I have had a metal/stud/live cable detector for close on ten years. It always worked fine for all but the stud detection mode, where it just seemed to radomly detect none existant studs in fresh air.
Today I finally worked out how to use the stud detection system, you don't point the tip at the wall, as with the other modes - you lay it flat against the plaster board - now I know how to use it, works great.
I take it that the instructions were thrown away with the packaging? :)
These work well:-
That only finds nails, screws, metal studwork etc? Not copper pipe or cable?
Current new builds are using foil backed plasterboard - the bastards.
Probably not too well for lath and plaster stud walls. Nor possibly when the wall has been tiled. I've tried strong Neodymium magnets in the past without success.
For lath and plaster I've found the Ziron M40 metal detector ideal
Yep! Who bothers to read the instructions anyway ? lol
You find some odd things in walls. I remember when my father, who is no longer with us first came to this house he wanted to put up somewall lights, which meant chasing out some of the wals plaster. It seems that for no obvious reason, under the plaster were some weird triangular bits of metal plate with serations on the wall side. They seemed to hav no purpose whatsoever as far as anyone could see. Those encountered wiere simply taken out and the wall replastered. Very odd. 1939 build of internal wall between kitchen and living room. All I can imagine was that it was used as some form of level of some kind. Brian
Finding studs is always the problem. These magnetic detectors give the location of the fixings every time IME. Finding pipes and wires needs a different detector so you need two. I've never found an ultrasonic stud detector which was reliable every time.
Its not ultrasonic - it uses change in capacitance to find the studs and now I know how its supposed to be used, I finding it rather effective.
It sounds good (and sounds like what I am looking for, depending on price). Could you say which one it is?
Suspect you may not have noticed that the last message was 7 years ago!?
No, I saw that. Perhaps I should have said so but I was thinking that it didn't matter much as Harry may still be reading and may reply.
I also noticed that over the years no one else had asked him which device he was talking about (or, at least, he hadn't said), which is a little surprising: genuine product recommendations can be useful.
The device may work on a plasterboard wall with a thin skim but not on lathe and plaster or where the wall has been tiled etc. With foil backed or insulation backed plasterboard a stud detector may not work.
I've found devices that detect metal (screws in plasterboard or nails in lathes) to be more effective at finding the position of the stud.
These are cheaper
I have found the Zircon models work well - I have an old triscanner pro, and that will find studs reliably under normal plasterboard.
Their range seems have grown a bit though:
I tried this method on my walls both with small and large size magnets - it doesn't work. The old type plaster is an inch thick in places.
The stud finder function is here. Capacitive, dielectric constant of a stud
If the unit has multiple functions, see how many patent numbers it's got, as that may be a hint whether it uses anything other than the one method.
Mine is glued together, and does not have a screw as some of the Youtube videos show.
If any of the patents are still enforceable, that reduces the number of suppliers. Mine is an ancient Zircon.
*******You could look through the list here. This shows the activity level.
This thread comes up from time to time though. Brian
"NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN OF PEOPLE WITH PACEMAKERS"
Perhaps that should say 'not suitable for young children or anyone with a pacemaker'
I used an old MeecroWarvay magnet to find the plasterboard nails holding up a bit of ceiling and thence the location of the supporting joist.
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