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A job in a 1920s house in Savannah taught me to always check for old wiring before drilling.

I was putting in a new keypad by the front door and my drill bit hit something that sparked and tripped the whole house. Turns out the old plaster wall had a live wire from a long gone doorbell right where I needed to mount. I had to trace it back to a junction box in the basement and cap it off. Has anyone else run into a hidden wire in an old home and how did you find it without causing a short?
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3 Comments
mileslane
mileslane25d agoTop Commenter
Yeah, those cheap testers are a must. I also try to find the old blueprints if the city has them on file.
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theajohnson
Wait, the city actually has blueprints on file? Mine acts like that stuff is top secret.
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the_holly
the_holly25d ago
Oh man, that's the worst. I swear by a cheap voltage tester now, the kind that beeps. Saved me from hitting a wire in my kitchen wall last year.
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