I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted on
an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece of
timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.

--
Chris Green
·

After serious thinking Chris Green wrote :
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted on
an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece of
timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.

If it's near the ceiling, you can drill through, but other than that...

You need to make a hole in the PB, over the level of the stud, get the
cable through, then fill the hole.

On 23/02/2021 17:35, Chris Green wrote:
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted on
an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece of
timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.


Not that I know of. You'll need to remove a small strip of plasterboard,
drill the stud and feed the cable through, and then glue the
plasterboard back in place, and beautify the edges with a bit of filler.

The strip only needs to be about 1" wide x thickness of stud + an inch
or so either side. You can drill through at an angle, or even cut a slot
in the stud. May not comply with the latest regs - but it will work!
--
Cheers,
Roger

On Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 19:06:15 UTC, undefined wrote:
After serious thinking Chris Green wrote :
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted on
an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece of
timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.
If it's near the ceiling, you can drill through, but other than that...

You need to make a hole in the PB, over the level of the stud, get the
cable through, then fill the hole.

If it is a stud you are trying to pass cable through then you little option but to cut out a small section of plasterboard across the stud. You can then either notch the stud or drill though it to pass the cable. You then need to cover the cable notch with one of these;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-...-20-pack/30038

If you cut the PB with a multi tool at an angle of 45deg around the edges the piece can simply be replaced using some filler to both glue it in place and to make good.

Richard

On 23/02/2021 19:35, Tricky Dicky wrote:
On Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 19:06:15 UTC, undefined wrote:
After serious thinking Chris Green wrote :
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted
on an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece
of timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.
If it's near the ceiling, you can drill through, but other than
that...

You need to make a hole in the PB, over the level of the stud, get
the cable through, then fill the hole.

If it is a stud you are trying to pass cable through then you little
option but to cut out a small section of plasterboard across the
stud. You can then either notch the stud or drill though it to pass
the cable. You then need to cover the cable notch with one of these;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-...-20-pack/30038

That's very expensive for a plate that is just 1mm thick. I thought
mechanical protection outside a safe-zone needed to be 3mm?

If the cable run is horizontal or vertical from the fitting or switch
then it is automatically in the safe-zone and only needs RCD protection.

If you cut the PB with a multi tool at an angle of 45deg around the
edges the piece can simply be replaced using some filler to both glue
it in place and to make good.

Depending on how close the fitting is to the stud, there is a chance a
wood-bit make the required hole which won't need any tidying up.

Tricky Dicky wrote:
On Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 19:06:15 UTC, undefined wrote:
After serious thinking Chris Green wrote :
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted on
an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece of
timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.
If it's near the ceiling, you can drill through, but other than that...

You need to make a hole in the PB, over the level of the stud, get the
cable through, then fill the hole.

If it is a stud you are trying to pass cable through then you little option
but to cut out a small section of plasterboard across the stud. You can
then either notch the stud or drill though it to pass the cable. You then
need to cover the cable notch with one of these;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-...-20-pack/30038

If you cut the PB with a multi tool at an angle of 45deg around the edges
the piece can simply be replaced using some filler to both glue it in place
and to make good.

The trouble is I'm not sure we have the same/original coloured paint.

--
Chris Green
·

Chris Green wrote:
Tricky Dicky wrote:
On Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 19:06:15 UTC, undefined wrote:
After serious thinking Chris Green wrote :
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted on
an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece of
timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.
If it's near the ceiling, you can drill through, but other than that...

You need to make a hole in the PB, over the level of the stud, get the
cable through, then fill the hole.

If it is a stud you are trying to pass cable through then you little option
but to cut out a small section of plasterboard across the stud. You can
then either notch the stud or drill though it to pass the cable. You then
need to cover the cable notch with one of these;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-...-20-pack/30038

If you cut the PB with a multi tool at an angle of 45deg around the edges
the piece can simply be replaced using some filler to both glue it in place
and to make good.

The trouble is I'm not sure we have the same/original coloured paint.


You can buy remote switches which dont require wires and look like normal
switches more or less. Try Amazon.

They have a battery in the switch and a module at the light fitting.

On 23/02/2021 20:30, Chris Green wrote:
Tricky Dicky wrote:
On Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 19:06:15 UTC, undefined wrote:
After serious thinking Chris Green wrote :
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted on
an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece of
timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.
If it's near the ceiling, you can drill through, but other than that...

You need to make a hole in the PB, over the level of the stud, get the
cable through, then fill the hole.

If it is a stud you are trying to pass cable through then you little option
but to cut out a small section of plasterboard across the stud. You can
then either notch the stud or drill though it to pass the cable. You then
need to cover the cable notch with one of these;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-...-20-pack/30038

If you cut the PB with a multi tool at an angle of 45deg around the edges
the piece can simply be replaced using some filler to both glue it in place
and to make good.

The trouble is I'm not sure we have the same/original coloured paint.



You've made my day.


It's possible (and I think flying pigs are involved) that you can remove
the switch and backbox, and drill diagonally through the stud. Somehow
feed a cable through and fish it from the other side.

Or, you can repaint the wall.

The other possibilities are to drill straight through the wall - you
haven't said what's the other side. A cupboard would be good!

Or drop a cable down and run it behind a skirting board. Then somehow
fish it up to where you want it. That might actually work.

