From:
Norman Watts <Norman_Watts@zzzzzzz>
Date:
Tue, 4 Oct 2005 06:56:02 -0400
Subject:
Starting a core drill hole
On Oct 3, 2005, at 4:10 PM, Simon wrote:
Quoted text begins. if you're drilling holes in your walls by guesswork, how
do you avoid contact with power cables and water & gas pipes?
End of quote.
That was more a figure of speech but still partly true. I'm searching
pretty hard beforehand for the power and water and there is no gas.
Basically you look for any signs where such lines might be running,
both visually and with a detector. You also electrically isolate the
area. Then you either pry up some boards in the case of floor,
difficult but still possible with tongue and groove it you cut the
tongue in situ, or carefully hole-saw the plaster and lath in walls and
ceiling (limiting the depth). Then you mirror as best you can. You
drill and pray when you go through a wood member because electric lines
are sometimes loose in wall spaces, and sometimes tacked to the stud or
joist in which case they are harder to identify ahead of time. I used
to hang a lot of drywall, so I have a fair idea what should be there,
but in a house built in the late 20's that has been partly rebuilt and
expanded its harder -and a lot dirtier. Parts of the old ceiling are
insulated with loose, dirty cotton. Probably cotton mill waste put to
use in hard times. Never seen that before, but when I was a child my
family lived in a small house in rural Nova Scotia. The walls were
insulated with dried sea weed.
Norman Watts, Ph. D.
National Institutes of Health
50 South Drive, Rm. 1509
Bethesda, MD 20892-8025
Phone: (301) 402-3418
Fax: (301) 480-7629
- References
- message 00023: Starting a core drill hole - Simon (03 Oct 2005)
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