Drilling above sockets

karlitob

Hi all,

I have three double sockets spanning an 1800mm wall in my kitchen attached to the island. I have the most perfect clock (which is kinda see through) for the spot on the wall above it. Is there any special trick of getting a screw in to take the clock? The spot where the nail would be is directly above one of those sockets. Those click command strips won't work as there's not much purchase on the back of the clock.

Thanks

paddy147

karlitob wrote: »

Hi all,

I have three double sockets spanning an 1800mm wall in my kitchen attached to the island. I have the most perfect clock (which is kinda see through) for the spot on the wall above it. Is there any special trick of getting a screw in to take the clock? The spot where the nail would be is directly above one of those sockets. Those click command strips won't work as there's not much purchase on the back of the clock.

Thanks

Is the wall a stud/partition wall or a solid wall??

Get a cable finder and scan the wall for any electrical cables,water/heating pipes,co ax cables and also any wooden studs behind the wall.

If you can locate a wooden stud,then just use a 45-50mm wood screw and screw directly into it.

Then hang the clock on it.

If there is no wooden stud,then just use a grey plasterboard rawl plug and 50mm screw.

The rawl plug will make a knot in behind the plasterboard,as you screw into it...this gives a good solid hold,and you can hang up to 15 kgs with just 1 of these rawl plugs.


Simples.:)


PS-If its a solid wall,then scan the wall for pipes,cables and then use a 7mm brown rawl plug and screw instead.

Easy peasy.:)

karlitob

paddy147 wrote: »

Is the wall a stud/partition wall or a solid wall??

Get a cable finder and scan the wall for any electrical cables,water/heating pipes,co ax cables and also any wooden studs behind the wall.

If you can locate a wooden stud,then just use a 45-50mm wood screw and screw directly into it.

Then hang the clock on it.

If there is no wooden stud,then just use a grey plasterboard rawl plug and 50mm screw.

The rawl plug will make a knot in behind the plasterboard,as you screw into it...this gives a good solid hold,and you can hang up to 15 kgs with just 1 of these rawl plugs.


Simples.:)


PS-If its a solid wall,then scan the wall for pipes,cables and then use a 7mm brown rawl plug and screw instead.

Easy peasy.:)

Hi Paddy

Thanks.
It's a solid concrete block wall. There is definitely wires from a chase in the middle of the wall in the exact line I want to drill in. The clock can't go anywhere else but here. Are there any tricks to get the clock hanging in the centre of the wall but avoiding the chase?

PS saw you were banned - what reason could they ban you

paddy147

karlitob wrote: »

Hi Paddy

Thanks.
It's a solid concrete block wall. There is definitely wires from a chase in the middle of the wall in the exact line I want to drill in. The clock can't go anywhere else but here. Are there any tricks to get the clock hanging in the centre of the wall but avoiding the chase?

PS saw you were banned - what reason could they ban you

You could fit a brass picture frame clip that taps into and grips into the surface plaster.

They are good enough for what they do.

If the clock is a lightweight clock,,then you would be fine.:)


Lets just say that myself and a electrical big retail shop that advertizes here on boards and a moderator didnt agree with me when I voiced my concerns about me buying a product from the retailer and also the blatant false advertizing and the following excuses....:(:mad:

But sure hey.....money talks.








PS...you could also fit a small 15mm thick strip of plywood or red deal wood.

Make the strip small enough to fit inside the back of the clock.

Drill/Screw that piece of wood into the wall on either side of the cable/chase.

Then screw a 20-25mm wood screw into the middle of the wood and hang the clock.

You could paint that strip of wood the same colour as the wall.

Once the clock is hung...you would never know the difference,as you wont be able to see the wooden strip behind the clock.

AN SDS or Masonary drill will drill the wal holes for you with no problems.

meercat

how wide is the clock

drill 2 holes level about 6 inches apart(either side of the wire chase)

insert rawlplugs and screws

tie some string between the screws

make up a hook from coat hangar

hook in the middle of the string

place clock on hook

meercat

karlitob wrote: »

PS saw you were banned - what reason could they ban you

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

paddy147

meercat wrote: »

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Well I kinda am a bit of an argumentative boll0x aswell.:pac::pac::D

meercat

paddy147 wrote: »

Well I kinda am a bit of an argumentative boll0x aswell.:pac::pac::D

really?????



:D:D:D

paddy147

meercat wrote: »

really?????