Or repaint the wall. I may have mentioned that?

Fredxx wrote:
On 23/02/2021 19:35, Tricky Dicky wrote:
On Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 19:06:15 UTC, undefined wrote:
After serious thinking Chris Green wrote :
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted
on an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece
of timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.
If it's near the ceiling, you can drill through, but other than
that...

You need to make a hole in the PB, over the level of the stud, get
the cable through, then fill the hole.

If it is a stud you are trying to pass cable through then you little
option but to cut out a small section of plasterboard across the
stud. You can then either notch the stud or drill though it to pass
the cable. You then need to cover the cable notch with one of these;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-...-20-pack/30038

That's very expensive for a plate that is just 1mm thick. I thought
mechanical protection outside a safe-zone needed to be 3mm?

If the cable run is horizontal or vertical from the fitting or switch
then it is automatically in the safe-zone and only needs RCD protection.

Yes, it's straight down from the switch so that's OK. Just a piece of
wood in the way! :-)


If you cut the PB with a multi tool at an angle of 45deg around the
edges the piece can simply be replaced using some filler to both glue
it in place and to make good.

Depending on how close the fitting is to the stud, there is a chance a
wood-bit make the required hole which won't need any tidying up.

That might be almost possible, the fitting isn't *that* far from the
stud and I might get away with a hole at an angle which would be
covered by the fitting. It'll be 'fun' guiding the wire to its
destination but it should be possible.

Thanks for giving me hope! :-)

--
Chris Green
·

Radio Man wrote:
Chris Green wrote:
Tricky Dicky wrote:
On Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 19:06:15 UTC, undefined wrote:
After serious thinking Chris Green wrote :
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted on
an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece of
timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.
If it's near the ceiling, you can drill through, but other than that...

You need to make a hole in the PB, over the level of the stud, get the
cable through, then fill the hole.

If it is a stud you are trying to pass cable through then you little option
but to cut out a small section of plasterboard across the stud. You can
then either notch the stud or drill though it to pass the cable. You then
need to cover the cable notch with one of these;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-...-20-pack/30038

If you cut the PB with a multi tool at an angle of 45deg around the edges
the piece can simply be replaced using some filler to both glue it in place
and to make good.

The trouble is I'm not sure we have the same/original coloured paint.


You can buy remote switches which dont require wires and look like normal
switches more or less. Try Amazon.

They have a battery in the switch and a module at the light fitting.

That's not the issue, I need to get electricity to the light fitting.

--
Chris Green
·

GB wrote:
On 23/02/2021 20:30, Chris Green wrote:
Tricky Dicky wrote:
On Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 19:06:15 UTC, undefined wrote:
After serious thinking Chris Green wrote :
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted on
an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece of
timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.
If it's near the ceiling, you can drill through, but other than that...

You need to make a hole in the PB, over the level of the stud, get the
cable through, then fill the hole.

If it is a stud you are trying to pass cable through then you little option
but to cut out a small section of plasterboard across the stud. You can
then either notch the stud or drill though it to pass the cable. You then
need to cover the cable notch with one of these;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-...-20-pack/30038

If you cut the PB with a multi tool at an angle of 45deg around the edges
the piece can simply be replaced using some filler to both glue it in place
and to make good.

The trouble is I'm not sure we have the same/original coloured paint.


You've made my day.


It's possible (and I think flying pigs are involved) that you can remove
the switch and backbox, and drill diagonally through the stud. Somehow
feed a cable through and fish it from the other side.

It's actually slightly easier than that, the stud is closer to the
destination than to the switch so the switch doesn't need to be
removed to get drill access. I can (maybe) drill diagonally from the
destination through the stud. We'll see.


Or, you can repaint the wall.

The other possibilities are to drill straight through the wall - you
haven't said what's the other side. A cupboard would be good!

No, it's the landing.


Or drop a cable down and run it behind a skirting board. Then somehow
fish it up to where you want it. That might actually work.

Or repaint the wall. I may have mentioned that?


--
Chris Green
·

On 23/02/2021 17:35, Chris Green wrote:

I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard?

Sometimes - but it depends on the circumstances...

If the wall has a loft space above or a floor that can be lifted so that
the top rail of the wall is visible, then you can drill down with a
spade bit in one or more bit extenders cascaded.

If the switch position is not too far from the stud then, a long bit can
go in an angle drill and that poked onto the hole for the switch or
behind the light socket. (or if mounting a light on the wall, you can
cut out a patch of PB behind it where the making good would be obscured
by the light).

Alternatively you can often drill at a slight angle through whatever
hole you have and hit the stud that way.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

John Rumm wrote:
On 23/02/2021 17:35, Chris Green wrote:

I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard?

Sometimes - but it depends on the circumstances...

If the wall has a loft space above or a floor that can be lifted so that
the top rail of the wall is visible, then you can drill down with a
spade bit in one or more bit extenders cascaded.

If the switch position is not too far from the stud then, a long bit can
go in an angle drill and that poked onto the hole for the switch or
behind the light socket. (or if mounting a light on the wall, you can
cut out a patch of PB behind it where the making good would be obscured
by the light).

Alternatively you can often drill at a slight angle through whatever
hole you have and hit the stud that way.

Yes, this last seems as if it might be possible, hopefully!

