How to check for wiring in a wall before drilling

Question

I want to put up some shelving in the living room but I'm nervous about hitting a cable. Are the handheld cable detectors from DIY stores reliable enough?

Steven · Answer

Unscrew the socket or switch and gently pull either the socket or switch,  and then you will be able to see the cables coming down from the ceiling or coming up from the floor

Jack · Answer

Hi Lou,

In respect to the wire trackers, it’s like most things, the more expensive the model then the higher percentage of accuracy you will get.

Another way to look at it however without going and spending money on something that you may not have complete belief in is that you should never do any form of drilling or fixing within the vertical or horizontal width of a switch/socket:electrical accessory. 9/10 reliable electricians when wiring sockets, switches etc will bring there cables in a straight line within those dimensions.

I hope that helps!

Milo · Answer

Electrically, the wiring should be in zones either run vertically of horizontally between visible pointe, such as a switch or socket. Another zone electricians use is 150mm from the corners of rooms. It's also fairly easy to track live cables with even quite affordable tracers widely available, make sure the light in the room is on so the switches fees is definitely live!

The problem is, plumbers don't follow any of these rules, and pipes are a lot harder to trace. I'd usually visually check there are no radiators or obvious water using appliances near by, and work out where the main stop cock is to make sure there's no water main running behind. These are usually Uber the floor, and should be over 50mm down, but regularly aren't.

Good luck 🙂

How to check for wiring in a wall before drilling

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