Hi,
I need to drill a hole for a 15mm pressure relief pipe from a boiler. The wall is brieze block , cavity, brick. Core drills were used to make the hole for the boiler flue. That worked well. Do I need to hire a core drill to make a hole for a 15mm pressure relief pipe or will a "conventional" masonary drill bit (SBS?) on a 700W "consumer" Bosch drill with hammer action be enough to drill a hole for the small pipe?
Thanks
Clive
|Hi, | | I need to drill a hole for a 15mm pressure relief pipe from a |boiler. The wall is brieze block , cavity, brick. Core drills were used |to make the hole for the boiler flue. That worked well. Do I need to |hire a core drill to make a hole for a 15mm pressure relief pipe or |will a "conventional" masonary drill bit (SBS?) on a 700W "consumer" |Bosch drill with hammer action be enough to drill a hole for the small |pipe?
Yes conventional hammer drills will work up to 15mm in brick. Check that drill will fit in the chuck! I would use my SDS, for that job.
Clive has brought this to us :
SDS (rather than SBS). These are better for the job, but only fit a SDS type drill. You can use an ordinary masonry drill with a normal hammer drill, but it might be hard work. Start with a small diameter drill bit and progress to the larger size. Drill from the outside and you might be able to get away with short drills at least initially, then a longer one to break through the easier breeze block beyond the cavity.
...and use an 18mm drill.
In my pre-SDS-drill days I've drilled holes through walls like that using an ancient hammer-action Black and Decker, and a cheap drill bit like this: (or ) Yes, quite hard going, but do-able.
By the way - you mention "SBS" - presumably you mean "SDS"? If so, that's not what's usually considered a "conventional" drill bit - an SDS bit has lugs for being gripped in an SDS chuck, and is not what you want for a hammer drill. (unless an SDS drill is what you actually have! :-) )
David
In desparation once I managed with a wood bit, one of them flat ones.
It will never drill into wood again but it got me out of a fix
Length of steel conduit, cut some Vs into the end with a hacksaw.
Hammer - twist - hammer - twist - hammer - twist.
It's what apprentices were used for before electric drilling machines became commonplace.
Owain
I find that if you look on local market stalls, you can often pick up odd sizes of usefully large drill bits very cheaply. I've always found quality to be OK, but as long as it gets through your wall, you still win.
I have to tell myself to keep walking, I really don't need a 25 mm drill 900 mm long, no matter how cheap it is ;-)
Chris
Oh Owain, please don't remind me of the days of blistered hands, throbbing thumbs, grazed nuckles.....!!
When you think how often your average tradesman or diy-er drills holes in brickwork or concrete these days, it really makes you wonder how on earth people managed before the days of electric drills! I'm sure there was an awful lot more genuine skill involved, for a start.
David
Didn't you have a girlfriend as an apprentice then? ;-)
Owain
One of the 'genuine skill' involved was to pre-plan where fittings would go and to incorporate wooden plugs into the walls (brick and concrete) where items could be affixed; - thus in my house the skirting boards were nailed into wooden plugs already set into the walls. It wasn't so much 'skill' as 'nous'. --
Brian
I've done 20mm diameter holes in a brick/cavity/brick wall with a conventional hammer drill and a 300mm long masonry drill. An SDS drill will make the job easier, but is not essential.
Colin Bignell
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