Can I drill on this wall at all or is that foolish?

[smp50]

I'd like to put a batten up along the pencil line you can see in the picture. Note the consumer unit (with the electricity meter on the other side of that external wall) and a socket to the right. The cables enter that socket's back box straight in from above. I have no other knowledge of where cables are in that wall.

I don't have much faith in cable/pipe detectors anyway, but even if I did get one then do you think that given the location of the CU I definitely shouldn't be drilling here?

Thanks,

 

[Spark123]

Can we have a better pic of the consumer unit? Is it just me or is the cover missing?
You definitely need to know where the cables are before drilling, personally I'd avoid drilling directly above but would also check for cables in the wall where I do drill.

 

[smp50]

Can we have a better pic of the consumer unit? Is it just me or is the cover missing?
You definitely need to know where the cables are before drilling, personally I'd avoid drilling directly above but would also check for cables in the wall where I do drill.

I have the cover, it's just removed at the moment so I could strip the wallpaper. I have another thread about the CU in particular, somewhere.

 

[RF Lighting]

Looks like a federal stab-lok board without its cover to me. There will be much exposed live metal work. This is immediately dangerous and needs to be your very first priority to be sorted.

 

[smp50]

Looks like a federal stab-lok board without its cover to me. There will be much exposed live metal work. This is immediately dangerous and needs to be your very first priority to be sorted.

Yea, don't worry - the cover is at hand. I should have put it on for the picture, I suppose.

 

[RF Lighting]

You shouldn't have taken it off in the first place

 

[smp50]

You shouldn't have taken it off in the first place

There was wallpaper behind it. I survived... this time.

 

[RF Lighting]

Why not just crack on and drill your wall where ever you want. I'm sure you'll probably survive.

 

[smp50]

Why not just crack on and drill your wall where ever you want. I'm sure you'll probably survive.

Could I just screw the batten directly onto the CU itself? There are some really handy screw holes in the metal bits.

 

[JohnD]

foolish.

If you must drill it, cautiously chip away the plaster in several places so you can see where the cable goes. Anywhere you want to make a hole on that risky wall, chip away the plaster in a patch bigger than your hole will be, until you can see the brick or block.

On a similar wall with concealed cables, I chipped away plaster just below the ceiling, and put blanking plates in so that I (or anyone else) wanting to drill might have the sense to look up and be warned. My cables all went straight up, which is correct practice but not always followed.

I have assumed that this is not a silly wind-up.

 

[smp50]

foolish.

If you must drill it, cautiously chip away the plaster in several places so you can see where the cable goes. Anywhere you want to make a hole on that risky wall, chip away the plaster in a patch bigger than your hole will be, until you can see the brick or block.

On a similar wall with concealed cables, I chipped away plaster just below the ceiling, and put blanking plates in so that I (or anyone else) wanting to drill might have the sense to look up and be warned. My cables all went straight up, which is correct practice but not always followed.

I have assumed that this is not a silly wind-up.

Good idea - that works. I'll clear windows in the plaster, like an inch square, until I can see brick and then confidently drill into the centre of that. Thanks!

 

[securespark]

Or:

Secure the batten with screws up to the edge of where the CU is then miss the bit directly over the CU then start fixing it again the other side.

Use gripfix in the middle.

 

[smp50]

Or:

Secure the batten with screws up to the edge of where the CU is then miss the bit directly over the CU then start fixing it again the other side.

Use gripfix in the middle.

Certainly - but still I don't really know where the cables go. Straight up from the CU? Hopefully, but could be anywhere. I've found some damn funny wiring in this house so far. And probably contributed to it as well, lol...

 

[flameport]

If that's an external wall, it's possible that the cables are in the cavity. This is not permitted now, but was often done in the past.

However the real priority is to have that nasty consumer unit replaced and preferably the new one installed somewhere more accessible, rather than at the back of a kitchen cupboard.