Hello,
I am a complete beginner: But how do you know where you are allowed to drill, for example in ceilings for light fixtures or in walls for pictures – especially if you have purchased an existing property built in 2016? According to VDE standards, the electrician should have installed cables 30cm (12 inches) above the floor or below the ceiling. But if the power cable for a lamp is hanging down vertically from the center of the ceiling – how do I know where I can drill without hitting the cable? Any tips or tricks?
I am a complete beginner: But how do you know where you are allowed to drill, for example in ceilings for light fixtures or in walls for pictures – especially if you have purchased an existing property built in 2016? According to VDE standards, the electrician should have installed cables 30cm (12 inches) above the floor or below the ceiling. But if the power cable for a lamp is hanging down vertically from the center of the ceiling – how do I know where I can drill without hitting the cable? Any tips or tricks?
ypg schrieb:
I've never turned off the power before drilling. At least not when drilling into walls. However, I would do it when working on a light fixture.What exactly is different when it comes to a light fixture? 😉
Winniefred28 Dec 2020 06:57Guys, if you expect to drill into a pipe, you turn off the power in the respective room... we have always done it that way. Of course, not when you are sure you won’t hit anything there.
Olli-Ka schrieb:
What’s actually different about a lamp? 😉I mean the ceiling lamp. Just a gut feeling somehow 😉
bauenmk202028 Dec 2020 10:08Um, well, I already drilled into a cable in our previous apartment! And I’m actually quite glad I didn’t turn off the power beforehand! Otherwise, I would have installed wall plugs and screwed in a screw (at that time for a speaker bracket). If I had turned the power back on afterward, the setup could have been live in the electrical circuit. Of course, only if the screw had come into contact with the cable.
By the way, it was a cable going to an electrical outlet. With a lamp cable, it might only become apparent after switching on the light switch that it had been drilled into.
I’m currently in the process of screwing in the baseboards and am thinking about this as well, reviewing the construction photos showing where cables run. But you can never be sure with some electricians – for example, a cable was quickly routed behind the door frame at our place because they had forgotten an outlet!
By the way, it was a cable going to an electrical outlet. With a lamp cable, it might only become apparent after switching on the light switch that it had been drilled into.
I’m currently in the process of screwing in the baseboards and am thinking about this as well, reviewing the construction photos showing where cables run. But you can never be sure with some electricians – for example, a cable was quickly routed behind the door frame at our place because they had forgotten an outlet!
Similar topics