Stud/AC wire/metal device beeps when none?

blackstar

Hello all,

Hoping someone can help.

I need to put a nail in the wall, so thought I better check for AC wires/Metal and check I am putting it into a stud too. Its the wall that connects to the house next door.

Anyhow I bought a Digital Scanner Wood Stud Metal Wire Voltage Copper Pipe Finder Wall Detector and I put the switch to Stud, nothing happened as it was just air at the moment so put it to a wall and every single wall in the house the beeping was going off, even where I know there is no stud in the wall, even on a brick wall it was saying it was a "Stud".

So I try the AC Wire, again its beeping indicating a AC Wire on every single wall, even a brick wall?

So I sent it back to store and shop said must be faulty, so bought another one, a different make and guess what, exact same thing?
Really getting annoying now.

Anyone know what's going on?

brightontraveller

There crap basically

blackstar

Surely something is not right though? Surely they must work?

blackstar

Surely something is not right though? Surely they must work?

I tried it again and the metal scan seems to work and I tried the AC Scan again, and every single wall its indicating AC? Surely not every single wall has an AC Wire there? I tried it on the celling and it didn't indicate anything until I got close to the light then it went off, but every single wall its indicating AC?

The Stud light also goes off constantly on every single wall too?

Anyone any clues?

brightontraveller

Most tradesmen tap with the knuckle hammer etc your can hear the sound difference and look at outlet/switch locations defined cable routes etc even the best on the market are pretty limited and don't pick up accurately depth etc or find many plastic pipes either

Ruski

Try putting your other hand on the wall at the same time - this sometimes helps - and is in the instructions for my Bosch detector.


HTH


Russ

richy999

Do the instructions say that you need to calibrate the detector before each use?

For instance, with mine, if I want to detect A/C, I press and hold the button down (away from any electrical source). It will beep at me to tell me it is ready to use Then I put it against a live electrical ciruit to test it before using in earnest. All through use I need to keep the button pressed or have to start the 'Calibration' routine again.

blackstar

richy999 wrote: »

Do the instructions say that you need to calibrate the detector before each use?

For instance, with mine, if I want to detect A/C, I press and hold the button down (away from any electrical source). It will beep at me to tell me it is ready to use Then I put it against a live electrical ciruit to test it before using in earnest. All through use I need to keep the button pressed or have to start the 'Calibration' routine again.

The instructions just say press and hold the test button the unit will now start calibration. Which I do, but why is every single part of every single wall indicating A/C?

blackstar

I am not going to try and use another AC wire, stud and metal Digital Scanner after buying two of them and neither of them working.

So I am just going to go ahead with it anyhow, I need to put a 13mm screw which is 1 1/2 cm long into the bedroom wall, the wall is the wall dividing my neighbour and myself. What do you think that the wall is made of? ie Brick? wood? etc? Its pretty hard when I knock on it.

The ceiling has spotlight lights, do you think there will be any AC wiring in that wall or water pipes? There are no sockets or anything on that wall.

I also need an anchor suitable for the brick wall and the length and thickness of the 13mm screw.
What would be a good anchor for that?
What size drill bit would anyone recommend for this?

generationgav

My stud/pipe detector didn't work on the walls.

Turns out that we had "dot n dab" which meant the plasterboard was stuck straight onto brick (actually breezeblock type things known as Thermalite)
The electric thing worked on it, providing I switched everything on and created a current, so I just used that and a bit of common sense with the location of the sockets and light switches.

tonyh66

foil backed plasterboard?