--
Chris Green
·

On 23/02/2021 21:12, Chris Green wrote:
GB wrote:
On 23/02/2021 20:30, Chris Green wrote:
Tricky Dicky wrote:
On Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 19:06:15 UTC, undefined wrote:
After serious thinking Chris Green wrote :
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted on
an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece of
timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.
If it's near the ceiling, you can drill through, but other than that...

You need to make a hole in the PB, over the level of the stud, get the
cable through, then fill the hole.

If it is a stud you are trying to pass cable through then you little option
but to cut out a small section of plasterboard across the stud. You can
then either notch the stud or drill though it to pass the cable. You then
need to cover the cable notch with one of these;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-...-20-pack/30038

If you cut the PB with a multi tool at an angle of 45deg around the edges
the piece can simply be replaced using some filler to both glue it in place
and to make good.

The trouble is I'm not sure we have the same/original coloured paint.


You've made my day.


It's possible (and I think flying pigs are involved) that you can remove
the switch and backbox, and drill diagonally through the stud. Somehow
feed a cable through and fish it from the other side.

It's actually slightly easier than that, the stud is closer to the
destination than to the switch so the switch doesn't need to be
removed to get drill access. I can (maybe) drill diagonally from the
destination through the stud. We'll see.

I'm sitting on the edge of my chair. Popcorn in hand.






Or, you can repaint the wall.

The other possibilities are to drill straight through the wall - you
haven't said what's the other side. A cupboard would be good!

No, it's the landing.

Do you have the landing paint? ))



Really, you are making the case for a steerable drill. That exists for
drilling shale, but not, alas, for DIY work at home. Without that, you
have to see what you can do drilling in a straight line.







Or drop a cable down and run it behind a skirting board. Then somehow
fish it up to where you want it. That might actually work.

Or repaint the wall. I may have mentioned that?

GB wrote:
On 23/02/2021 21:12, Chris Green wrote:
It's possible (and I think flying pigs are involved) that you can remove
the switch and backbox, and drill diagonally through the stud. Somehow
feed a cable through and fish it from the other side.

It's actually slightly easier than that, the stud is closer to the
destination than to the switch so the switch doesn't need to be
removed to get drill access. I can (maybe) drill diagonally from the
destination through the stud. We'll see.

I'm sitting on the edge of my chair. Popcorn in hand.

I'll report on my success or otherwise!


Or, you can repaint the wall.

The other possibilities are to drill straight through the wall - you
haven't said what's the other side. A cupboard would be good!

No, it's the landing.

Do you have the landing paint? ))

I doubt it, though the landing is more towards the 'magnolia' sort of
thing so might be easier to approximate.


Really, you are making the case for a steerable drill. That exists for
drilling shale, but not, alas, for DIY work at home. Without that, you
have to see what you can do drilling in a straight line.

Yes, I used to work for an oil company, they can steer their drills
can't they.

--
Chris Green
·

On Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 17:48:06 UTC, Chris Green wrote:
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted on
an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece of
timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.

--
Chris Green
·
Long drill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr0lo-Sx-Cs ?

The other possibilities are to drill straight through the wall - you
haven't said what's the other side. A cupboard would be good!

No, it's the landing.

If its the landing, then you have a loft above the landing ceiling?

Then do what I did, go into loft, drill an access hole in the top wall
plate, get a drill extnder bar, (I used 5 x 300 mm extender bars to give
me 1.5 m long bar and put the wood bit at the end of that.

Feed that through the hole you've just drilled and then drill the second
hoel in teh noggin/dwang.....

Simples :-)


Or drop a cable down and run it behind a skirting board. Then somehow
fish it up to where you want it. That might actually work.

Or repaint the wall. I may have mentioned that?

On 23/02/2021 21:57, Chris Green wrote:
The other possibilities are to drill straight through the wall - you
haven't said what's the other side. A cupboard would be good!

No, it's the landing.

Do you have the landing paint? ))

I doubt it, though the landing is more towards the 'magnolia' sort of
thing so might be easier to approximate.


Hang a picture..


Really, you are making the case for a steerable drill. That exists for
drilling shale, but not, alas, for DIY work at home. Without that, you
have to see what you can do drilling in a straight line.

right angle drill attachment?
https://www.toolstation.com/keyless-angle-driver/p40354

--
Adrian C

On 23/02/2021 21:25, Chris Green wrote:
John Rumm wrote:
On 23/02/2021 17:35, Chris Green wrote:

I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard?

Sometimes - but it depends on the circumstances...

If the wall has a loft space above or a floor that can be lifted so that
the top rail of the wall is visible, then you can drill down with a
spade bit in one or more bit extenders cascaded.

If the switch position is not too far from the stud then, a long bit can
go in an angle drill and that poked onto the hole for the switch or
behind the light socket. (or if mounting a light on the wall, you can
cut out a patch of PB behind it where the making good would be obscured
by the light).

Alternatively you can often drill at a slight angle through whatever
hole you have and hit the stud that way.

Yes, this last seems as if it might be possible, hopefully!

The 12" long spade bit extenders can easily get you a usable 1m long
spade bit - and that way you can go into a hole in the PB at a very
shallow angle.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 23/02/2021 19:06, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
After serious thinking Chris Green wrote :
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard?Â* I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted on
an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece of
timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.

If it's near the ceiling, you can drill through, but other than that...

You need to make a hole in the PB, over the level of the stud, get the
cable through, then fill the hole.