:D:D:D

Well Im not a moderator...so I wouldnt "really" know...:pac::D

paddy147

ANYWAY............:)

Bruthal

Here is a live one, for a few hours anyway
http://www.rcflights.net/webcam.html

meercat

Bruthal wrote: »

Here is a live one, for a few hours anyway
http://www.rcflights.net/webcam.html

good man

whats the long term plan

Calgary22

paddy147 wrote: »

Well I kinda am a bit of an argumentative boll0x aswell.:pac::pac::D

Seems to be the case:cool::pac:

Bruthal

meercat wrote: »

good man

whats the long term plan

Not to walk in front of the camera

Calgary22

dude where did you buy the clock?:D;)

meercat

Bruthal wrote: »

Not to walk in front of the camera

i have been watching,waiting to catch a glimpse:D:D:D:D:D:D

Bruthal

Calgary22 wrote: »

dude where did you buy the clock?:D;)

http://www.rcflights.net/wooden-clock.html

Bruthal

meercat wrote: »

i have been watching,waiting to catch a glimpse:D:D:D:D:D:D

I have the balaclava on

Calgary22

****ing hell dude:O sorry for insulting you with my previous post that john deere is unreal:D

paddy147

Calgary22 wrote: »

dude where did you buy the clock?:D;)

Who me??

Calgary22

No bruthal but i have since seen he made it what a hero:D

Bruthal

Calgary22 wrote: »

****ing hell dude:O sorry for insulting you with my previous post

A your grand. Always good to have a laugh

paddy147

Calgary22 wrote: »

No bruthal but i have since seen he made it what a hero:D

He should have been part of "The A-Team".

"With this banana skin and this elastic band I can make a BOMB".

Calgary22

Haha epic:D

Well guys i taught i might introduce myself i am Ross an apprentice sparky nearing the end of my time:) only stumbled on here recently and as my name says when my time is done i will be heading to Calgary to work as an industrial sparky in the oil sands all going well.:)

Bruthal

paddy147 wrote: »

"With this banana skin and this elastic band I can make a BOMB".

paddy147

Calgary22 wrote: »

Haha epic:D

Well guys i taught i might introduce myself i am Ross an apprentice sparky nearing the end of my time:) only stumbled on here recently and as my name says when my time is done i will be heading to Calgary to work as an industrial sparky in the oil sands all going well.:)

Wellcome to he mental house....Straight jackets are plentyfull....:pac::pac::D

meercat

Calgary22 wrote: »

Haha epic:D

Well guys i taught i might introduce myself i am Ross an apprentice sparky nearing the end of my time:) only stumbled on here recently and as my name says when my time is done i will be heading to Calgary to work as an industrial sparky in the oil sands all going well.:)

welcome again Ross
will follow your progress with interest so
what phase are you at

Calgary22

I have my 7 phases done i am waiting for this test called cdm to allow redundant apprentices get there papers. i am short a few weeks 9 in total. so this test will finally put it to bed. as i said i am industrial and was told the test is commercial so there might be a few aspects i am a bit rusty on.so i came on here tips etc.

meercat

Calgary22 wrote: »

I have my 7 phases done i am waiting for this test called cdm to allow redundant apprentices get there papers. i am short a few weeks 9 in total. so this test will finally put it to bed. as i said i am industrial and was told the test is commercial so there might be a few aspects i am a bit rusty on.so i came on here tips etc.

good luck so and keep updating your progress
perhaps start a thread,it may be useful to others in the same boat
also update on your proposed move abroad

Calgary22

Thanks mate will do.:)

karlitob

Calgary22 wrote: »

Thanks mate will do.:)

Hey

Hopefully you can see how this is difficult to stick up. Any more comments welcome.

TouchingVirus

You could possibly use a small strip of metal as a bracket. Make it long enough to straddle the chase, small enough to fit under the clock. Paint it black. Screw it to the wall on both sides of the chase. Drill a hole in the bracket, put in a screw, hang the clock off that.

karlitob

TouchingVirus wrote: »

You could possibly use a small strip of metal as a bracket. Make it long enough to straddle the chase, small enough to fit under the clock. Paint it black. Screw it to the wall on both sides of the chase. Drill a hole in the bracket, put in a screw, hang the clock off that.

Thats actually a great idea - thanks very much for the input - I knew it would be a problem when we bought the clock but sure we loved it.

