Here at our house we were working above the ceiling inside and in a really inaccessible spot of the attic. In all reality, it might be a bit of a crapshoot. If you happen to make a hole right next to a stud and you are limited above, you may or may not be able to get a good angle. Tip #3: You’ll need a hole big enough to work with. It was pretty hard to work in, although apparently, not hard enough to prevent the drill from walking to the other side of the wall. This is an exterior wall that had insulation in it. This is one place where you might ask, “what about a flexible drill bit guide or a bumper balls, which keep the flexible drill bit safely away from the drywall. The second (very important–hence the bold!) benefit here is that the new low volt wire will be further from any potential nails coming through drywall for interior decorations. Whatever technique you use, make sure your flexible drill bit is as close to the wall as possible so you are decreasing the odds of going through the drywall side. It was only after the drill bit was in place that the drill was attached.
On our second attempt I took off the flexible drill bit from the drill so I could shove my hand in the wall and guide it into place. See Tip #5 for assistance when this happens. By taking it all the way through, you minimize the damage and are more likely to be able to shove the drywall back into place. If you go through the drywall, take the long drill bit off the drill and continue to pull the chuck end through. While some people are good at using the drill in reverse to get the drill bit right at the horizontal stud, we were a little more hesitant with the first attempt having gone very wrong. Make DAMN sure your flexible drill bit is right up against the exterior wall. With an arc coming from the outside like this, the drill is destined to go right through the drywall.Įxample of a bad angle for a 72″ flexible installer drill bit. Tip #2: Angle matters when using a flexible drill bit. The leather gloves will prevent you from getting burned. You’ll most likely have to use both forward and reverse gears to dislodge the drill bit, after successfully drilling through the stud. Protect your hands from getting eaten up while guiding the line. You don’t want an errant piece of fiberglass insulation or chip of stucco (or whatever exterior is on your home) to lodge itself into your eye. Tips to Use a Flexible Drill Bit to Run New Electrical Through Studs and Fire Block Tip #1 Wear safety gear. When you encounter a fire block half way down the wall you generally want a 72″ drill bit to handle the distance and give you some flexiblity coming from the top or side. Whatever you want to call this kind of drill bit, it is a lengthy piece of steel that you attach on to the end of your drill and then attempt to hit the stud (not the drywall). None of us want to do unnecessary drywall patches when it can easily be preempted by a tool.Īs with many of our projects, we did some research, but discovered (the hard way) some of our own tips to use a flexible drill bit.Ī flexible drill bit is also known as a flex shank drill bit, bell hanger drill bit, flexible installer drill bit with an auger tip.
Using a 72″ flexible drill bit is a must have when you have limited options run new electrical–low voltage wire, cable line, outlet–where you don’t have the ability to fish an old line out AND YOU ALSO have studs or a fire block midway down the wall, preventing your progress. Recently my husband and I had the “opportunity” to use a flexible drill bit. A good angle to use a flexible drill bit to run new electrical through studs and fire block and prevent drywall repairs on the inside.
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