Drilling down stud wall

Richard Burns · May 13, 2012

Totally fed up with this one.
Any thoughts on hole drilling to run cable down a stud wall, I cannot get a straight line through.
I am trying to run cable from the loft down to the CU in the hall.
I have drilled down 1.7m and can take the drill bit up 1.7m and the total height is about 3m.
I have run cable rod up 6m! and should be out through the roof, but I cannot see the rod at the top.
Rodding down I hit something just below the last down drilled hole.
What am I doing wrong (apart from not drilling the holes by taking out the plasterboard at noggins)?
Any thoughts on wall construction, etc.
Thank you!

[ElectriciansForums.net] Drilling down stud wall

telectrix · May 13, 2012

cut a section of board out from top down to CU, across 2 studs. after cables are in, re board and skim.

Richard Burns · May 13, 2012

telectrix said:
cut a section of board out from top down to CU, across 2 studs. after cables are in, re board and skim.

"True, O king, live forever"
Customer does not want to damage the decorations!!

ipf · May 13, 2012

In that case, you might have to contact a surgeon and borrow one of those pieces of apparatus with a camera and light on the end. And you'll still probably have to find a drilling attachment.lol.

Des 56 · May 13, 2012

One of these would possibly make it easier,not that I own one because its use would be once in a blue moon
CS-AMG2 - HELLERMANN TYTON - CABLE ROD, STRONG MAGNET | Farnell United Kingdom

I would tape a flexible band wire on the rod ,send the 2 down as far as possible (enough to hook out at the bottom )get the coat hanger out and woe and behold,yet another awkward route that hasn't beaten me :drool5:

Richard Burns · May 13, 2012

Des 56 said:
One of these would possibly make it easier,not that I own one because its use would be once in a blue moon
CS-AMG2 - HELLERMANN TYTON - CABLE ROD, STRONG MAGNET | Farnell United Kingdom

I would tape a flexible band wire on the rod ,send the 2 down as far as possible (enough to hook out at the bottom )get the coat hanger out and woe and behold,yet another awkward route that hasn't beaten me :drool5:

Ipf yes just looking at drilling attachments, perhaps two 1.3 m flexible drive shafts linked together!! Should be easy!

Des, interestingly the magnets stick to a lot of the nails in the wall and make it a nightmare, however I still can't find the rod, can't even find the 19mm auger bit lost in the wall!

trev · May 13, 2012

Richard Burns said:
Customer does not want to damage the decorations!!

However, they need that cable run?
Sometimes damage to decor can only be avoided by a long and laborious cable run which may have a detrimental effect on the Zs of the circuit in question. I'd be having a talk to the client mate and telling them what the options are but maybe, just maybe you can carefully cut out the plasterboard where the noggins are to give you the route you want without too much damage

jdd · May 13, 2012

Yeah, remind client you're electrician not magician. Sometimes minimum damage to decor is unavoidable.

Guitarist · May 13, 2012

Always give the customer 2 options...

1) There will be damage to decor, but the cable will be hidden.

2) No damage to decor using surface mount trunking.

If they want you to spend ages trying every trick in the book to achieve internal wall surgery, then make sure they are willing to pay.

alli · May 13, 2012

I remember being on a job were we were trying to get a cable through stud walling. The old boy had put his bit of steel wire, bent at the end in one hole and I was at the other trying to catch it.

I was getting wild as I couldn't thread it through, He came up and put a bit of underlay fluff around the hole making it look like pubic hair. It was blooming amazing, I got it first time after that! It still makes me chuckle whenever I have to get cable through stud walls.

sedgy34 · May 13, 2012

you are trying to attempt the impossible its very rare this being succeded without cutting the pasterboard, you could have another noggin in the way etc
just thinking which is cheaper for your customer, your time trying to achieve this OR cutting holes and plaster patch

Richard Burns · May 16, 2012

Well went back today and finished that job now, ripped out the plasterboard in the loft. Found it goes straight down to CU, also found out the wall is not terminated at the end and could go round the end of the wall and then in and down.
Cable run, shower working.

Thanks for your help and advice, glad that one is out of the way!

Probably should put this in faults as well since the 9.5kW shower had been installed using 4mm from shower to isolator, 6mm from isolator to a cooker control unit(with socket)?, 2.5mm to spur into the immersion heater 16A radial.
Oddly the shower kept tripping!

Dave 85 · May 17, 2012

Balls to the customer, be a man, tell em how it is..."If ya want the frickin cable you gotta paint the frickin wall" personally I just smash a little bit of plasterboard out over each stud and loop the cable over, clip it, bit of filler, Daves yer uncle.

Biggest mistake my old gaffer used to make (3rd post Ive mentioned him in in the last 5 mins) was tell clients that anything could be done and spend hours trying to live up to it, and not making any money and going bankrupt....but thats another story....

Rockingit · May 17, 2012

I often use a 4" holesaw to make a hole, they normally fix back in on a batten very well and easy to fill and repair.

DurhamSparky · May 18, 2012

^^^^ i do exactly the same!

Drilling down stud wall

Richard Burns

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telectrix

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Richard Burns

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ipf

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Des 56

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Richard Burns

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trev

jdd

Guitarist

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alli

sedgy34

Richard Burns

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Dave 85

Rockingit

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DurhamSparky

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