10 TIPS to avoid Pipes and Cables in Walls
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- čas přidán 29. 11. 2019
- In this video I'm giving you 10 tips of how to avoid pipes and cables hidden in walls! Specifically based on UK practices and regulations but may apply wherever you are in the world - please check your own regs. This is a re-edit of my original version of this video with a few updates and also made a lot shorter. Really sorry, I rambled on far too much in the old version of this - I didn't think it would be so popular! Hopefully you'll find this version a bit more to the point - I really struggled to trim more than 10 minutes out of it.
The cable detector I use is a Bosch PDO 6 but it isn't made any more. I haven't tried either of the ones below - I'd try the cheap one first and if it doesn't work out try the Bosch. The cheap one seems to have better reviews! I put a LOT of stuff up on walls - from floating shelves through to attaching bookcases and furniture that I've built to walls. It's been 15 years since I've drilled through a pipe or cable and that wasn't even my fault. In this video I'm giving you some tips to help you find electric cables or plumbing pipes in walls. If you have any other good ideas for avoiding drilling through stuff you don't want to drill through pop it in the comments! Also let me know what the regs are like where you live! IMPORTANT: No digital detector is 100% accurate and it takes time to learn how to use them properly. Always take special care when drilling in to walls!
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These videos might be useful:
How to use a cable detector: • How to Use a Pipe & Ca...
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Original version of this video: • 8 TIPS to avoid Pipes ... (yes, I ramble)
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thank you for your fine care for us who need to learn reality of drilling in walls - meerry christmas 2020 !
Do you need a detector for the wall between 2 houses? I know that the neighbor has a bathroom on the other side, but can I drill 5 cm deep?
I was going to drill a hole for my TV bracket but now i am happy just to put it on the floor
😂me too haha
😂😂😂😂
🤣🤣🤣
Wanted to put anchors into studs to hold a heavy floating shelf on a sump pump wall.... But maybe I find another wall! 😂
me too. i feel so sad that there is no way of actually knowing other than riping the walls apart and see
From this video I learned: Never drill into a wall for any reason :)
So, I followed ALL of this advice... Brilliant, only took me 6 hours to hang my new picture on the hall wall! 👍😂😂😉
But you're alive! 🙏👌
Lol😄
You should do an April 1st version of this where you end up with a wall with no remaining uncovered taped area.
Love it! 😂
that would be so funny
“now these are the danger zones, don’t use this whole wall”
😂🤣 hahaha
In any April fool version surely you could just drill a few holes in a safe space and just move them to where you want them? 🤣🤣
My top tip; when you think you know where you want to drill a hole in a hollow-back plasterboard wall, before you drill, use a bradawl or a small screwdriver to poke a small hole through the board first. If the bradawl pushes through the board freely then there is likely to be nothing to worry about. This will give information up to a couple of inches deep. If there is anything behind the hole you can stop and relocate the hole if necessary. Using a power tool to make the first penetration in a wall is more risky than poking a small hole with a hand tool. Your force pushing the hand tool is much lower than the power of a metal drillbit spinning in a chuck.
I usually mark where I ideally want to drill, use a stud/pipe/cable finder, and if that shows all clear I make a small hole by hand to double check. This is also a good tip if you want to screw into a wooden stud and want to besure you are firmly on the stud before using a screw. The bradawl hole acts as a screw guide.
If you need to move the hole to a different position there is only a tiny hole to fill.
Cable installer here. Outside of avoiding obvious locations that could potentially have wires or pipes, as you've shown in the first part of the video, I simply avoid drilling into drywall, it's not even necessary to drill most of the time; I just poke a hole with a screwdriver(I start with a thin screwdriver then enlarge the hole with a bigger one, which happen to be the size I need for the cable I need to run). Not only it won't damage pipes or wires if any, but it also makes a nice smooth hole (as the drywall paper is pushed in) unlike drill bits. If I need a bigger hole, then I know I can proceed and drill with confidence now that I know I previously didn't hit anything with the screwdriver.
Good tip: turn the heating on for 10 mins prior to drilling through. Reason being you will feel warm spots a lot easier.
Great video, was just about to start a project and needed a refresher. Clear and cheery. Thank you
Thanks for sharing your knowledge -exactly what I needed to learn whilst doing our renovations!
No worries! 👍👊
So when your drilling into a wall hope for the best because wires and pipes could be anywhere?