+1.

Or remove an entire section of PB, so that it can be put back neatly.

The skim with filler sand flat with orbital or belt and repaint ...

....just been doing that. Wnated CAT5 in the kitchen I am amazed that F&B
paint absolutely matches itself even after 19 years


--
"The great thing about Glasgow is that if there's a nuclear attack it'll
look exactly the same afterwards."

Billy Connolly

Radio Man wrote:

You can buy remote switches which dont require wires and look like normal
switches more or less. Try Amazon.
They have a battery in the switch and a module at the light fitting.

Or they use energy harvesting instead of a battery.

S wrote:


The other possibilities are to drill straight through the wall - you
haven't said what's the other side. A cupboard would be good!

No, it's the landing.

If its the landing, then you have a loft above the landing ceiling?

Then do what I did, go into loft, drill an access hole in the top wall
plate, get a drill extnder bar, (I used 5 x 300 mm extender bars to give
me 1.5 m long bar and put the wood bit at the end of that.

Feed that through the hole you've just drilled and then drill the second
hoel in teh noggin/dwang.....

Simples :-)

Hmmm! It's a long way down from the ceiling, like 6ft or so. And
it's close under the eaves too.

--
Chris Green
·

On 24/02/2021 09:14, Chris Green wrote:
S wrote:


The other possibilities are to drill straight through the wall - you
haven't said what's the other side. A cupboard would be good!

No, it's the landing.

If its the landing, then you have a loft above the landing ceiling?

Then do what I did, go into loft, drill an access hole in the top wall
plate, get a drill extnder bar, (I used 5 x 300 mm extender bars to give
me 1.5 m long bar and put the wood bit at the end of that.

Feed that through the hole you've just drilled and then drill the second
hoel in teh noggin/dwang.....

Simples :-)

Hmmm! It's a long way down from the ceiling, like 6ft or so. And
it's close under the eaves too.



Not a problem.....

I use an Angle drill like this one:


https://www.howetools.co.uk/media/ca...image_8943.jpg

Then I then assemble the extender bars one by one as I feed them
through the top hole....

Fiddly and you do run the risk of accidentally dropping the part
assembled into the cavity while you're trying to assemble or dismantle.

You also need to drill an access 2nd hole in the top plane so you can
get an endscopic light and camera in (so you can see where the end of
the drill bit is located on the nogging before you drill and to check
for obstructions like pipes, cables or even insulation!

like this one:

https://img.diytrade.com/cdimg/12636...1286536470.jpg.

As for lighting, a 5mm white LED on some bell wire powered by a battery
pack is useful!

On 23/02/2021 20:45, GB wrote:
On 23/02/2021 20:30, Chris Green wrote:
Tricky Dicky wrote:
On Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 19:06:15 UTC, undefined wrote:
After serious thinking Chris Green wrote :
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted on
an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece of
timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.
If it's near the ceiling, you can drill through, but other than that...

You need to make a hole in the PB, over the level of the stud, get the
cable through, then fill the hole.

If it is a stud you are trying to pass cable through then you little
option
but to cut out a small section of plasterboard across the stud. You can
then either notch the stud or drill though it to pass the cable. You
then
need to cover the cable notch with one of these;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-...-20-pack/30038


If you cut the PB with a multi tool at an angle of 45deg around the
edges
the piece can simply be replaced using some filler to both glue it in
place
and to make good.

The trouble is I'm not sure we have the same/original coloured paint.



You've made my day.Â*


It's possible (and I think flying pigs are involved) that you can remove
the switch and backbox, and drill diagonally through the stud. Somehow
feed a cable through and fish it from the other side.

Or, you can repaint the wall.

The other possibilities are to drill straight through the wall - you
haven't said what's the other side. A cupboard would be good!

Or drop a cable down and run it behind a skirting board. Then somehow
fish it up to where you want it. That might actually work.

although not a "permitted" cable route unless there were already some
electrical accessory positioned in the skirting.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 23/02/2021 20:25, Fredxx wrote:
On 23/02/2021 19:35, Tricky Dicky wrote:
On Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 19:06:15 UTC, undefined wrote:
After serious thinking Chris Green wrote :
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted
on an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece
of timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.
If it's near the ceiling, you can drill through, but other than
that...

You need to make a hole in the PB, over the level of the stud, get
the cable through, then fill the hole.

If it is a stud you are trying to pass cable through then you little
option but to cut out a small section of plasterboard across the
stud. You can then either notch the stud or drill though it to pass
the cable. You then need to cover the cable notch with one of these;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-...-20-pack/30038


That's very expensive for a plate that is just 1mm thick.Â* I thought
mechanical protection outside a safe-zone needed to be 3mm?

If the cable run is horizontal or vertical from the fitting or switch
then it is automatically in the safe-zone and only needs RCD protection.

For the sake of one additional cable in a house full of existing
non-protected cables, would you really bother in your own home though?
Especially where adding an RCD might mean changing the whole CU.

The requirements for RCD or mechanical protection, in a older house,
only really make sense for sizeable work, where it may make a
significant difference to safety, not for adding trivially to an
existing installation.

Although I am planning to replace my lighting MCBs with RCBOs at some
point in the near future, as replacements that fit my CU have become
available recently (the previous versions would not physically fit).

On 24/02/2021 02:47, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
I am amazed that F&B
paint absolutelyÂ* matches itself even after 19 years


The price they charge, it ought to paint itself.

