I have to drill a 2 1/2 inch hole through an exterior wall, and I know that
it is possible that I could run into wiring. While I know that I could
turn this circuit off and drill away, I can envision that it would be hard
to access both ends of the 120 volt wiring if my drill should cut a wire.
(repairing would normally be easy, but I don't know if I would have
appropriate "slack" and/or if I could get to both ends to do the repair. )

Isn't there a gadget to allow one to locate the exact wiring location in a
wall ?

Thanks for any tips !!

James

Assuming you're using a hole saw, just stop drilling when you get through
the siding and sheeting, and you shouldn't hit anything.





"James" wrote in message
. ..


I have to drill a 2 1/2 inch hole through an exterior wall, and I know
that
it is possible that I could run into wiring. While I know that I could
turn this circuit off and drill away, I can envision that it would be
hard
to access both ends of the 120 volt wiring if my drill should cut a wire.
(repairing would normally be easy, but I don't know if I would have
appropriate "slack" and/or if I could get to both ends to do the
repair. )

Isn't there a gadget to allow one to locate the exact wiring location in a
wall ?

Thanks for any tips !!

James

Thanks for the great replies !! Basically, I think this reply will help
me a lot.......
-----------------------

Assuming you're using a hole saw, just stop drilling when you get through
the siding and sheeting, and you shouldn't hit anything.

----------------------------

Duhhh, maybe I should have thought of that myself !! But, that is an
excellent approach, as once through the siding, I can probe around and if
there is a wire, hopefully I can force it to one side or the other, to allow
me to go fully through the wall, on to the outside of the wall.

Thanks a lot !!

James

James wrote:

I have to drill a 2 1/2 inch hole through an exterior wall, and I know that
it is possible that I could run into wiring. While I know that I could
turn this circuit off and drill away, I can envision that it would be hard
to access both ends of the 120 volt wiring if my drill should cut a wire.
(repairing would normally be easy, but I don't know if I would have
appropriate "slack" and/or if I could get to both ends to do the repair. )

Isn't there a gadget to allow one to locate the exact wiring location in a
wall ?

Thanks for any tips !!

James



All the other answers are good, but here is another way:

Determine exactly where the hole MUST be and mark that spot. Most of
the wiring in your entire home will be right behind it. Now, spend a
considerable amount of time figuring out how to put it in a different
spot and mark that. Your main gas line will be behind the new location.

Do this again to find your main water line and sewer stack.

After you have located every utility in your home with this method, and
have selected a new location (which will require you to completely
rearrange all of the furniture in your living room), you will find some
sort of engineered wood support with a flitch plate made of some
impenetrable metal from another planet.

After you have successfully gotten through that with a cutting torch
(which compromised the structural integrity of your building and started
a smoldering fire in the stud cavity that won't burst into flame until
after you have left for the movies) you will go outside to find that
somehow you have drilled a hole completely through the engine block of
your lawnmower.

:-)

Seriously, you can buy a device that will locate live wires in your
wall, and for a lot more money, you can buy one that will locate almost
any wire in the wall, hot or not.

http://tinyurl.com/29vxw9

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX

Even more than just an AM radio and 60 cycle hum, plug a vacuum cleaner
into a receptacle that you suspect might be powered by the wire you're
trying to avoid. The AM radio will pick up lots of static when you're
near the wire.

G. Morgan wrote:
James wrote:


I have to drill a 2 1/2 inch hole through an exterior wall, and I know that
it is possible that I could run into wiring. While I know that I could
turn this circuit off and drill away, I can envision that it would be hard
to access both ends of the 120 volt wiring if my drill should cut a wire.
(repairing would normally be easy, but I don't know if I would have
appropriate "slack" and/or if I could get to both ends to do the repair. )

Isn't there a gadget to allow one to locate the exact wiring location in a
wall ?

Thanks for any tips !!



Use an inductive probe (part of a tone-generator kit)...

or --

Use a portable AM radio

tune it to a freq. with no station and run it across the wall
(practice on an area above a lightswitch where you know there are HOT
wires) you'll be able to hear the humming of the RFI.

Can James borrow it?


Mark wrote:
My stud-finder also detects wire and pipe. It will alarm if these are
present in the wall,



"James" wrote in message
. ..


I have to drill a 2 1/2 inch hole through an exterior wall, and I
know that
it is possible that I could run into wiring. While I know that I could
turn this circuit off and drill away, I can envision that it would be
hard
to access both ends of the 120 volt wiring if my drill should cut a wire.
(repairing would normally be easy, but I don't know if I would have
appropriate "slack" and/or if I could get to both ends to do the
repair. )

Isn't there a gadget to allow one to locate the exact wiring location
in a
wall ?

Thanks for any tips !!

James

Robert Allison posted for all of us...

James wrote:

I have to drill a 2 1/2 inch hole through an exterior wall, and I know that
it is possible that I could run into wiring. While I know that I could
turn this circuit off and drill away, I can envision that it would be hard
to access both ends of the 120 volt wiring if my drill should cut a wire.
(repairing would normally be easy, but I don't know if I would have
appropriate "slack" and/or if I could get to both ends to do the repair. )

Isn't there a gadget to allow one to locate the exact wiring location in a
wall ?

Thanks for any tips !!

James



All the other answers are good, but here is another way:

Determine exactly where the hole MUST be and mark that spot. Most of
the wiring in your entire home will be right behind it. Now, spend a
considerable amount of time figuring out how to put it in a different
spot and mark that. Your main gas line will be behind the new location.

Do this again to find your main water line and sewer stack.

After you have located every utility in your home with this method, and
have selected a new location (which will require you to completely
rearrange all of the furniture in your living room), you will find some
sort of engineered wood support with a flitch plate made of some
impenetrable metal from another planet.

After you have successfully gotten through that with a cutting torch
(which compromised the structural integrity of your building and started
a smoldering fire in the stud cavity that won't burst into flame until
after you have left for the movies) you will go outside to find that
somehow you have drilled a hole completely through the engine block of
your lawnmower.

:-)

Seriously, you can buy a device that will locate live wires in your
wall, and for a lot more money, you can buy one that will locate almost
any wire in the wall, hot or not.

http://tinyurl.com/29vxw9


Bob, you either have seen me in action or have the same obstruction finding
knack as me. I'm not alone in this world...
--
Tekkie Don't bother to thank me, I do this as a public service.