Something behind plasterboard?

Special Circumstances

Hi,
So I've drilled a few holes in plasterboard and block walls over the years and I've got to a stage where I can do it without any mistakes or surprises...

...until today.

Trying to pass a cable through a plasterboard wall. Make a hole on one side (under stairs toilet) no problem. Try to come through from the other side (Kitchen)and I start meeting resistance. Ok, move a bit, resistance, move... resistance.

Looks like something flat (not a round pipe) and tough either behind the plasterboard or as a backing for the plasterboard. Plastic I think from where I can the drill made contact but didn't pierce it.

From the under stairs side I gauged the space behind the wall and it doesn't look like whatever is at the back of the other wall is any more than 5mm (?) thick.


House would be mid noughties construction. Pretty good compared to some of the Celtic Tiger crap I've seen. I don't think there is any plumbing or electrical where I'm trying to discretely pass a cable.

By unscrewing an existing fixing higher up, on the understairs side, I can see through the wall to what I think looks OSB or something similar. Hard to tell, hole is small.

Apologies if the terminology is not right or a little confusing.
Reluctant to drill any more test holes, and very reluctant to just push through the resistance without seeking advice. Anyone know what I'm looking at here? Something related to stairs construction ???

Is a stud finder any good? (if so, any recommendations?) Never used one. I do have one of the fluke pens for live electrical wires.

TIA.

me_right_one

A small piece of timber that fell into the cavity? A metal stud fixing? A qualplex pipe? I'd be drilling plenty of test holes if I were you, easier to patch them up with polyfiller afterwards than to recover from 240V passing through ya!

Steve

Yee haaw, darn tootin , that there is one of one of them there 3 cent dwellins that me and the boys built...

/rides off on horse...



Hole saw and look inside is your only option there I think.

muffler

...or bore small hole and use an endoscope

Steve

muffler wrote: »

...or bore small hole and use an endoscope

Is that what the taoiseach uses to find the president?


Sorry mods, couldn't resist it..

/runs...

Special Circumstances

Steve wrote: »

Hole saw and look inside is your only option there I think.

seriously considering removing the mirror on a small bit of an angled wall (next to the wall I want to go through) and making an inspection hole that would be hidden by the mirror!! Probably some wood between that and what I want to see though.

If aldi/lidl had a borescope at the moment I'd be down there in the morning!

me_right_one

I bought one for 6 quid on ebay.

Steve

Special Circumstances wrote: »

seriously considering removing the mirror on a small bit of an angled wall (next to the wall I want to go through) and making an inspection hole that would be hidden by the mirror!! Probably some wood between that and what I want to see though.

That's what i would do.

Next would be open a 100mm hole in the wall where you need to but explain to the client that it's a last resort and you have no other means to get the job done.

Right2Write

me_right_one wrote: »

I'd be drilling plenty of test holes if I were you, easier to patch them up with polyfiller afterwards than to recover from 240V passing through ya!

I'd be flicking the main switch in the electricity consumer unit first! And know where the stop cocks are etc.

jack of all

If it's a metal framed stud wall the resistance your meeting could be "blocking" or "noggins" put in to brace the studs and stiffen a light wall or allow for fixings later, although it certainly seems thin at 5mm. I've seen fibre cement slates used as backing for downlighters in ceilings so you never know, a small hole for further investigation or boroscope is the only way to know for sure.

Special Circumstances

jack of all wrote: »

If it's a metal framed stud wall the resistance your meeting could be "blocking" or "noggins" put in to brace the studs and stiffen a light wall or allow for fixings later, although it certainly seems thin at 5mm. I've seen fibre cement slates used as backing for downlighters in ceilings so you never know, a small hole for further investigation or boroscope is the only way to know for sure.

What would be the typical thickness - my measurement involved a putting a pencil in from the "easy drilling" side as a depth gauge, and eyeballing that against the depth of the wall/doorframe in another wall...

Edit -google is my friend - "ah so that's what those bits are called!".
No, it's not noggins.

I'll report back if I make any progress this evening.

Sleeper12

If there is a studded partition in a kitchen a clever builder will put 3/4 inch plywood on the kitchen side. This lets you hang wall presses

Special Circumstances

Sleeper12 wrote: »

If there is a studded partition in a kitchen a clever builder will put 3/4 inch plywood on the kitchen side. This lets you hang wall presses

Winner winner chicken dinner. First time hitting one. Better safe than sorry! Looked like white plastic when the plaster got mashed against it.
On with the job!