Drilling into brick wall and hitting something hard?

[whatnot76]

Hello all,
I am trying to fix some shelving in my victorian/turn of century terraced brick house. I have already successfully drilled a number of holes, however, I just tried to drill another hole and was standing there for ages and ages drilling away but found I could only go in about 15mm. It feels like I am hitting something metallic,if that doesn't sound crazy?! Anybody have any idea what this could be? Like a wall tie or something? Did they have those in victorian times? lol It's a party wall.

 

[JohnD]

iron gas pipe.

might be dead. might not.

gas lighting used before electricity.

or an iron water pipe, esp if next to a chimneybreast or the bathroom was above.

Don't drill into it.

If you take up a floorboard in that room, and the room above, you might see clues.

 

[whatnot76]

So if would that run vertically down the wall from the ceiling or horizontally across? Can, I avoid it by drilling, say 2" either side of my original hole?

 

[JohnD]

possibly

look under the floors first.

 

[^woody^]

If you were JohnD's neighbour, you may have hit his head with the drill bit.

 

[cwhaley]

Are you drilling into plaster at this point, with brick underneath? My guess is that you've marked a hole, drilled through the plaster and then hit a pipe underneath. I'm guessing that the reason you haven't got any further is because you're using an under-powered drill, maybe a hammer drill with a basic bit?

As said above, pipes and other metal conduits often went down the side of chimney breasts. Next to mine is a small iron pipe housing old disconnected cotton-sheathed wire. I doubt you'd have remnants of gas lighting pipework -- there was a small but lucrative industry taking these out in the '30s and '40s.

I'd excavate very carefully around the problematic area to see what's there before going any further.

 

[whatnot76]

Thanks all for your input. Just drilled another hole at the opposite end of the shelf. Thought I was having the same problem. Drilling and drilling and getting nowhere. But I was pulling the drill bit out and getting red dust so knew I was in the right place. This time I measured the depth of the hole every few minutes and sure enough, the hole was getting deeper but soooo slowly. Something like 3 or 4 mins to move 1mm. This is alot when your drill bit is overheating and you have to keep taking breaks. It's taken me about 30-45 mins to drill a hole 30mm deep ! The drill I have is a good one, I think. A Black & Decker quattro. It's a nice heavy one with proper metal chuck and runs off a cable. It's possibly the drill bits that are letting me down, or my lack of pushing power....

 

[JohnD]

what colour is the drill bit? Silver or black?

What shape is its tip (look carefully)?

Has your power drill got hammer action? Is it turned on?

 

[cwhaley]

...the hole was getting deeper but soooo slowly. Something like 3 or 4 mins to move 1mm. This is alot when your drill bit is overheating and you have to keep taking breaks. It's taken me about 30-45 mins to drill a hole 30mm deep !

You need new drill bits -- those are classic signs of a worn or inadequate drill bit. The Dewalt Extreme 2 drill bit set is a reasonably-priced set for drills with a chuck. If you're going to be drilling holes for projects around the house get yourself an SDS.

 

[whatnot76]

what colour is the drill bit? Silver or black?

What shape is its tip (look carefully)?

Has your power drill got hammer action? Is it turned on?

They are borrowed from my brother-in-law. I think they have had a bit of use. They are def masonry bits (sort of flattened, hammer-head shape)
Yes, I am using hammer action, and yes, the drill is switched on, lol I'm, starting with the 4.5 mm bit and switching to bigger sizes to make life marginally easier.
I'm new to DIY so didn't want to spend lots of money on equipment. But yeah, an SDS drill is definitely is something i am coveting right now...

 

[JohnD]

Bricks vary in hardness, depending on your locality.

Spoiled bricks were often used for internal walls in Victorian houses, where they would be plastered and not show. Often they are discoloured and their hardness is patchy. Maybe you were unlucky.

But if the drills are blunt, they need replacing. The insert in a masonry bit should have hard sharp edges.

Overheating a drill softens and damages it. Don't keep drilling and pressing if you are not making progress.

A DIY hammer drill is adequate for most household work, including occasional holes in walls. Dense concrete, as found in modern lintels, will be difficult, but ordinary bricks and blocks will succumb.

Cheap SDS drills can be very heavy, and unsuitable for little jobs like shelves or curtain rails. Look at the weight before you buy, and consider that you will often be holding it above shoulder height.

 

[whatnot76]

Does iron pipe tend to have a weird smell? I just drilled another hole, 2" to the side of the original hole and I'm getting the same problem. I put a damp Q tip in the hole and it was covered in dark grey dust, and had a nasty smell. Like ammonia or when wet hair is clogging a drain?
Would it be wise to get a professional in at this point? I don't want to start ripping up floorboards !

 

[JohnD]

old gas pipe (from coal gas days) has an unpleasant smell. Sometimes you find it on things you dig up, when they have been in close proximity to an old pipe that presumably had a bit of a leak.

Spoiled bricks (black or purple) have a sort of volcanic smell when you drill or smash them.

Or are by an old chimneybreast?

Perhaps you should chip off some plaster and see what's behind it.

 

[lostinthelight]

Metal detector???

 

[blup]

Try using as powerful a magnet as you can find.

Blup