Where is it Safe to Drill into my wall?

Electrical Safe Zones Explained

Where is it Safe to drill into my wall?

For home owners, and very much for electricians, this is an important thing to know and understand.  Many emergency call outs, are because customers just drill into a wall, to mount pictures or shelves up, without looking around to see sockets or switches. 

For the serious DIYer, a “stud / cable finder” can be purchased from any DIY store to detect power cables – dead or live, which indicate should there be cables hidden below the surface of a wall.

There are 4 main areas where you can definitely expect cables to have been run:

At the top of walls

There is an area 150mm (6 inches) wide along the top of the wall where it meets the ceiling, where in the normal construction of a property cables are not installed, but at later times, electricians do have to install cables such as for power or lighting alterations. 

The cables should be enclosed in protective conduit or capping to protect the cables from the plaster or cement, however as often the case a “DIYer” or novice has not!

Where the two walls meet

There is also an area 150mm (6 inches) wide where one wall meets the next wall, - the corners of the walls.

Horizontally either side of a light switch, or a power socket

In a straight line either side of a socket/switch/fused spur etc.

The line is the height of the socket/switch. It runs all the way to the adjoining walls, or an obstacle, such as door or window. At times where a cable needs to relocated to a new position, an additional socket has to be installed to demark a change of direction, where a socket cannot be installed, then a metal back box is installed, and a Blank face plate is installed, (sometimes a picture is placed over this, or a piece of furniture is placed in front so visually this cannot be seen.

Vertically above and below a socket/switch

In a straight line above and below a socket/switch/fused spur etc.

The line is the width of the socket/switch. It runs all the way to the floor and ceiling.  

At times where a cable needs to relocated to a new position, an additional socket has to be installed to demark a change of direction, where a socket cannot be installed, then a metal back box is installed, and a Blank face plate is installed, (sometimes a picture is placed over this, or a piece of furniture is placed in front so visually this cannot be seen).

Important

It is important to note that should the wall be less than 100mm (4 inches) thick, then the safe zones operates on both sides of the wall.

Look the other side of the wall before drilling in a different room!Very very important

Unfortunately Electricians in the past did not have these rules. Cables could be, and were run in all sorts of odd places.

We have found cables run diagonally across walls, doing sudden 90 degree bends, or diagonals and all sorts, so beware.  

This is why the Part P Building regulations were set in place. Prior to this legislation this is why a MP’s family member was KILLED, before it was introduced, this important legislation was rushed through Parliament, to ensure that all bonafide electricians, kitchen & bathroom fitters followed the rules. As electricians, we all had to take courses, and sit additional exams, to become qualified.

We then had to become registered on the competent persons register, and subsequently a lot of the mandatory exams have had to include this as well.

If you suspect that someone in the past has carried out some electrical DIY in your home, it is quite possible that they did not know about Safe zones.

They may have run cables wherever was most convenient for them, not always in the safest place.

If your current consumer unit does not have a functioning, healthy RCD,

In fact, if you have any doubts at all, then give us a call, and send us some photographs.

To book a very helpfull & knowledgeable Bright Spark Electrician to carry out a Survey, and provide a Free of Charge Quotation, fill out our simple form to visit your home. click [Click this Link]

For further Information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Telephone: 01892 531728

Email: karen@brightsparkelectrician.co.uk