On 24/02/2021 10:34, John Rumm wrote:
On 23/02/2021 20:45, GB wrote:
On 23/02/2021 20:30, Chris Green wrote:
Tricky Dicky wrote:
On Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 19:06:15 UTC, undefined wrote:
After serious thinking Chris Green wrote :
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted on
an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece of
timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.
If it's near the ceiling, you can drill through, but other than
that...

You need to make a hole in the PB, over the level of the stud, get the
cable through, then fill the hole.

If it is a stud you are trying to pass cable through then you little
option
but to cut out a small section of plasterboard across the stud. You can
then either notch the stud or drill though it to pass the cable. You
then
need to cover the cable notch with one of these;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-...-20-pack/30038


If you cut the PB with a multi tool at an angle of 45deg around the
edges
the piece can simply be replaced using some filler to both glue it
in place
and to make good.

The trouble is I'm not sure we have the same/original coloured paint.



You've made my day.Â*


It's possible (and I think flying pigs are involved) that you can
remove the switch and backbox, and drill diagonally through the stud.
Somehow feed a cable through and fish it from the other side.

Or, you can repaint the wall.

The other possibilities are to drill straight through the wall - you
haven't said what's the other side. A cupboard would be good!

Or drop a cable down and run it behind a skirting board. Then somehow
fish it up to where you want it. That might actually work.

although not a "permitted" cable route unless there were already some
electrical accessory positioned in the skirting.

I've often thought that it would be very useful (ignoring Part M) to use
industrial type systems at home. You can buy cable ducting that looks
like skirting, but slightly deeper and contains protected busbars and
separate compartments for other cabling. Adding a socket means nothing
more than popping off a cover, cutting a section out of it, clipping it
back and clipping a socket into the gap.

That would be so useful for domestic situations. I put sockets, in
sufficient numbers, in useful locations, but over the years,
re-arrangements have left most of them behind furniture!

On 24/02/2021 10:58, GB wrote:
On 24/02/2021 02:47, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
I am amazed that F&B paint absolutelyÂ* matches itself even after 19 years


The price they charge, it ought to paint itself.



In the end you either buy cheap paint and put on 10 coats to get the
colour depth or buy one that has enough pigment in it to start with.
Even F&B is cheap compared to

(a) some 'designer' brands
(b) The labour and all the other stuff needed to make a room look good

and it has a vast range of colours available


--
The New Left are the people they warned you about.

Steve Walker wrote:
On 23/02/2021 20:25, Fredxx wrote:
On 23/02/2021 19:35, Tricky Dicky wrote:
On Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 19:06:15 UTC, undefined wrote:
After serious thinking Chris Green wrote :
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted
on an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece
of timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.
If it's near the ceiling, you can drill through, but other than
that...

You need to make a hole in the PB, over the level of the stud, get
the cable through, then fill the hole.

If it is a stud you are trying to pass cable through then you little
option but to cut out a small section of plasterboard across the
stud. You can then either notch the stud or drill though it to pass
the cable. You then need to cover the cable notch with one of these;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-...-20-pack/30038


That's very expensive for a plate that is just 1mm thick.Â* I thought
mechanical protection outside a safe-zone needed to be 3mm?

If the cable run is horizontal or vertical from the fitting or switch
then it is automatically in the safe-zone and only needs RCD protection.

For the sake of one additional cable in a house full of existing
non-protected cables, would you really bother in your own home though?
Especially where adding an RCD might mean changing the whole CU.

OP here, you have to be quite inventive to run a cable that's *not*
horizontal or vertical from a fitting surely! :-)

Anyway I replaced my CU about a year ago and it's all RCBO now.

--
Chris Green
·

On 24/02/2021 11:03, Steve Walker wrote:
On 24/02/2021 10:34, John Rumm wrote:
On 23/02/2021 20:45, GB wrote:
On 23/02/2021 20:30, Chris Green wrote:
Tricky Dicky wrote:
On Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 19:06:15 UTC, undefined wrote:
After serious thinking Chris Green wrote :
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted on
an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece of
timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.
If it's near the ceiling, you can drill through, but other than
that...

You need to make a hole in the PB, over the level of the stud, get
the
cable through, then fill the hole.

If it is a stud you are trying to pass cable through then you
little option
but to cut out a small section of plasterboard across the stud. You
can
then either notch the stud or drill though it to pass the cable.
You then
need to cover the cable notch with one of these;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-...-20-pack/30038


If you cut the PB with a multi tool at an angle of 45deg around the
edges
the piece can simply be replaced using some filler to both glue it
in place
and to make good.

The trouble is I'm not sure we have the same/original coloured paint.



You've made my day.Â*


It's possible (and I think flying pigs are involved) that you can
remove the switch and backbox, and drill diagonally through the stud.
Somehow feed a cable through and fish it from the other side.

Or, you can repaint the wall.

The other possibilities are to drill straight through the wall - you
haven't said what's the other side. A cupboard would be good!

Or drop a cable down and run it behind a skirting board. Then somehow
fish it up to where you want it. That might actually work.

although not a "permitted" cable route unless there were already some
electrical accessory positioned in the skirting.

I've often thought that it would be very useful (ignoring Part M) to use
industrial type systems at home. You can buy cable ducting that looks
like skirting, but slightly deeper and contains protected busbars and
separate compartments for other cabling. Adding a socket means nothing
more than popping off a cover, cutting a section out of it, clipping it
back and clipping a socket into the gap.

That would be so useful for domestic situations. I put sockets, in
sufficient numbers, in useful locations, but over the years,
re-arrangements have left most of them behind furniture!

Nothing stopping you using dado or skirting trunking at home... if you
like that boxy PVC aesthetic :-)

(actually it can look ok if painted - I had one customer that painted
all theirs matt black to match the floor - looked ok, although they did
paint over all the socket numbers as well, which made patching out stuff
harder!)

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 24/02/2021 15:01, John Rumm wrote:
On 24/02/2021 11:03, Steve Walker wrote:
On 24/02/2021 10:34, John Rumm wrote:
On 23/02/2021 20:45, GB wrote:
On 23/02/2021 20:30, Chris Green wrote:
Tricky Dicky wrote:
On Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 19:06:15 UTC, undefined wrote:
After serious thinking Chris Green wrote :
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted on
an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece of
timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.
If it's near the ceiling, you can drill through, but other than
that...

You need to make a hole in the PB, over the level of the stud,
get the
cable through, then fill the hole.

If it is a stud you are trying to pass cable through then you
little option
but to cut out a small section of plasterboard across the stud.
You can
then either notch the stud or drill though it to pass the cable.
You then
need to cover the cable notch with one of these;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-...-20-pack/30038


If you cut the PB with a multi tool at an angle of 45deg around
the edges
the piece can simply be replaced using some filler to both glue it
in place
and to make good.

The trouble is I'm not sure we have the same/original coloured paint.



You've made my day.Â*


It's possible (and I think flying pigs are involved) that you can
remove the switch and backbox, and drill diagonally through the
stud. Somehow feed a cable through and fish it from the other side.

Or, you can repaint the wall.

The other possibilities are to drill straight through the wall - you
haven't said what's the other side. A cupboard would be good!

Or drop a cable down and run it behind a skirting board. Then
somehow fish it up to where you want it. That might actually work.

although not a "permitted" cable route unless there were already some
electrical accessory positioned in the skirting.

I've often thought that it would be very useful (ignoring Part M) to
use industrial type systems at home. You can buy cable ducting that
looks like skirting, but slightly deeper and contains protected
busbars and separate compartments for other cabling. Adding a socket
means nothing more than popping off a cover, cutting a section out of
it, clipping it back and clipping a socket into the gap.

That would be so useful for domestic situations. I put sockets, in
sufficient numbers, in useful locations, but over the years,
re-arrangements have left most of them behind furniture!

Nothing stopping you using dado or skirting trunking at home... if you
like that boxy PVC aesthetic :-)

The version I was referring to includes busbars, so sockets can be
positioned anywhere, later on, without any wiring. So sockets sit in the
front of the trunking. When used as skirting, it'd fall foul of Part M
of the building regulations, requiring sockets to be at or above 400mm.

Okay, you could put it in a room, without triggering part M, but doing
the lot would suddenly put it into coming under part M and its height
requirement.

The particualar one I saw was meant to be used as dado, but would have
been good as skirting too - and looked a lot better for home use than
the majority of ones that I have seen.

On 24/02/2021 11:03, Steve Walker wrote:

I've often thought that it would be very useful (ignoring Part M) to use
industrial type systems at home. You can buy cable ducting that looks
like skirting, but slightly deeper and contains protected busbars and
separate compartments for other cabling. Adding a socket means nothing
more than popping off a cover, cutting a section out of it, clipping it
back and clipping a socket into the gap.


+1 But then when young I wanted to spend my life in a lab


--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid

On 24/02/2021 15:24, Steve Walker wrote:
On 24/02/2021 15:01, John Rumm wrote:
On 24/02/2021 11:03, Steve Walker wrote:

That would be so useful for domestic situations. I put sockets, in
sufficient numbers, in useful locations, but over the years,
re-arrangements have left most of them behind furniture!

Nothing stopping you using dado or skirting trunking at home... if you
like that boxy PVC aesthetic :-)

The version IÂ* was referring to includes busbars, so sockets can be
positioned anywhere, later on, without any wiring. So sockets sit in the
front of the trunking. When used as skirting, it'd fall foul of Part M
of the building regulations, requiring sockets to be at or above 400mm.

Okay, you could put it in a room, without triggering part M, but doing
the lot would suddenly put it into coming under part M and its height
requirement.

So long as it was into an existing building and not a new build, then it
would be outside the scope of part M if not making it any worse than
before.

(and in *your* domestic setting, you probably are not going to invite
the part M police to investigate!)

The particualar one I saw was meant to be used as dado, but would have
been good as skirting too - and looked a lot better for home use than
the majority of ones that I have seen.

Presumably, having bus bars made it significantly more expensive and
time consuming to install?


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On 24/02/2021 14:53, Chris Green wrote:
Steve Walker wrote:
On 23/02/2021 20:25, Fredxx wrote:
On 23/02/2021 19:35, Tricky Dicky wrote:
On Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 19:06:15 UTC, undefined wrote:
After serious thinking Chris Green wrote :
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted
on an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece
of timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.
If it's near the ceiling, you can drill through, but other than
that...

You need to make a hole in the PB, over the level of the stud, get
the cable through, then fill the hole.

