When you hit something hard while drilling into a wall, you will need to quickly identify what you have hit.
Hitting a pipe, a wire, or a gas line may cause serious damage to yourself and your home, so you will need to act fast to resolve the problem.
Here is what to do if you ever find yourself in this situation.
The Importance Of Knowing What Is Behind A Wall Before Drilling
You should be absolutely certain that you know what is behind a wall before drilling into it. Failure to do so can – and will – result in disaster.
In severe cases, the result of hitting a pipe, a wire, or a gas line has resulted in the deaths of many people attempting DIY in their own homes.
Electrical dangers result in more than 300 fatalities and 4,000 injuries annually in the US, with electrocution ranking 6th among all causes of fatal accidents at work.
How To Check What Is Behind A Wall Before Drilling
You may be able to check what is hidden behind a wall by feeling the wall with your hands. If the wall feels hallow, there may be something within it.
The safest way to detect wires is to use a stud finder device. You can purchase these at most hardware stores, and they are also available on Amazon.
The Dangers Of Drilling into Walls
There are several dangers to drilling into a wall without knowing what is behind it. Here are some of the most common (and worrying) scenarios that may unfold if you do so.
Hitting An Electrical Wire
By hitting an electrical wire while drilling, you risk not only causing a mess in that room, but also causing serious harm to yourself.
This action could cause a fire in your home, flooding your home, and even causing yourself to become electrocuted.
You should call emergency services immediately in the occurrence that you get electrocuted, so that you can seek appropriate medical care.
Hitting A Gas Line
You will hear an immediate hissing sound when you hit a gas line while drilling. It is crucial that you remain calm if this happens.
Failure to follow the proper procedures to fix this issue may cause damage to your home, as well as causing serious harm to yourself.
To make matters worse, you may even get fined for hitting a gas line if you do not fix the issue right away.
Hitting A Water Line
Every second following will count when a drill hits a water line.
Water is going to start pouring into your home, causing damage to all that is in that room. You are going to have to know how to fix this issue quite quickly.
While this mistake is not quite as deadly as the other two that we mentioned, it can still be a pain to fix.
What To Do If You Hit Something Hard While Drilling
The most important thing to remember after hitting something hard while drilling is to remain calm.
You should also check yourself before anything else, making sure that you are not injured. If you are, you should focus on getting medical help.
Providing that you are not injured, you can take the following steps to fix the issue.
Identify The Issue
You can identify what kind of pipe you hit based on the consequences that follow.
If you hear hissing, you likely hit a gas line, and if water comes out, it was the water line. You have hit an electrical wire if you feel a zap.
Turn Off The Power
It is essential that you switch off the power of whatever you hit.
For example, you are going to need to switch off the water supply at the nearest valve if you have hit the water line.
Check For Damage
As long as you are not seriously injured, you can focus on checking the damage that was caused by the hit.
You are going to need to move quickly to fix your mistake if wires have been exposed, or water is flooding into the room.
Call For Professional Help
Unless you are a professional yourself, you will need to call some back-up to help you deal with the damage.
You may need to call a plumber to fix the pipe. You may even need to call the fire department if water has caused significant damage to your home.
Final Thoughts
You should always check a wall before attempting to drill into it, and the safest way to do so is by using a stud finder device.
Refusing to check a wall before drilling will likely result in a lot of damage to both yourself and your home. Using a small amount of effort to do safety checks before performing DIY tasks will save you a lot of hassle in the long run.
You should always keep an emergency plumber’s number on hand in case of emergencies. Additionally, you should also make sure that a friend is nearby while you perform DIY tasks, in case you become injured in the process.