Cheers

2 stroke

Karlitob. I symphatise, but have no advice to offer on drilling, other than you can not always trust cable detectors to pinpoint a cable exactly. In my job I regularly have to drill near electrics but I refuse to drill within 2 inches of an indicated cable without taking extra precautions, including the client accepting responsibility for rewiring if necessary
It's about time that there were rules restricting where electricians and plumbers run services. I regularly see services run through ideal places to hang pictures, clocks, mirrors, curtain poles, ect. In this case it's power cables centered on a 1800 wall, in another house they're centered in the alcoves beside the chimney or within 1 foot of windows or doors. Personally I think most power cables should be within 1 foot of a corner, and the remainder never centered on a wall.

karlitob

2 stroke wrote: »

Karlitob. I symphatise, but have no advice to offer on drilling, other than you can not always trust cable detectors to pinpoint a cable exactly. In my job I regularly have to drill near electrics but I refuse to drill within 2 inches of an indicated cable without taking extra precautions, including the client accepting responsibility for rewiring if necessary
It's about time that there were rules restricting where electricians and plumbers run services. I regularly see services run through ideal places to hang pictures, clocks, mirrors, curtain poles, ect. In this case it's power cables centered on a 1800 wall, in another house they're centered in the alcoves beside the chimney or within 1 foot of windows or doors. Personally I think most power cables should be within 1 foot of a corner, and the remainder never centered on a wall.

Hi thanks for the comment - my next problem would be the cables centred in our alcove for both shelving and tv brackets etc. It does seem to be like a silly thing not to have a set structure but im only learning. I took lots of pics but probably not enough to fully determine where all cables etc are. Hindsight is great.

Thanks again.

karlitob

karlitob wrote: »

Hi thanks for the comment - my next problem would be the cables centred in our alcove for both shelving and tv brackets etc. It does seem to be like a silly thing not to have a set structure but im only learning. I took lots of pics but probably not enough to fully determine where all cables etc are. Hindsight is great.

Thanks again.

Hi there,

I actually found a picture of the chase. It looks like its not in the centre. Im inclined to think I could drill straight through the middle, as the lid point is in line with the middle of the socket and the middle of the over head beam. Any thoughts?

Thanks

karlitob

karlitob wrote: »

Hi there,

I actually found a picture of the chase. It looks like its not in the centre. Im inclined to think I could drill straight through the middle, as the lid point is in line with the middle of the socket and the middle of the over head beam. Any thoughts?

Thanks

Bumping this - thoughts welcome.

TouchingVirus

I reckon you'll be grand judging from that picture of the chase. Do check with a wire finder to be double sure

meercat

karlitob wrote: »

Bumping this - thoughts welcome.

19th march when you posted first

think enough info has been posted here already to get the job done safely

a decision has to be made at some point
you are the only one that can do that
go for it;)

mikehammer67

2 stroke wrote: »

Karlitob. I symphatise, but have no advice to offer on drilling, other than you can not always trust cable detectors to pinpoint a cable exactly. In my job I regularly have to drill near electrics but I refuse to drill within 2 inches of an indicated cable without taking extra precautions, including the client accepting responsibility for rewiring if necessary
It's about time that there were rules restricting where electricians and plumbers run services. I regularly see services run through ideal places to hang pictures, clocks, mirrors, curtain poles, ect. In this case it's power cables centered on a 1800 wall, in another house they're centered in the alcoves beside the chimney or within 1 foot of windows or doors. Personally I think most power cables should be within 1 foot of a corner, and the remainder never centered on a wall.

there are rules

DublinDilbert

To be honest if your really worried about it use an old screw driver and knock some plaster out. The chase is probably filled with bonding should be quite easy to tell if your in it or not...

Your putting a clock over it so knocking a little hole won't matter...

2 stroke

mikehammer67 wrote: »

there are rules

Sorry. Let me rephrase. It's about time that there were better rules restricting where electricians and plumbers run services.

2011

2 stroke wrote: »

It's about time that there were better rules restricting where electricians and plumbers run services.

This would of course result in customers being further restricted in where they can have sockets, wall lights, light switches etc. installed.

Following many years of installing shelving, pictures and clocks I have yet to have a problem.

If in doubt, DublinDilbert's suggestion is very good. It is also possible to feel the difference when drilling bonding than masonry.

Bruthal

2 stroke wrote: »

Sorry. Let me rephrase. It's about time that there were better rules restricting where electricians and plumbers run services.

And what would such better rules achieve? If you speed on the road, you get points and fines. Does it stop speeding?

Therefore, no rules will enable blindly drilling into walls by assuming all rules were followed.

karlitob

TouchingVirus wrote: »

I reckon you'll be grand judging from that picture of the chase. Do check with a wire finder to be double sure

Thank you very much. Appreciate your help.

karlitob

meercat wrote: »

19th march when you posted first

think enough info has been posted here already to get the job done safely

a decision has to be made at some point
you are the only one that can do that
go for it;)

Thanks but I disagree. I'm very scared of electrics and haven't done much DIY so I wanted to show a pic which I didn't put up previously to get a more informed comment.

karlitob

DublinDilbert wrote: »

To be honest if your really worried about it use an old screw driver and knock some plaster out. The chase is probably filled with bonding should be quite easy to tell if your in it or not...