If it is a stud you are trying to pass cable through then you little
option but to cut out a small section of plasterboard across the
stud. You can then either notch the stud or drill though it to pass
the cable. You then need to cover the cable notch with one of these;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-...-20-pack/30038


That's very expensive for a plate that is just 1mm thick.Â* I thought
mechanical protection outside a safe-zone needed to be 3mm?

If the cable run is horizontal or vertical from the fitting or switch
then it is automatically in the safe-zone and only needs RCD protection.

For the sake of one additional cable in a house full of existing
non-protected cables, would you really bother in your own home though?
Especially where adding an RCD might mean changing the whole CU.

OP here, you have to be quite inventive to run a cable that's *not*
horizontal or vertical from a fitting surely! :-)

It's very easy.

Think of a switch on the wall and a wall lamp on a wall that runs at 90°
to it. If you run from the switch, to the corner, up within 6" of the
corner and then across to the lamp, you are fine.you have two
horizontals in line with the accessories and a vertical in the corner
safe zone.

However, think of a switch and an accessory on the same wall in a
kitchen extension, but with a boiler on the wall between them and the
flue exiting through the top of the wall. You can't run a cable across
from the switch and up to the accessory, because you'd have to remove
the boiler to do so; you can't go up from both and use the 6" safe zone
at the top, as the flue is going through it; you can't easily go up from
both and run in the ceiling, as it is a flat roof, with no access; and
you can't easily go down from both and run under the floor, because it
is solid concrete, under a laminate floor, which extends under the
skirtings. The obvious route involves dropping vertically from both
switch and accessory and running horizontally below the boiler - which
means a horizontal run that doesn't coincide with anything.
Anyway I replaced my CU about a year ago and it's all RCBO now.

I'm heading that way. I ditched the RCD and changed all the RCD
protected MCBs to RCBOs. I have not yet changed the non-RCD protected
MCBs (lighting and alarm).

On 24/02/2021 15:50, John Rumm wrote:
On 24/02/2021 15:24, Steve Walker wrote:
On 24/02/2021 15:01, John Rumm wrote:
On 24/02/2021 11:03, Steve Walker wrote:

That would be so useful for domestic situations. I put sockets, in
sufficient numbers, in useful locations, but over the years,
re-arrangements have left most of them behind furniture!

Nothing stopping you using dado or skirting trunking at home... if
you like that boxy PVC aesthetic :-)

The version IÂ* was referring to includes busbars, so sockets can be
positioned anywhere, later on, without any wiring. So sockets sit in
the front of the trunking. When used as skirting, it'd fall foul of
Part M of the building regulations, requiring sockets to be at or
above 400mm.

Okay, you could put it in a room, without triggering part M, but doing
the lot would suddenly put it into coming under part M and its height
requirement.

So long as it was into an existing building and not a new build, then it
would be outside the scope of part M if not making it any worse than
before.

Arguably it is making it worse. For instance my sockets are a little
under 1' from the floor and putting sockets on skirting-trunking would
lower them even further from the recommended height.

(and in *your* domestic setting, you probably are not going to invite
the part M police to investigate!)

Oh indeed. Just as I didn't invite them in when I replaced a large
section of ceiling in my son's bedroom, after a leak brought it down.
It's already insulated and I did not want to get into having to improve
the insulation or demonstrate why it was not practicable to do so.

The particualar one I saw was meant to be used as dado, but would have
been good as skirting too - and looked a lot better for home use than
the majority of ones that I have seen.

Presumably, having bus bars made it significantly more expensive and
time consuming to install?

More expensive and time consuming to install than normal skirting, but
quicker than normal skirting plus chasing and making good walls for new
sockets.

On 24/02/2021 14:53, Chris Green wrote:
Steve Walker wrote:
On 23/02/2021 20:25, Fredxx wrote:
On 23/02/2021 19:35, Tricky Dicky wrote:
On Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 19:06:15 UTC, undefined wrote:
After serious thinking Chris Green wrote :
I know it's a tall order but still I may as well ask...

Is there any clever way of getting a cable through a hidden stud
behind plasterboard? I want to feed a lamp from a switch mounted
on an internal dry-lined wall but unfortunately there's one piece
of timber between the switch and the light.

It's a very low current requirement, 3.5 watts at 240 volts so
something like 15mA.
If it's near the ceiling, you can drill through, but other than
that...

You need to make a hole in the PB, over the level of the stud, get
the cable through, then fill the hole.

If it is a stud you are trying to pass cable through then you little
option but to cut out a small section of plasterboard across the
stud. You can then either notch the stud or drill though it to pass
the cable. You then need to cover the cable notch with one of these;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-...-20-pack/30038


That's very expensive for a plate that is just 1mm thick.Â* I thought
mechanical protection outside a safe-zone needed to be 3mm?

If the cable run is horizontal or vertical from the fitting or switch
then it is automatically in the safe-zone and only needs RCD protection.

For the sake of one additional cable in a house full of existing
non-protected cables, would you really bother in your own home though?
Especially where adding an RCD might mean changing the whole CU.

OP here, you have to be quite inventive to run a cable that's *not*
horizontal or vertical from a fitting surely! :-)

Pre Part-P you would just have a new kitchen fitted by the
'professionals' and cables might go all over the place.