Started watching this video and reading this comment. Seen him taping the wall up like a crime scene from Rambo
That's what I did. So far so good
Great video, thanks. I just moved into my new flat and tips gave me a lot more confidence to work around the hazards 😀
Cheers Andy and a big thankyou for the video on Electrical issues in the shop and at Home it was from your video that I took the decision to buy a detector and feel a lot safer when I do any electrics in my home and in the workshop
Again thank you
all this time Ive had dumb luck...thanks for making this video, its one of a kind
Tip zero: make a massive hole to see what's behind then rebuild the wall
Great video as ever, but I now totally have the fear
Well, if he'd given you confidence to do it yourself then he's talked himself & his brothers-handymen out of a job! Get a well-insured builder is what a got as the take-home message.
Very useful - thanks. Bloody hate drilling in to a wall. Feels like a complete gamble with a shit prize.
This is a brilliant video. So very informative. You certainly seem to know your stuff. Thank you.
Thanks, this is very helpful. Thanks for editing it down as well.
You are so very lovely and very easy to listen too. You have taught myself - a novice - so much during lockdown whilst I've been out of work and it's very much appreciated. Thank you for all your help 😊. Now, let's hope I don't drill through a cable today as I reopen my salon tomo and I don't want to shut before I've even opened 🤣. Persimmon built our home so there could be wires absolutely anywhere. We found out after many leaks that the forman from our site (who's not a qualified plumber) did all out plumbing and we've been left with the huge bills ripping out bathrooms and toilets over the last 6 years as they will make it so you have to take them to court and not many of us can afford to do that which is how they get away with it! I'm sure you are familiar with how rubbish these new builds can be. Never again.
1) Rule out the obvious (0:19)
2) Work out Danger areas (1:03)
3) Use a detector (5:21)
4) Use a blunt masonry bit (7:06)
5) Feel what's in the wall (8:05)
6) Look what's in the wall (8:46)
7) Avoid using nails (9:37)
8) Prepare for the worst (11:15)
9) Know how to switch services off (13:00)
10)...? Metal studs suck? (14:10)
Guys like you are super heros without capes. Thank you!
And if you haven’t got a detector?
@@whatsinaname11 Be lucky, or buy one online/ in big box store. I think he advised against the 'be lucky' approach though; and buying is less than half an emergency call-out (without the works or parts cost), and scheduled in your own time.
You could unscrew the switchboard and pull it out a little. You'll see the direction of the wires of the switches (Vertical/Horizontal). It's illegal to install wires diagonally but there are some houses with it.
i hit one of those nail plates while driving in a screw and am glad i did saved me alot of headaches glad they followed code and installed those steel plates to protect pipes and wires thanks for video
I spent hours across a few days trying to find where I can drill. Bought 3 detectors, each more expensive than the last but was getting strange results everywhere. In the end I just went for it, and realised then that the plasterboard was metal backed everywhere.
Use Glue.
Bit risky
After most of the wall has been taped and you've carefully used a stud finder to meticulously check and then slowly drill with a blunt drill bit and you feel through the wall, 'These are the safe areas which are not necessarily safes'
well done on shortening this, very helpful video.
This video is so informative for a novice like me just moving in my first place🤦🏾♀️😆🙏🏾
A very well informed video, thank you very much.
Hi Andy.Back in the day when plumbers did a proper job and used copper pipes not plastic, you knew that pipes would be teed off at 90 degrees so you more or less knew where they were in relation to taps etc, but with plastic pipes I've found that ( especially in new builds) they can run at any jaunty angle.
I had a repair job not a million miles from you when a new build home owner hung a picture in the middle of a staircase landing wall and punctured a plastic pipe which ran diagonally from the top corner to the bottom corner. Keep up the good work and all the best for Xmas !
Cheers - and to you and yours! 👍👊
Great advices, thanks for sharing!!!
This is Gold. Thank you so much !
Thank you for making this video sir.. Very educational.. 👍
Thank you , found your video very easy to understand, although I’m in the US I still learned a lot
You are excellent at explaining things 😉
Thankyou for your knowledge much appreciated 👍
All good tips but you forgot the one "cross your fingers and hope for the best!" LOL. I was in the security (fire/burglary/etc) business for 20 years. Running many wires through new and old homes. Never hit a pipe or electrical but knew several competitors that had epic stories to tell. One drilled through a floor and hit an illegal 440 volt transformer (don't ask). Luckily his drill was insulated but in completely melted the 36 inch bit!
Too right! I've had a few where I knew I was on a metal stud but it was showing up voltage - obviously cable inside the stud. Nowhere else to put the screw so just had to hope for the best. Very tentative drilling of a little pilot hole. 😂👍
Thanks for these tips mate. Great explanation. Had a few accidents but its kind of made me more aware. We’re all human. Your tip of feeling the warm pipes through the walls and using something blunt first is brilliant.
