Remembering the time I drilled straight through a water line in a 1970s split-level in Akron.

I was fishing coax through a finished basement wall and hit a copper pipe I couldn't see on the stud finder, so I spent the next frantic hour with the homeowner's main shut-off valve and my truck's soldering kit before the drywall guys showed up for their scheduled work.

3 comments

3 Comments

nathan_barnes11d ago

Man, you ever hit a line and just hear that hiss turn into a full-on spray inside the wall? I opened up a wall in an old ranch to add an outlet and my spade bit went right into a galvanized pipe. Water shot out like a fire hose, soaked the insulation and everything. Had to run to the street to find the curb stop because the house valve was totally frozen. What a mess that was.

casey_barnes24d ago

Feel that deep in my bones. Hitting a live line in a finished wall is a special kind of panic. Good save with the truck soldering kit, that's some quick thinking. Those old houses hide pipes in the worst spots, and drywall guys showing up on time is always the final boss.

val40624d ago

Tell me about it, @casey_barnes. That sound of the spray hitting the back of the drywall is a horror movie soundtrack. Had a copper line in a place no sane person would ever look, right behind a stud. The drywall crew showing up is the real test, makes you fix it fast and clean. Nothing like a time crunch to turn you into a plumbing artist.