I was putting up a new shelf and almost drilled into a live wire

I was marking a spot for a shelf in my bedroom last week, about 6 inches above an outlet. My stud finder beeped, so I started to drill. My wife walked in and said, 'Wait, isn't that where the cable line comes in?' I stopped and used a voltage tester, and it lit up like crazy. I was about to hit the main power line feeding that whole wall. Has anyone else had a close call like this with hidden wiring?

2 comments

2 Comments

jadeg991d ago

Oh man, that reminds me of my old apartment. I was just trying to hang a simple picture frame, right? Nailed straight into the wall and the whole hallway light went dark. Turns out the wiring in that place was a total mystery, like they just threw cables anywhere. I had to call the super and he just shook his head. Never trusted that wall again.

evan2951d ago

That exact thing happened to me with a bookshelf! Hit something behind the plaster and the kitchen outlet died. The electrician found a wire just running sideways through the studs for no clear reason. Some of these old buildings are wired by ghosts, I swear. I still use a stud finder with a wire sensor for every single nail now.