Help!! Have I hit a cable??

Laz88

Hi, I put a canvas on my wall today (using 2 x 1.5 inch nails) and stupidly didn't check the wall first.
It was my upstairs landing wall and the nails went in fine... no sparks, no fuse blown etc but this evening my living room light (directly below) was flickering (going really dull then brightening up again).
It did this twice. Is this just a coincidence or does it sound like I've hit a cable? Should I get an electrician out?
I've been looking online and now I'm paranoid that there could be damage and it may cause a fire.

Doozergirl

I think calling an electrician would be helpful if you're really worried. Or at least buying a metal, voltage and stud detector for a few quid. It will be helpful next time, too.

It's not the sort of thing you'd want to leave. I think it's unusual for wiring for downstairs to run behind the walls of the floor upstairs and straight down; you're supposed to make cabling routes within the walls relatively obvious to guess at, but electricians don't always stick to the rules.

sebloak

Try changing the bulb first. Chances are its a coincidence unless you've either put a nail directly inline above\below a switch or got a weird wiring layout. But usually a nail or screw through a wire would trip the fuse to the whole lighting circuit.

If it still has problems with a new bulb then call an electrician, he\she should test the circuit and light fitting

Doozergirl

Oh wow, I presumed they'd changed the bulb already!

d0nkeyk0ng

My understanding of the way wires are laid:

• wiring for electrical sockets run under floorboards and come vertically up to the socket (so above the socket to the ceiling there shouldn't be any wiring)
• wiring for lights runs above ceilings and drops down to the light fixture and down to the lightswitch (so there shouldn't be anything below the lightswitch)
• not every house is wired properly so it's always worth double checking

So unless you stuck a nail into the wall in the area running from lightswitch to ceiling, you should be okay.

stator

Yes, you would normally expect cables to be in lines directly vertical or horizontal from sockets or switches. If they are not then they should be protected.

Hasbeen

Doozergirl wrote: »

Oh wow, I presumed they'd changed the bulb already!

1.5 inch nails for a print and not checking/changing bulb first suggest that op is not the diy type

Perhaps getting electrician in to change bulb first then take it from there:)

Jackmydad

https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/electrical-safe-zones.htm

Should let you work out if there is the possibility of any cables there.

Detectors are useful if they actually give a reading for metal or cables in a particular area, but not getting a reading does not always mean there isn't anything there and so it's safe) At least in my experience.

Care, and a bit of though beforehand saves any panics later.

ed110220

Is it a compact fluorescent or led lamp? If so that sounds like a sign of the lamp failing. If it happens again (or there is any sign of damage to the lamp, often some darkening of the tube nearest the base in a compact fluorescent) I'd change the lamp. I'd really want more evidence of damage to the wiring than a flickering bulb to start investigations for that.

As for wiring, it's worth remembering that in a house with a concrete ground floor and a boarded first floor, wiring downstairs will often drop down from the upstairs to each downstairs socket.