......something that can make random bleeping noises, accompanied by a real ly uninformative visual display, as you waft it around on a surface you nee d to drill into? My Stanley S200 stud and cable detector seems ideally suit ed to the job, but I wanted to check whether I might be missing out on some thing even more useless.
Studs - test by tapping and a magnet to locate screws/nails.
Pipes - these do have some success with a good pipe detector.
Wires under plasterboard - nothing works, the whole PB sheet just looks "live" - I suspect being slightly damp and gypsum what it is, it's probably a bit conductive and distributes the electric field from a cable over a wide area. Solid plaster on brick is easier - the brickwork "earths" the plaster generally so the field is localised, but a sheet of PB on wooden studwork is like a big plate capacitor.
My theory anyway.
That's before you get into vapour barrier PB with (possibly) metallised plastic coverings.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.