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Did you look into stud finders? They’re devices specifically made to detect pipes and electrical wiring in walls. I love that you immediately went to WiFi for
by moi2388 2y ago
Did you look into stud finders? They’re devices specifically made to detect pipes and electrical wiring in walls.
I love that you immediately went to WiFi for this though. Gotta love us tech people over complicating things haha!
- imp0cat 2y agoI can see the appeal of wifi/radar-like detection. Metal detectors work well, but he'd have to go over each wall meticulously. That would probably take quite some time.
- TeMPOraL 2y agoGood instinct. This way we may, one day, get a tricorder to do these things from a distance, instead of ten different tools requiring extensive setup or very manual, meticulous process to use. That said, if you want the job actually done any time soon, stud finder sounds like a better choice for now.
- darkr 2y agoCheap stud finders are usually not great. The good ones are radar-based using similar frequency bands to wifi, but they cost lots of $$
- deskr 2y agoYou beat me to it. I'd say "usually not great" is putting it too lightly. They're awful and if you don't realize they're awful then you might make regretful decisions based on their slanderous output.
- somehnguy 2y agoThe key to using stud finders is never trusting them and using multiple methods as a sanity check. For example, if it says a stud is as position x I'll sanity check by checking x-16" and x+16" because there should also be studs there. If nothing, maybe I'll try x-15, x-14, etc with the key being looking for some repeating pattern. Test moving vertically as well. Combine with some knocking to feel/listen for a stud right against the wall vs an erroneously detected pipe 1/4" away. I'll also use a neodymium magnet in certain situations to look for drywall nails/screws in conjunction with the other methods. I don't fully trust any of these methods, but together they'll get you as confident as you can be short of having a couple hundred dollar detector or taking the wall apart.
- srik 2y agoIt might be possible to rent those nicer expensive ones. I'd check with local hardware stores.
- amerkhalid 2y agoI bought a thermal camera as a fun toy, it is great at finding studs especially for walls that face outside. Also you can see pipes easily when hot water is running through them. But it was not cheap, cost about $300. If you just want to just find studs, use magnetic stud finder. Cost about $10. Very easy to use and accurate.
- mrgoldenbrown 2y agoCheap stud finders are only accurate for some wall construction types. They do not work on my older style plaster and lathe walls, for example.
- lancesells 2y agoIf it's drywall you can use use a cheap stud finder or just yours ears and hands to find studs fairly easy. Plaster might be a little harder but still doable. Also, look for outlets as those are attached to studs. Depending on the age and construction of the house studs will be 16 inches apart.
- sleepybrett 2y ago...and can be rented.
- IAmGraydon 2y agoStud finders are for finding studs, not pipes and wiring.
- shawabawa3 2y agoi've literally never seen a stud finder that doesn't also detect wiring and pipes
- thedougd 2y agoMy house's previous homeowner found a drainpipe with his stud finder. He successfully marked it and put three screws in it. The knock test shouldn't be skipped.