Drilling into wall question

Pete.g

When drilling into a wall for the purpose of putting up shelves ect how do I tell if there are no electrical wires/cables behind where I'm drilling. I know you can buy a gadget that detacts wires but I wondered if there was any other way of telling?

cuffie

I think the general rule would be to look and see where any switches are, and look up and down, and side to side from there. Electricians wouldn't generally (I don't think) wire sockets and switches randomly in diagonal lines across the wall. So, if you are putting up a shelf, be wary if there is a socket in the line running down from where you would want to drill into the wall. I would use the gadget that detects them through a wall if you are unsure. Better to be safe than sorry.

save-a-lot

Hi

There are specific wiring conventions and this is set out in the On Site Guide that electricians use. So cable routing does tend to be in specific zones to the socket or switch

ormus

you should not see/find any cables going diagonally nowadays. very old houses may be very different. if they have been rewired then the new rules should be applied.
when drilling anywhere near a switch/socket box, ie the vertical line up or down, be careful.

Alias_Omega

as mentioned really, it its downstairs, then usually the cables run from the ceiling down to the sockets, lights etc.

If its upstairs, then socket cables from the floor, and lighting comes from the ceiling.

I would think you would be very unlucky to drill through a random cable in the wall. If in doubt, i guess you could use a screwdriver to break the plaster in the place you want until you hit the masonary.