I have a question though.... most new builds have foil back plasterboard and the detector goes off everywhere!?!? Are we hoping for the best??
Cheers!
Our new build just has normal plasterboard but yeah if it's the foil stuff you just have to be really careful. Look for peaks on the detector and you *might* find electric cables... but finding the plastic pipes can be a real challenge - just be careful and don't use a sharp drill. 😀👍
Thanks very much. My new build also has the normal stuff!
on plaster board on wooden studs, I use either my knuckles or a handle of a small phili[ps screwdriver to tap across until I 'feel' the stud positions, then use the screwdriver as a bradawl to drill through. I usually make a few drillings horizontally , say half inch apart, to find the centre of the stud. No point in using a big woodscrew at the edge of a stud.
Do you ever need to check brick walls, if you're only drilling an inch or so in (i.e. less than the brick depth)?
Best advertisement for Gorilla Glue I have heard.
You're a shill for big gorilla glue. Haha
Kinda fun, but not really. I don't care what glue you use, it's only going to be as strong as the plaster.. and plaster isn't strong, it's rather brittle.
Can also check crawl space and attic for cable/pipe penetration thru top or bottom plates of walls.
Watching this video, I'm glad I live in Canada where most of the residential construction is all wood frame and hitting mechanical systems is less of a concern. The only concern would be if a 3inch drain line runs down a wall. Doing renovations I have seen a drywall screw or 2 screwd into either a plumbing vent or drain pipe. Generally the wiring is back at least 1 inch from the surface of the stud, if its not there has to be metal plate protecting the wiring from puncture.
I'm glad i live in England where MOST houses are built to last, timber framed houses here are only built for the cheaper market
@@bum-edwhu66 I have lived in both England and Canada and I would rather live in Canada people have less of a stick up their ass :)
@@shoryuken3305 and less of everything else (apart from land) as far as i could see in the year i lived there
@@bum-edwhu66 less crime less poverty you are right xD
@@shoryuken3305 you forgot less wealth and less opportunity
Thank you! I was getting tired of people drilling into me, it was kinda painful.
Wow i feel so lucky, the amount of holes I've drilled and all I've done is *hope* that i don't hit anything. Some really old properties as well. So far so good, i didn't realise how lucky i am!
Great advice.
Our 80s house has all the copper radiator pipes set into the concrete floors downstairs, for what it's worth - it's an estate-developer job (I forget which one - begins with a 'J'?) so I imagine there's loads up and down the country done the same way.
(It also has really annoyingly creaky floorboards, so what I'd *really* like tips on is how to drill and screw into your *floors* without hitting pipes or cables!)
Metal studs can be found easily by running a hand-held magnet across the wall. Once your know where they are, a 6 mm hole off to one side could allow you to put a cheap endoscope camera into the void to have a look around?
Do they have those cell phone "wall sensors" over there? I do not have a smart phone, so that would not work for me, and so I do not have a clue how well they work, but supposedly (if you believe their ad's) they help show what may be in your wall.
We also have that road sweeper on our road daily, new built development by Persimmon
Btw: What kind of editing program do you use? 🙏🏻😊
Great tips
Cheers bud! 👍
I'm looking to hang a hammock using the wall studs, do I need to worry much about pipes snd electrical cable? It's an old flat, not sure exactly how old
Having got caught out by finding a 10mm plastic central heating pipe running upwards behind an upstairs radiator (I thought all upstairs pipes would go downwards) when using a wood drill bit with a sharp point (yes, it scored a direct hit) I now use a small bradawl to carefully make a tiny hole without pushing it in too firmly so that it just about penetrates the soft plasterboard (dot & dab). With different sizes of Phillips screwdrivers I can easily twist and enlarge the hole (easier to control than a drill) having first tested what's behind it with a small flatblade screwdriver.
Defo - does't take much to go through those plastic pipes! 😀👍
@@GosforthHandyman But the plastic pipe was just 10mm wide and my pointed drill bit hit it bang in the middle - the jet of water hit the wall on the oposite side of the room! Anyway, to get at it I had to cut a large hole in the plaster and used one of those JG Speedfit push-fit connectors so hopefully that's done the job. Having gone from a 90-year old house with solid walls and copper pipes to a new build it was quite a quick learning curve!
That's exactly what I do too !
