Very sorry for posting here but need help

[Laura Barnes]

I feel very very stupid but I started to hammer a small nail Into the wall and heard a clang when I hit with the hammer (not hard) I immediately aborted everything. However I am absolutely panicking I have hit something behind the wall and feel as though I could faint that I'm going to have a house fire or gas leak can someone please help

thank you in advance

Laura

 

[DPG]

Welcome to the forum. You aren't be the first to do this don't worry too much!

Are there any switches or sockets in a horizontal or vertical line from the hole?

Is the nail now out? If it's still there don't touch it just in case.

 

[Laura Barnes]

Welcome to the forum. You aren't be the first to do this don't worry too much!

Are there any switches or sockets in a horizontal or vertical line from the hole?

Is the nail now out? If it's still there don't touch it just in case.

Thank you for replying, I appreciate it more than you could know.
There are no switches or sockets near the hole which is tiny however there is an electric box about a meter away top left, wires seem to be leading upstairs into the ceiling and wires to the box are nowhere near the hole itself. I just feel ill because I knew I shouldn't have done it.

 

[DPG]

Thank you for replying, I appreciate it more than you could know.
There are no switches or sockets near the hole which is tiny however there is an electric box about a meter away top left, wires seem to be leading upstairs into the ceiling and wires to the box are nowhere near the hole itself. I just feel ill because I knew I shouldn't have done it.

Don't worry about it, these things happen. I've drilled through an aerial cable myself and don't mind admitting it.

Sounds very unlikely there are wires there, but difficult to be certain. Could you post a photo showing the entire wall?

It's possible there is some metal cable capping, or maybe a pipe. Don't suppose you have a cable/stud detector do you?

 

[mainline]

I feel very very stupid but I started to hammer a small nail Into the wall and heard a clang when I hit with the hammer (not hard) I immediately aborted everything. However I am absolutely panicking I have hit something behind the wall and feel as though I could faint that I'm going to have a house fire or gas leak can someone please help

thank you in advance

Laura

How deep in the wall did the nail go ?
Hearing a clang suggests something other than a wire.

 

[Laura Barnes]

How deep in the wall did the nail go ?
Hearing a clang suggests something other than a wire.

I'd say about 10mm, lesson learned and il never be doing this ever again

 

[mainline]

I'd say about 10mm, lesson learned and il never be doing this ever again

Is the wall a plaster board type one ? If so, it's unlikely that a 10 mm nail would hit a wire.

 

[Laura Barnes]

Is the wall a plaster board type one ? If so, it's unlikely that a 10 mm nail would hit a wire.

I'm sorry I'm not too sure but it's the wall that connects my house to my neighbours is that helps?

 

[mainline]

I'm sorry I'm not too sure but it's the wall that connects my house to my neighbours is that helps?

It's going to be a solid wall, it's quite likely you hit a hard bit.

 

[brianmoooore]

If you tap the wall with your knuckles, does it sound hollow? Try a few places on that wall.

 

[James]

please try not to panic, as said above, it is most likely that you have gone through the plaster and hit brick, it feels quite different when the hammer strikes a nail that is trying to push into a brick than the soft plaster that is over the top of the brick work.

again, as said above, if you could post a picture showing the wall from a good distance away it would help us to estimate the likelihood of you bouncing a nail off some capping (protection for electrical cables)

if there are no obvious sockets or light switches directley above or to either side of the place you are trying to place the nail, try putting another nail in the wall. put this 6 inches (150mm or 15cm) above or below and 6 inches left or right of the original place you have tried.

if you find the same thing happens then it is most probable that you have just got to the depth of the brickwork.
take the new nail out of the wall, pop a bit of polyfill over the hole and either hang your picture on the existing nail, bang it in further (this might be a LOT harder than you have hammered so far) or put a shorter nail or picture hook up.