Tools for Vented Dryer Hole in the Wall

Assuming masonry = "House bricks"

All the builders we've had here just smashed their way through with a cold chisel and a lump hammer. (London Brick Co "Heather" bricks).

DG

You have few options really.....

Core drill will give you the neatest hole. Alternatively you could chain drill a ring of holes with a small SDS bit, and then chop out with a SDS chisel.

you may need to look at a diamond core rather than a TCT one.

Probably not - the pilot drill usually needs a tapered shank to fit into the arbour.

Drill a hole right through the wall with a small SDS bit first - that saves the pilot bit having to cut at the same time which will slow you down quite a bit. Once you have started the core and have sunk it to a couple of cm you can remove the pilot drill - you wont need it any more and it may increase the possibility of snagging.

Take it slow and don't push too hard on the core drill - your 750W drill is a tad on the small size for this job really (I have cut similar cores with my 780W SDS - and it only just hacks it since you are right on the threshold where the clutch will slip).

When starting the whole you can "orbit" the body of the drill a little such that you cut the core a little wider to start with. Once you are into the core keep it straight and level.

Be prepared for the drill to snag - the clutch on the machine should let go before you get your wrist twisted off, but take care just the same - don't keep anything too delicate in the path of the side or back handles should they decide to go for a spin!

Stick a SDS chisel in the drill...

If you are cutting through a cavity wall, then chances are you won't need to - the core bit is usually deep enough to go through a whole brick.

If you look around you should be able to get a through-wall fitting kit, which includes a round to square converter to go on the inside wall, a rectangular duct roughly half a brick in section, and an external louvred cover.

All you have to do is measure carefully, chop out half a brick on the outside, use a long masonry drill to mark the 4 corners, then chop out inside. I didn't even need to make good the plaster, the interior plate easily covered everything.

Chris

Considering the expense, it might be cheaper to get a specialist drilling outfit to come and drill it. In my area it's about 25 quid a hole.

Hello John,

Thank you for your detailed and clear explanations.

I will give it a go with a core drill. A ring of holes looks like to much longer job and less neat, but it is certainly always an option.

One important thing, is it safe to drill a hole this big? This is a outside load bearing wall right at the bottom of the property that i about 9 meters told and built in 1926 with bricks.

Will the wall be weakened at all structurally?

The biggest holes I saw drilled in this wall nearby were 50mm wide.

Many thanks again.

Antonio

John Rumm;1695856 Wrote:

asalcedo

Which is very reasonable when you consider what 'working girls' charge...

Owain

With a SDS drill and a small bit (say 8mm) you can stick holes through quite quickly, so I don't expect it would be any slower, just not as tidy at the edge.

No problem at all - you are only taking out a chuck the size of a brick or so.

What about the connection to the soil stack from the loo - that is probably larger than you are proposing.

How much do they charge then? ;-)

Wow, I did not know there are specialistst for that. That sounds indee

like the best idea.

However, I just found one, Drilltec, that quoted me £365 + VAT Apparently because is half day's work for them, perhaps because o their location.

I am in Central London, would you know one cheaper?

avocado;1696063 Wrote:

asalcedo

Unless you think you'll be making a habit of drilling holes this big, I wouldn't even consider buying a core drill - they're pretty expensive and as John says, it's dead easy to do it by chain-drilling. Remember that the outside face will be covered by some form of grille anyway, which will hide any slightly ragged edges to the hole.

David

I bought a diamond one to do my boiler flue, and anticipated that and doing an extractor fan would be its only use... in reality I have nearly worn it out now with all the jobs that come out of the woodwork ;-)