On 24/02/2021 16:54, Steve Walker wrote:
On 24/02/2021 15:50, John Rumm wrote:
On 24/02/2021 15:24, Steve Walker wrote:
On 24/02/2021 15:01, John Rumm wrote:
On 24/02/2021 11:03, Steve Walker wrote:

That would be so useful for domestic situations. I put sockets, in
sufficient numbers, in useful locations, but over the years,
re-arrangements have left most of them behind furniture!

Nothing stopping you using dado or skirting trunking at home... if
you like that boxy PVC aesthetic :-)

The version IÂ* was referring to includes busbars, so sockets can be
positioned anywhere, later on, without any wiring. So sockets sit in
the front of the trunking. When used as skirting, it'd fall foul of
Part M of the building regulations, requiring sockets to be at or
above 400mm.

Okay, you could put it in a room, without triggering part M, but
doing the lot would suddenly put it into coming under part M and its
height requirement.

So long as it was into an existing building and not a new build, then
it would be outside the scope of part M if not making it any worse
than before.

Arguably it is making it worse. For instance my sockets are a little
under 1' from the floor and putting sockets on skirting-trunking would
lower them even further from the recommended height.

yes, it will depend on what is already there.

(and in *your* domestic setting, you probably are not going to invite
the part M police to investigate!)

Oh indeed. Just as I didn't invite them in when I replaced a large
section of ceiling in my son's bedroom, after a leak brought it down.
It's already insulated and I did not want to get into having to improve
the insulation or demonstrate why it was not practicable to do so.

Ah, that would probably be the part L police - different branch :-)

The particualar one I saw was meant to be used as dado, but would
have been good as skirting too - and looked a lot better for home use
than the majority of ones that I have seen.

Presumably, having bus bars made it significantly more expensive and
time consuming to install?

More expensive and time consuming to install than normal skirting, but
quicker than normal skirting plus chasing and making good walls for new
sockets.

Yup sure... I was thinking more in comparison to "normal" skirting
trunking though.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

In article ,
Chris Green wrote:
S wrote:


The other possibilities are to drill straight through the wall - you
haven't said what's the other side. A cupboard would be good!

No, it's the landing.

If its the landing, then you have a loft above the landing ceiling?

Then do what I did, go into loft, drill an access hole in the top wall
plate, get a drill extnder bar, (I used 5 x 300 mm extender bars to give
me 1.5 m long bar and put the wood bit at the end of that.

Feed that through the hole you've just drilled and then drill the second
hoel in teh noggin/dwang.....

Simples :-)

Hmmm! It's a long way down from the ceiling, like 6ft or so. And
it's close under the eaves too.

Of course it is. ;-) Only option is to cut a hole in the wall, then.

--
*Why isn't 11 pronounced onety one? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Thursday, 25 February 2021 at 00:47:43 UTC, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Chris Green wrote:
S wrote:


The other possibilities are to drill straight through the wall - you
haven't said what's the other side. A cupboard would be good!

No, it's the landing.

If its the landing, then you have a loft above the landing ceiling?

Then do what I did, go into loft, drill an access hole in the top wall
plate, get a drill extnder bar, (I used 5 x 300 mm extender bars to give
me 1.5 m long bar and put the wood bit at the end of that.

Feed that through the hole you've just drilled and then drill the second
hoel in teh noggin/dwang.....

Simples :-)

Hmmm! It's a long way down from the ceiling, like 6ft or so. And
it's close under the eaves too.
Of course it is. ;-) Only option is to cut a hole in the wall, then.

--
*Why isn't 11 pronounced onety one? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Chris have you decided how you are going to proceed? There has been quite a lot of talk of dropping the cable from above how easy that will be depends on a number of factors and the equipment you have to hand, metres of flat bit extensions and an endoscope seem a bit OTT if you do not have them already and are not likely to use them again. Coming from above avoids the stud but potentially means getting through noggins. A bit of judicious tapping on the wall should find any. Chances are that if the switch is at the standard 1.5m height then there may be no noggin to pass through unless you have very high walls most likely there will only be one noggin at approx mid point which should be below switch level. In some new builds where 15mm+ thick PB is used you may find no noggins at all as in my daughters house.

Your next consideration should be how much access you have at the light fitting and the switch. If the intention is not to fit a back box behind the fitting just have a hole for the cable then I suggest you mount your fitting on the next available stud drilling a cable hole beside it. From the loft I would drill the top plate along side the stud and likewise any noggins you may encounter using flat bits and extensions (should not need many as any noggins should not be far down). Drop a plumb line down, proximity to the stud should stop it wandering about enabling you to fish it out your hole. Alternatively if you have fibre glass rods use them. At the switch end temporarily removing the back box is the easiest thing, I did a similar thing at my daughters mind you I had rods to help me out. You can get an attachment for rods like a key ring that is secured round an existing cable and as the rod is pushed in it follows the route of the existing cable but relies on the cable not being clipped anywhere, again a plumb line may be all that is needed.

I still feel taking out a piece of PB across the offending stud is the simpler option avoiding crawling round the loft and particular if your access is limited by the angle of the eaves. As you have said earlier making the hole on the landing side may mean easier paint matching.

Good luck
Richard

On 24/02/2021 09:37, S wrote:

As for lighting, a 5mm white LED on some bell wire powered by a battery
pack is useful!

You can also get small lamps designed to screw onto the end of cable rods:

https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/FXCRSB.html


--
Cheers,

John.

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