Really nervous to drill near this wall in the laundry - what's the best way to approach this?

[kvenkate]

I'm planning to setup three flexi-storage wall strips over this laundry wall to create some shelf and hanging racks, etc. 

The main concern is the power lines and water lines behind. I have tried multiple stud finders, a magnet hung from thread and what not, to try and trace where the lines go but it has been extremely hard. 

What is the best way to approach this? My intention is even if I don't DIY this - I hope to at least learn a thing or two about possible wiring/water lines configuration in general. Thanks, 

[EricL]

Hello @kvenkate 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us and thanks for sharing your question about drilling into your laundry wall.

Its ok to be nervous when drilling blindly into drywall. But you can take away this nervousness by arming yourself with information. I suggest having a look at this guide - How to use a stud finder. The stud finder that was used for the guide is the Ryobi Stud Finder with AC Detection RYSF5003. It detects metal, timber and live electrical wires, plus it has auto-calibration and auto-depth scan technology that enables scans up to 38mm deep. It also has a built-in stud marker for marking out the centre of studs.

If you are looking for a stud finder with a few extra features, this is the one to add to your D.I.Y tool collection. I've had mine for a few years now and it has not let me down. By marking the position of the electrical and plumbing facilities you should be able to drill confidently into your wall. My best advice, scan more than twice! There is nothing wrong with triple checking the position of the studs and wires in your wall.

Once you've determined the position of all the items in the wall, I would still encourage you to do a test with hammer and nail just to be sure you are drilling into the correct spot. By using this method you'll also be able to tell if you have timber or steel studs.

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Nailbag for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric