomeBozo]

I've searched a lot of reviews and videos but it's hard to find information that isn't about studs behind board. I'm doing the simplest of tasks - putting up some shelves into a brick wall between two joining chimney stacks in a converted attic. Working my way upwards I've suddenly hit something more than brick (I think). Seems to be about a cm deep which has surprised me as though heavily painted it looked to be just brickwork behind it. I don't know if there's some steel lintel or what in there but the drill said 'nah'. I'm willing to buy a wall scanner if it can detect metal behind brick but hard to say what will. The wall is also knobbly as anything with painted blobby mortar, so I'll have to have some very thick cardboard or even thin board in front of it to keep the scanner flat against if I get one.

I'm willing to spend for a more expensive model than your rock bottom stud-finder as I'll need one for future projects and might as well get a decent one. Though the Bosch one I saw that was rated for concrete was over £200 which is too high.

So that's the background. Basic question: metal behind brick - how deep can a stud finder that says it can detect pipes and metal work, through brick? Is this a non-starter or if it's not, am I looking at the multi-hundreds professional stuff in which case, I will join my drill in saying 'nah'.

 

[foxhole]

Usually a pointless bit of kit , if you suspect metal change to HSS bit which will quickly confirm as it will remove metal swarf as it drills.
What type of drill do you have ? Are you using masonry bits?

 

[accelerator]

Solid brick is very dense and blocks the electromagnetic or capacitive signals used by stud finders, making them ineffective for brick.

The better option would be a Bosch D-tect scanner, which uses radar, and yes they are more expensive, Bosch Wall and Floor Scanner D-tect 120 £212.86 ex VAT.

 

[SomeBozo]

Thanks for both replies:

Usually a pointless bit of kit , if you suspect metal change to HSS bit which will quickly confirm as it will remove metal swarf as it drills.
What type of drill do you have ? Are you using masonry bits?

Masonry bit with a good but non-SDS drill (if that's not a contradiction in terms to professionals). I was just using these Erbauer tungsten-carbide bits. I'll have a look and see if the others I have are marked HSS, though if it is metal I really don't want to drill far into it as I don't know what it is.

Solid brick is very dense and blocks the electromagnetic or capacitive signals used by stud finders, making them ineffective for brick.

The better option would be a Bosch D-tect scanner, which uses radar, and yes they are more expensive, Bosch Wall and Floor Scanner D-tect 120 £212.86 ex VAT.

Thanks. That's what I suspected and why I wrote wall scanner more than stud-finder. I looked at the Bosh D-tect 120 as it listed concrete, however that's more than I want to spend on something I will only get so much use out of. I'll use it for more than just this but not £211.86 excl. VAT much more!

 

[foxhole]

You need a SDS , standard hammer drills are pants .

 

[endecotp]

Seems to be about a cm deep I don't know if there's some steel lintel or what in there

A strong magnet might help if it’s that shallow.

 

[SomeBozo]

You need a SDS , standard hammer drills are pants .

Well I actually don't want to drill through it. If it's there and it's a steel lintel or something, I want to avoid drilling through it. Ideally I just want to find the edges of it if I can to get some idea of what it is and where I can put the shelf brackets instead.

A strong magnet might help if it’s that shallow.

I have some super-strong round ones somewhere. If I can just figure out where I put them I'll give it a go. Maybe walk around the house with a needle or something.

 

[foxhole]

Well I actually don't want to drill through it. If it's there and it's a steel lintel or something, I want to avoid drilling through it. Ideally I just want to find the edges of it if I can to get some idea of what it is and where I can put the shelf brackets instead.

You have not established it’s metal , you have simply failed to drill into it which tells you nothing .

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Well I actually don't want to drill through it. If it's there and it's a steel lintel or something, I want to avoid drilling through it. Ideally I just want to find the edges of it if I can to get some idea of what it is and where I can put the shelf brackets instead.

First, you ought to be assessing the likelihood of there being any steel where you are intending to drill. It is at least as important to assess whether there might be cables or pipes buried under plaster. Why might there be steels, buried under the plaster, on a chimney stack?

As others have suggested, what you have probably hit, is a hard brick, try something a bit more able - a sds drill.