TIL I had been drilling through live wires for years without knowing it

Back in 2019 I was running a zone 4 wire in a finished basement outside Boston. Hit something behind the drywall that felt different, yanked it out and saw copper. Called my buddy who's been doing this since the 80s and he said 'you've been using a regular bit instead of a masonry bit near the studs?' Turns out I was punching right through romex every time I got too close to a junction box. Never saw it because the wire would just burrow into the wall. Now I always use a voltage detector before I drill anything older than 1990. Anyone else find out they were making a dumb mistake that could've been way worse?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamie8044d ago

That voltage detector thing, did you buy one of the basic stick ones or did you drop coin on a multifunction tester that does non-contact plus circuit tracing?

viola_lopez303d ago

My stick one cost like $12. Been sitting in a drawer for two years. For one wire check? Not worth overthinking it.

alicecraig3d ago

Ended up with the basic stick one from the hardware store, the green and yellow one that everyone has. Used it once to find a live wire behind a wall, then my cat knocked it off the counter and the plastic cracked. Still works though, so I guess I'll keep using it until it stops beeping or I accidentally nuke the batteries.