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8
Wall Mounting Your Fan
Before wall mounting your fan follow the basic safety rules below.
1. WATCH OUT FOR WIRES
One of the biggest dangers of drilling into your walls is that you’ll hit a wire. At
best, you’ve broken the circuit and you’ll lose power until it’s fixed; but, at worst,
this mistake could be deadly. Fixing a broken wire that’s embedded in the wall is no
small task, either, and you’ll need a professional to take care of it. What’s more,
they’ll need to gain access to the broken wire by opening up the wall – an
expensive, messy and time-consuming process.
You can get a good idea of where wires are lurking by looking at where your
electrical outlets and light switches are placed. Wires will normally be running
vertically or horizontally from them, so be wary of drilling nearby.
2. BEWARE OF PIPES
Drilling into a water pipe might not be such a deadly mistake, but it will be a costly
one. Depending on the type of pipe you hit, you might be subject to an endless
burst of high-pressure water, which will cause tremendous water damage by the
time you’ve shut off the mains. You might also hit a gas pipe, which can be
extremely dangerous if a spark is caused.
Pipes are more difficult to trace than wires because they are often less predictably
placed. Each home is different and, depending on the age of the home, the pipes
can be metal or plastic, exposed or hidden. Beware of pipes that may also be
running through the floors and outside walls.
3. KNOW THE DANGER ZONES & MAKE THEM SAFE
The areas of the house that are most likely to contain a lot of wires and pipes are
the kitchen and bathroom walls and floors. Bathroom walls can contain a variety of
pipework, so if your bedroom is on the other side and you want to hang a painting,
be extremely careful. Kitchens are typically worse, and can house gas pipes, water
pipes, central heating pipes and wires.
In other parts of the home, pipes and wires may run in an orderly fashion. But, they
can travel in any direction in these rooms. Before starting work, be sure to switch
off the relevant circuit breakers, as well as the water and gas supply.
4. USE A GOOD QUALITY STUD FINDER
So, you have a rough idea of where to watch out for danger, but how can you be
sure? A good quality stud finder is your friend; higher-range models are also able
to detect a variety of materials, including wood, metal and plastic. Use them to find
the studs you want to screw to for a more secure fixing, as well as to detect wires
and pipes.