Fixing into metal stud, don't use any longer screw than you need to, so if you were fixing the plaster board you would only need 25 mm screws, so there is not going to be a problem if you can get away with not going into the wall any further than 25 to 32 mm, and to be honest, you are not going to gain anything by using a longer than 32 mm screw anyway as the studs are only around a mm or so thick (depending on the type of studs used) . IE you are fixing a 20 mm batten on the wall use 50 mm fine thread plaster board screws, DON'T use an IMPACT DRIVER, pilot hole the batten and counter sink, set the clutch on your drill driver as low as you can get away with, or you will just strip the hole that you have just made in the very thin stud. You might want to use some solvent free adhesive as well so you have more time to faff around!
Great tips Martin! 👍
What are the rules around modems? I basically want to mount my router above the modem (which came attached to wall of my new build), will there be any cables running vertically from the modem?
any idea if dado rails have something behind/above/below them? or are they purely decorative
So I'm trying to find blunt masonry bits, but not having much luck. Assuming these are not brad point bits that's being referenced. Is it just a case of looking for the broadest point masonry bits?
amazing!
When you make an update or improved video, please, take note of what's new on this video, so I just have to watch that to get the improvements, if not, I have to search the entire video. thank you!
Thank you!
Thanks, I am now afraid to ever drill a hole again and will definitely buy a cable detector before doing so...
If you are in a slightly older UK house with solid brick walls it is not uncommon for electric wires to be running up the insides of door frames.
I am converting a old water heater (now moved) and a coat closet into a pantry with shelves. I have 2 switches and outlets on 3 of the outer walls. I am planning on drilling the supports into the studs only. The supports are 2x2's (1 and 1/2 inches), drywall is 1/2 inch. Would it be safe to use a 2 1/2 or 3 inch screw. The 2 1/2 inch screw would only go in the stud a half inch. The 3 inch screw would go in an inch. I am super nervous. I tried buying an endoscope, but the picture was terrible.
After watching this it put me off putting my sons tv bracket 🤦🏾♀️
I've put up some rear speakers on my dot and dab wall but in the process I had cut the outer sleeve of the mains switch cable which only exposes the brown and blue cables inside but no copper wire I've covered this section with electrical tapes and continued with sealing up he wall the switches seam to work fine no spark lol is this ok
Great video! I love your sensible detail. unfortunately it does not fix my problem which is nail pops on ceiling plaster. I bought a totally useless multi detector (Magnusson and have since seen terrible reviews!). I only know that the 19 holes in my ceiling are roughly in lines, also that from upstairs' perspective many of the nails miss the joists completely and the useless detecor seems to think there is electrical wiring in parts of ceiling that cannot possibly have any wiring! I will look through your channel to see if you have any ceiling tips.
The wall I want to drill into is next to the circuit box for the whole damn building so would it be a bad idea to drill into it
Brilliant⭐
Seems like TV stands are the way to go😊
Tip 11, get Andy out to do it for you :)
Ha ha! 👍😀
I moved into a house where steaming the old wallpaper off repeatedly tripped the electricity, for 20--30min at a time. Getting darker that afternoon in late fall, a mate noticed sparks in a still-wallpapered corner: Surprise! Someone had screwed through the only ring circuit in the late-60s council house, when attaching a thermostat, straight above a socket in an otherwise featureless wall. They then moved the thermostat 2inches (sideways, luckily!) and left as-is. Somehow the moisture from steaming in the room short-circuited the frayed mains cable until dry enough (sparks DO speed up the drying process, so the tripping slowed that down; and I'm guessing soot/ashes are an electric insulator). RULE OF THUMB: If you find one such thing, you'll fine many more surprises at inconvenient times; try to become best mates with an electrician and a plumber.
Tip one use a magnet rather than trust a stud detector. Tip two look what’s on the opposite side of the wall. Tip three if it’s plasterboard I always push through first with a small old blunt screwdriver.
Magnets are great for finding studs - keep a bunch in my plug box. Bear in mind they're no good for finding pipes & cables as they're not magnetic. 👍
tip 4 copper is not magnetic
tip 5 wooden studs are not magnetic
@@0skar9193 no but the fasteners are
I'm wanting to put a doggy door in the wall next to my front door. There is a light switch next to the door, and my only concern, at this point, is whether or not there can be wires close to the floor ~ the one thing you did not cover, unfortunately.
Does it detect wires and pipes. How about does it work through brick wall exterior
When using a detector make sure to plug in and turn on an electric device in your power outlets. Making the electricity flow makes it easier and more accurate for the detector to do its work.
Good tip! 👍
Can anyone recommend a good detector? Bought one from Amazon and according to the reading, the whole wall is full of wires!!! 🙄
How much would this apply here in the States?
