Encountering metal every time I drill into plasterboard HELP

[oceanis]

Not touchy, but it's a bit annoying when people can't read carefully. A wall against an exterior wall in a hall is NOT a wall in an apartment against a stairwell, then it's not an exterior wall.

And if, on the statement "those are in stairwells in apartment buildings," you respond "we live in a house," it means in plain Swedish "No, we don't live in an apartment."

I'm especially irritated that you're mocking TS by insisting on talking about apartments. In my opinion, it's very rude to point out to TS that you think they are unclear by deliberately choosing to misinterpret what they write as "it COULD be an apartment if you really stretch what's written."

Stop messing around.

Assume it's a water pipe, but you keep insisting on your security measure and that it will attach extra well; then you’ll be responsible for the water damage if they choose to drill through the metal. You realize that, right?

So no, I'm not touchy, but I don't want TS to mess up, since it's actually more likely to be electricity, water, or sewage and NOT a security feature. Maybe it's the back of an electrical cabinet?

Now, cut it out! I'm really not joking with TS, but you're behaving like a touchy child right now, unfortunately.

I haven't been nagging TS, but made a post in response to one of your posts: If I've been nagging, it's you who seems to be having a bad day. So I don't even understand where you get your claims about me going on about things attaching extra well? Maybe you should read and keep track of who's writing what in the thread!!!!

When I wrote my post, I had no idea what kind of building it was, and regardless of whether it was a house or a whole castle, there are many used both for living and for, for example, business where there are special requirements for security measures, so it's not strange at all if there would be metal there. Installing, for instance, a door with reinforced security, which is common today, and not having surrounding walls of the same class is completely pointless.

And assuming it's electricity or sewage, you can probably assume it's not, since these are mostly plastic and not metal. And water pipes that are so thick they cover the entire barrage of drilling attempts sound a bit too far-fetched.

And that the metal lies exactly 15 mm inside the exterior wall at all the holes means it's right inside the plaster, and for all your listed pipes and cables to lie exactly up against the plaster in all the holes would be obvious even to a child that they don't.

So stop messing around and stick to the topic instead!

 

[daugaard]

If there's metal behind all those holes, it could be that you have a metal sheet as a burglary protection in the wall. The sheet would then be about 1mm thick and suitable for attaching the mirror with sheet metal screws.

there was metal behind all but one hole! if it were burglary protection, shouldn't it be covering everything?
could it be a load-bearing steel beam in the wall?

 

[ion]

I've experienced that too, the wall consisted of several layers, metal-fiber-plaster, totaling 20mm. Asked at Hornbach in Malmö where they said that a renovation board was put on the original wall and that it was quite common in an apartment like this one.
I don't remember the reason. And it was an interior wall, in the middle of the apartment.
However, I find it strange that your entire wall isn't sheeted.
http://www.europrofil.se/index.php?page=inbrottsskydd
In this situation, it would be good to have a construction drawing. If you don't have one, maybe a neighbor does, or the building office, ask.
Or ask in a building supply store if they know anything about the construction.

 

[ion]

If it's steel plate, you should be able to check with a strong magnet where it is.

 

[nino]

I placed a sheet metal between two studs because there were a lot of water pipes behind, although it was in an apartment
Do you have anything on the other side of the wall, on the outside that is?
Is it upstairs? What is above the hall then?
How old is the house?

I think it seems far-fetched to attach sheet metal studs to the installation layer, but maybe it's common?

 

[SannaSund]

The house is from 1990. On the other side of the wall, there is nothing more than a wooden facade.

This is the ground floor. Above, we have a bathroom, but as far as I know, the drainage stack and water pipes run by our stairs. It's quite clear where it is.

It is illogical to me that it would be water pipes, but as I said, I don't know. Right next to the holes, we have a hydronic radiator, but the pipes go down into the wall, so I have a hard time seeing that it would be them either.

 

[ion]

From the 90s, those were the houses I wrote about too. It's a pity I don't remember what he said about the wall, whether it was a firewall or what. I think it's okay to drill through the sheet metal as long as the drill only goes as deep as through, it's pretty unlikely that electrical/water lines are that close. But that's what I think, I didn't think there were sheet metal walls either. It feels like someone else who lives in the row must know something about the walls.

 

[SannaSund]

Hi, most people we've talked to think that we should be able to drill through the metal.

Unfortunately, I can't find any construction drawings anywhere.

But I'm just worried that there might be something that gets significantly damaged.
A stud finder doesn't really help either since it doesn't tell you what's actually there. More than metal, which I've already discovered. Obviously.

 

[JLov]

Drill right between the holes and hang up the mirror with a piano wire instead?

 

[ion]

I also think it's fine to drill, but to be on the safe side, make sure the drill can't reach deeper than the total wall thickness, there are different ways to do this. Just remember, I think, I don't want to feel guilty if something goes wrong.

 

[Nyfniken]

Could it be a ventilation duct?

 

[SannaSund]

There is no ventilation hole nearby at least

 

[SannaSund]

Nyfniken: you were probably completely right.

After much deliberation, today I drilled through the metal with a 2 mm drill. It was quite easy to get through. But now you can clearly feel the draft from the hole, so I assume it's ventilation we've encountered.

If I understand my carpenter friends correctly, it shouldn't be a problem as long as there will be a screw there to seal it?

 

[Nyfniken]

Does it seem reasonable to have ventilation there? Do you have a radon pump?

It is unlikely to be a danger.

 

[SannaSund]

Actually completely illogical that it would be ventilation!

Since this morning the fuse has blown for the hallway lighting, so now I'm worried that it could be something with the electricity.