studfinders

[brightspark]

is anyone using stud finders to find joists on ceilings .how good and what make and price tnx

 

[dobbslc]

I usually find if you make a cut out to fit a dry lining box you'll find a stud straight away!

 

[brightspark]

I usually find if you make a cut out to fit a dry lining box you'll find a stud straight away!

need to find roof joists in ceiling without much damage to install 8 recessed lights in a new house it has cross brace noggins in as well that have to be missed

 

[dobbslc]

Not a job I like to do! Took me most of a day to get the positions and spacing correct in my last House's kitchen.
Spacing should be 400mm on the joists but the noggins could be anywhere.

 

[brightspark]

Not a job I like to do! Took me most of a day to get the positions and spacing correct in my last House's kitchen.
Spacing should be 400mm on the joists but the noggins could be anywhere.

sometimes it can take up a couple of hours poking with a thin screwdriver to miss pipes and joists before you can get them all lined up

 

[waddycall]

Whenever i used mine I usually ended up deciding against whatever I was going to do.

 

[MetalMonkey]

High power neodymium magnet, like a button one or an old hard drive magnet, wrapped in some masking tape. Surprisingly effective!
If you have money to burn the "stud buddy" is effectively the same thing.

Never had much luck with the electronic ones.

 

[Keithmac]

I have a B&Q branded one of all things and to be fair it's done the job a few times.

Does electric cables on the other side and saved me drilling through one which shouldn't have been anywhere near where it was too..

 

[George A2Y]

is anyone using stud finders to find joists on ceilings .how good and what make and price tnx

I have used a few cheapish stud finders with mixed results, my go to now is same as MetalMonkey, neodymium magnets for locating nails & screws.

 

[Seadog]

High power neodymium magnet, like a button one or an old hard drive magnet, wrapped in some masking tape. Surprisingly effective!
If you have money to burn the "stud buddy" is effectively the same thing.

Never had much luck with the electronic ones.

But copper is not magnetic. So unless it's a metal stud wall you'll not find much.

 

[GRW]

I have a cheapie Ferrex stud finder - it seems to work when I've tested it, but not needed to actually use it in anger.

For detecting cables I have a Martindale Fuse Finder. It's great with the Tone Set for identifying Suply source, but very good at detecting live cables also

 

[brightspark]

going to try one of these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155443974992?_trkparms=amclksrc=ITM&aid=1110006&algo=HOMESPLICE.SIM&ao=1&asc=20201210111314&meid=6607fe0d87754781a1e341d23c5bd6c6&pid=101195&rk=1&rkt=12&sd=144976965428&itm=155443974992&pmt=1&noa=0&pg=2047675&algv=SimplAMLv11WebTrimmedV3MskuWithLambda85KnnRecallV1V4V6ItemNrtInQueryAndCassiniVisualRankerAndBertRecall&brand=Franklin&_trksid=p2047675.c101195.m1851&amdata=cksum:1554439749926607fe0d87754781a1e341d23c5bd6c6|enc:AQAHAAABQBEC%2B8HimpTF6XPanG8lCeF3G6jifrewDlLoKJMPz0RnJH8s%2BUBlIo2cSQSdgSGvSVvCKC6zF4X6tOnQIr392G0gldH8QjhGQ2fmdEokLVFt29UKj%2FEph29NUO0KxqhEb84gZhbKWlWfbravBJF8o5IsLEr5XUN2N1Kb9xqJXFfHh%2FGOt2yZqE4CVQ%2BqK4b88BahpXDvepspGJ6vJyBJndYjjIAELShUtZnHhn3bqEyP%2FBhKBtR2zm0A5ZgBDzynJ9YwLSwfYguroAQlaa1YQNkSKH4ZLtFQsNLikxiU5eVABes4xK4II5P6%2Bf9r8xzrAdroJ1JvIBGMx5UsfJygIdvMCBxraq6SFWN1DLGGEdb2vf52m921D20w%2BP5Uiz85kgrgkbhaovMlbHgAanDGVI%2FcDU34eobvy6v1CmItc%2FkD|ampid:PL_CLK|clp:2047675&epid=17036144166 suposed to have a good wright up will report on the results after i try it

 

[Keithmac]

Worse case you run a 10mm hole and put an endoscope in there, did that with a 1920 house with lathe and plaster.

 

[mike os]

I've tried loads ... only 1 I found reliable was the Bosch "radar" items, at the time they were £600 a pop but accurately found everything ... I was on the bverge do buying one when I changed jobs

2 jobs would pay for it I think

 

[bigegg]

I have a relatively cheap Bosch one.

its... Erm... Okay, but not fantastic. Thankfully, it tends to give false positives, rather than false negatives:
ie, it's never failed to show a nail/pipe/joist. But it's also said that there's something there when I'm definite there wasn't. (Unless it was picking up bits of metal in freshly cut / new timber, or high iron sand in concrete)

 

[MattF]

I've tried loads ... only 1 I found reliable was the Bosch "radar" items, at the time they were £600 a pop but accurately found everything ... I was on the bverge do buying one when I changed jobs

2 jobs would pay for it I think

I have a Bosch D-tect 120. It's quite decent, but not bulletproof.

 

[sparkysy]

I tend to go for the magnets for finding joists n things, I have a stack of 20 that come in really handy but I have a Bosch that as above is good but sometimes gives a false positive (better that than the other way) it's this one.

Bosch Multi detector

This cordless professional multi detector is specially designed for detection of metal, steel frames and electrical wires.

www.diy.com

 

[bigegg]

I tend to go for the magnets for finding joists n things, I have a stack of 20 that come in really handy but I have a Bosch that as above is good but sometimes gives a false positive (better that than the other way) it's this one.

Bosch Multi detector

This cordless professional multi detector is specially designed for detection of metal, steel frames and electrical wires.

www.diy.com

Same one I've got - and it sounds like mine has same issue.

 

[sparkysy]

I think it is, saw it on YouTube, think it was on a Nick Bundy vid.
I never totally trust it which in a way is a good thing as I've hit my fair share of water pipes in the past fitting downlights!
If in doubt I will shove an old sharpened screwdriver through then slip a bit of bent wire the size of the light through the hole and rotate it 180deg this usually pinpoints any obstructions and can easily be filled if there is!
Sy

 

[bigegg]

I think it is, saw it on YouTube, think it was on a Nick Bundy vid.
I never totally trust it which in a way is a good thing as I've hit my fair share of water pipes in the past fitting downlights!
If in doubt I will shove an old sharpened screwdriver through then slip a bit of bent wire the size of the light through the hole and rotate it 180deg this usually pinpoints any obstructions and can easily be filled if there is!
Sy

I bought a cheap endoscope camera that plugs into my phone.
That's quite good for checking dark holes...