How to Find Wiring Behind Drywall

When remodeling your home or attaching fittings to a wall, the presence of live electrical wires behind the drywall presents a deadly hazard; if you inadvertently drill into one of these wires, you could be electrocuted. Although there are some bulky and expensive pieces of equipment available for locating live electrical wires inside walls and floors, according to research carried out at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE), some recently developed and inexpensive deep scanning stud finders are now capable of locating hidden live wires with pinpoint accuracy.

Deep scanning electronic stud finder
Felt-tip pen

Instructions

- 1
  Hold the deep scanning stud finder flat against the drywall and switch the instrument on.
- 2
  Identify the wire warning indicator LED on top of the stud finder. This LED is characterized by a red lightning bolt logo on the right of the lowest light on the instrument.
- 3
  Move the stud finder both horizontally and vertically across the wall to locate hidden wires; the wire warning indicator will light up and produce an audible beep when the instrument passes over a hidden wire.
- 4
  Move the instrument back and forth to locate the exact position of the wire. Mark the wire's initial location on the wall with a felt-tip pen. Repeat this step by moving the instrument above, below and to the sides of the first mark to identify the orientation of the hidden wire.
- 5
  Trace the wire's outline on the wall with the felt-tip pen to prevent future shock hazard while working on the surface.

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