There’s only one thing that works 100% of the time: an endoscope. You drill a hole just under the surface of a « safe » zone and insert that little camera and its cable. You can even take pictures of what is behind your wall. And it’s cheaper than ever. Forget stud sensors, not finding what you need, especially plastic piping. And I also hate metal studs, not environmentally friendly, hiding anything, rusty, and a pain to demolish when it’s time to do a major work.
Living in a 19th century tenement every picture I hang is fraught with danger and uncertainty! Ha ha ha!
Ha, yeah - plus lots of lead pipes in the wall to confuse the detector! 😂👊
Sometimes i open the electric socket to see in which direction goes the cable. Gives a hint but yeah how can you be sure anyway...
what i learn from this video is that its NEVER EVER SAFE to drill into a wall and there is no way of knowing 100% unless there is an x-ray tool you can afford.... was going to put a tv on my wall that has a wall socket.. this discourage me soo much. this also tells me that stud finders are just that stud finder and there could be something behind the stud.. thanks for the video I suppose it just sucks that there is no 100% safe way of drilling into a wall. Cant get it off my head now that there always a chance of critical failure when you drill into a wall..
I already bought my hammer drill and it's pieces and a detector which beeps everywhere. Does that mean that I did everything for nothing? Because is dangerous
4:50 Tell me about it! I presumed that the feed wire to the outlet went vertically up to the attic or horizontally to the next outlet. NOT!!! The idiot builder went diagonal from the outlet up to the attic all to save 6 ft of wire (2 meters). I found that out when I cut through the wall to install a new doorway.
Watch out with studs. You should have some space between the hole and the sides of the stud.
What about plumbers and sparks who put in things diagonally, and don't follow the regs , and also plastic pipes that do not show up with a detector
I think you're on to something, a whole new designer, instant, wallpaper system.
I've seen worse! 😂
Andy, have you tried the Walabot? If you don't know what I'm talking about check it out on Google. I decided to give it a go and so far (only 1 month in) it hasn't let me down.
damn it! another bit of useful kit to add to my already burgeoning setup costs. Looks bloody amazing tho'
Quite expensive and doesn't have great reviews on Amazon sadly. Bit of a chew on compared to my detector. Would be interested to try one at some point but not sure I could justify the price. 👍
@@GosforthHandyman I quite understand. When I bought mine it was on offer at £70 which made it a similar price to the Bosch model.
I worked in an office that had metal studs. I wanted a book shelf installed. I just put up lots of bracket holders. One weekend I went home with no worries. The shelf had held several months. Then hurricane Katrina hit the gulf. As with all hurricanes, Katrina slowed down to a tropical storm as it moved north. In Ohio, the systems always pass through as a huge rain storm. This weekend the humidity went up and my shelf fell. It was my mini disaster. I still don’t know-how to drill into metal studs.
"Never assume the person before you has done their job properly" - 🤣 best life advice. Follow it religiously hahaha
I've got metal studs in my place, hopefully I am not drilling into a pipe or cable....my detector told me there's no cable running but ... maybe there're pipes...
Do you have any way to determine if my new apartment has wood vs. metal studs?
You can sometimes tell by inspecting the door jamb at the front door with the door open. I was at a new apartment yesterday and could see wood and splinters behind the deadbolt plate.
So after all that taping..fit the picture on the doors
Damn...i just wanted to mount my TV
I thought I was the only one
lol i just wanted to hang my ikea Boaxel wardrobe off the wall... ikea didn't mention you need to know all this .....
Just glue it? Hm. Actually my mate went wrong after doing everything right: Bought a 23inch TV years ago and installed VESA bracket correctly --- prudently in his mind, following all the rules of this video and also attaching it stronger than needed. Then he got a 50inch TV, then something 75inch or so, and then a substantially larger 4K... CRUNCH one TV securely attached to a bracket, lying broken on the ground with some plasterboard and stud splinters for character.
I can save you time, just go for it, good luck 🤞
Now I see this video, just after banging a picture hook through a socket cable
Nooo! Hope you get sorted! 👍
Ye wanna gan doon to Norfolk, Gadgie. Why-aye, them flint walls even knacker sharp tungsten bits. Bloody nightmare, man, though but! Thanks for the tips, GH, they are much appreciated. :•)
are those light switches for dwarves?
Um... standard height? 😂🤔
@@GosforthHandyman they are a good foot lower than any house i've lived in, i'n 6ft tall and the switched in my house are chest height
Most modern houses have lower switches for disabled.
@@markduggan3451 and tne downside is kids can't stop using them on and off
Shares in the yellow tape factory have we?
So basically, leave the wall alone.
Having just put a screw through my 'socket ring' in my workshop this is like "shutting the stable door" 😂😂😂😂
where I came from we use a torch to burn the house down