Your putting a clock over it so knocking a little hole won't matter...

Good idea - thank you.

meercat

karlitob wrote: »

Thanks but I disagree. I'm very scared of electrics and haven't done much DIY so I wanted to show a pic which I didn't put up previously to get a more informed comment.

yes safety first at all times
i was just pointing out that nearly 2 months later the clock hasnt been fitted
some good advise has already been posted so a decision needs to be made
take care and post an update when you get around to doing it
cheers

2 stroke

2011 wrote: »

This would of course result in customers being further restricted in where they can have sockets, wall lights, light switches etc. installed.

Brilliant! Several generations will live in a house, all wanting to put their own mark on the place.
Who wants a light or a switch hidden behind a curtain? A visitor would spend the whole day trying to figure out how to turn on the light, and the curtains would just be ruined from dirty hands.

2011 wrote: »

Following many years of installing shelving, pictures and clocks I have yet to have a problem.

Shelving, pretty easy, you can generally adjust the spacing/number of brackets. Clocks and pictures, a little more difficult as centering and spacing is more important. Curtain poles are a bigger problem, today I had to tell a lady that she couldn't have curtains as she wanted in her sitting room, due to the layout of her electrics. I needed to fit 12 brackets and every single place that I needed to drill, had sockets, switches or lights underneath. I'll drill one or 2 holes near electrics, not 24.

2011 wrote: »

If in doubt, DublinDilbert's suggestion is very good. It is also possible to feel the difference when drilling bonding than masonry.

Yes, I agree that with experience, one can tell the difference drilling into different material. I do it all the time. The op does not appear to have that experience.

Bruthal wrote: »

And what would such better rules achieve? If you speed on the road, you get points and fines. Does it stop speeding?

Therefore, no rules will enable blindly drilling into walls by assuming all rules were followed.

My problem is that some electricians blindly run cables in the most rediculous places, never considering that somebody else might have to drill there. An example, a light switch or socket near an inward opening french door. The curtain needs to pull back enough for the door to open fully. Depending on the type of curtain chosen,(and curtains will be changed over the years), the brackets may need to be drilled upto 1 foot out from the door.

Yes, I do know this thread is about hanging a clock and there is usualy a very prominent place crying out for such an item, with very centrally placed sockets underneath.

Bruthal

2 stroke wrote: »

Brilliant! Several generations will live in a house, all wanting to put their own mark on the place.
Who wants a light or a switch hidden behind a curtain? A visitor would spend the whole day trying to figure out how to turn on the light, and the curtains would just be ruined from dirty hands.

Ever wired any houses? I have seen a few ask for switches in such locations. After a few years of wiring, you might see it from several points of view.

Shelving, pretty easy, you can generally adjust the spacing/number of brackets. Clocks and pictures, a little more difficult as centering and spacing is more important.

Shelves, clocks, pictures. For some, none would present much difficulty with regards to possible wiring, for others, a shelf on a wall with no wiring would prove difficult. Thats life.

Curtain poles are a bigger problem, today I had to tell a lady that she couldn't have curtains as she wanted in her sitting room, due to the layout of her electrics. I needed to fit 12 brackets and every single place that I needed to drill, had sockets, switches or lights underneath. I'll drill one or 2 holes near electrics, not 24.

Curtains for anyone drilling in that house so.

Yes, I agree that with experience, one can tell the difference drilling into different material. I do it all the time. The op does not appear to have that experience.

Without experience, lots of things are difficult.

My problem is that some electricians blindly run cables in the most rediculous places, never considering that somebody else might have to drill there.

If we were to consider someone else might "have" to drill there, a house would have to be wireless. No matter where cables are, someone might drill or nail.

An example, a light switch or socket near an inward opening french door. The curtain needs to pull back enough for the door to open fully. Depending on the type of curtain chosen,(and curtains will be changed over the years), the brackets may need to be drilled upto 1 foot out from the door.

Looks like the door installers failed to think of the curtain hangers.

Yes, I do know this thread is about hanging a clock and there is usualy a very prominent place crying out for such an item, with very centrally placed sockets underneath.

There is no doubt, some wiring can be thrown in, and cause problems. But the fact remains, if a hole is to be drilled, other services have to be considered, regardless of what rules or electrical perfection is in place.

Solair

The other option would be to require metal ducts. They use flexible metal ducts like shower hoses in some parts of the US. It's pretty hard to accidentally hit one with a drill and not notice.

It's make sense where wiring was in unexpected area.