…and how not to hit stuff!
I’ve drilled plenty of holes, but my house is a nightmare for this. Late 50s semi with decades of bodgery/additions/extensions. Almost every wall I check has question marks over it.
I do the usual stuff like checking for sockets/light switches, tapping the wall looking for studs, checking on the other side etc.; I have also had a couple of stud detectors. The current one (Bosch GMS120) is supposed to be the best around but I still get so many false positives from it I don’t know what I can trust. Checking the area where I want to drill a couple of holes (6 inches down from the ceiling behind a door in an upstairs bedroom), when in stud mode, is finding live wires everywhere (but not in live wire detection mode!).
I am extra paranoid as a few years back drilling a hold in the porch I hit a 240v cable that was routed diagonally behind the wall. Fortunately the RCCD tripped, but the electrics in the rest of the house are primitive at best and I would not want to drill through a live wire. Also my dad (a very experienced DIYer) drilled through plastic microbore CH pipe a few years ago that had been poorly routed, so I know it can happen even to the experienced.
Any tips? Particularly on how to use a stud detector effectively! I don’t know why I get so many false positives…
I’ve drilled plenty of holes, but my house is a nightmare for this. Late 50s semi with decades of bodgery/additions/extensions. Almost every wall I check has question marks over it.
I do the usual stuff like checking for sockets/light switches, tapping the wall looking for studs, checking on the other side etc.; I have also had a couple of stud detectors. The current one (Bosch GMS120) is supposed to be the best around but I still get so many false positives from it I don’t know what I can trust. Checking the area where I want to drill a couple of holes (6 inches down from the ceiling behind a door in an upstairs bedroom), when in stud mode, is finding live wires everywhere (but not in live wire detection mode!).
I am extra paranoid as a few years back drilling a hold in the porch I hit a 240v cable that was routed diagonally behind the wall. Fortunately the RCCD tripped, but the electrics in the rest of the house are primitive at best and I would not want to drill through a live wire. Also my dad (a very experienced DIYer) drilled through plastic microbore CH pipe a few years ago that had been poorly routed, so I know it can happen even to the experienced.
Any tips? Particularly on how to use a stud detector effectively! I don’t know why I get so many false positives…
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