That moment I learned I was drilling sensor holes way too deep

I've been installing sensors for 5 years and always drilled my holes a full inch deep. Last month I had a job at a condo in Phoenix where the wall was thin drywall over metal studs. I blew right through the other side into the neighbor's unit. The homeowner wasn't thrilled. Turns out the manufacturer says 3/8 inch is plenty for most sensors, not an inch. Who else has made a simple measurement mistake that cost them time or money on a job?

2 comments

2 Comments

emery6031mo ago

oh man, you are not alone with that one. I did the exact same thing last year on a commercial job - drilled what I thought was a standard depth hole for a motion sensor and punched straight through a fire-rated wall. The fire marshal almost had a heart attack when he saw it. I honestly felt like such an idiot because I had been doing it my way for years without checking the spec sheet. Now I always carry a depth stop collar on my drill bit, but the real kicker is that the manufacturer's instructions were right there in the box the whole time. Why do we always think we know better than the people who designed the thing?

lilyfisher1mo ago

My uncle Jim told me a story once about how he installed a whole shelf system into what he thought was drywall but turned out to be a plaster and lath wall from the 1920s. The whole thing came crashing down three days later because he used those cheap plastic anchors. Said the shelf landed right on his foot and he just stood there staring at it for a minute before he even felt the pain. Now he drills a tiny pilot hole first just to check what he's dealing with. I think about that story every time I see someone skip reading the instructions on anything.