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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Plumbing Questions >> Drilling through a stone wall. https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1128720668 Message started by markadams on Oct 7^th, 2005, 10:31pm

Title: Drilling through a stone wall.
Post by markadams on Oct 7^th, 2005, 10:31pm

Hi,

I need to drill through a solid stone wall which is about 2 foot thick.

I need to get a soil pipe from a wc through the outside wall to the stack.

Have anyone ever drilled through this sort of wall and if so what did you use?

Mark.

Title: Re: Drilling through a stone wall.
Post by HandyJon on Oct 7^th, 2005, 10:56pm

Get or hire a core drill and a meaty SDS drill. Use the core drill on drill only, don't use the hammer action. It will take some time. If the wall is random rubble then it's not as bad as a solid stone all the way. It once took me 3 hours to go through a single solid stone 3' thick! :o

Title: Re: Drilling through a stone wall.
Post by supersparky on Oct 7^th, 2005, 11:12pm

lol the guys gunna have fun then....24 hours of constant drilling...marathon!

ss

Title: Re: Drilling through a stone wall.
Post by JerryD on Oct 8^th, 2005, 8:27am

I assume we're talking about diamond core drillls here?

You'll need extension pieces as well in order to get through a 2 foot thick wall.

Always drill a big pilot hole first as this does two things:

1) Allows the core drill to centre for initial starting (once started by about 25mm then remove the core drill centre guide)

2) If the core drill gets stuck (and it will!) you can tap it out through the back of the pilot hole using a long steel bar.

I have found that using big diamond core drills on damp walls can cause jamming as the 'dust' becomes a stiff paste and wedges everything tight in the wall. To avoid this I run a 'slow' hosepipe onto the cut and this seems to wash out the debris as you drill and stops jamming.

Just beware of water + leccy drill............ :o

Title: Re: Drilling through a stone wall.
Post by Stoday on Nov 6^th, 2005, 4:34pm

wrote on Oct 7^th, 2005, 10:56pm:

If the wall is random rubble then it's not as bad as a solid stone all the way.

You must be joking. You pull the drill out and the rubble falls down inside and fills the hole up again.

Title: Re: Drilling through a stone wall.
Post by thescruff on Nov 6^th, 2005, 5:48pm

Agree with stoday on this.

Best and quickest is to remove the stones and re-cement them back in after the pipes in and connected

Title: Re: Drilling through a stone wall.
Post by sparxxxx on Nov 7^th, 2005, 12:19pm

The wall is solid stone and 2 foot thick, and the advice is to remove the stones, he wants to put a soil pipe through the wall not a garage door - LMFAO!
I wonder how much a 2 foot thick stone weighs and what happens to the stones above!
I think your best option is to use a specialist core drilling company.

Remove the stones - I rest my case ;D

Title: Re: Drilling through a stone wall.
Post by thescruff on Nov 7^th, 2005, 10:37pm

The wall is 2ft thick not each rock.

The most likely build is with a facing stone inside and out with loose rubble infill, this falls behind the core as you're drilling and invariably you end up making a larger hole to recover the core bit anyway.

As I said removing the rocks usually means about a 12" hole which can be made good using the existing rocks after the pipe is installed.

Tried both ways and I still prefer my way.

If I had a 2ft rock in my case I would rest it as well ;D

Title: Re: Drilling through a stone wall.
Post by Stoday on Nov 11^th, 2005, 9:37pm

wrote on Oct 7^th, 2005, 10:31pm:

Have anyone ever drilled through this sort of wall and if so what did you use?

Scruff's done it before. I don't think the others have.

Title: Re: Drilling through a stone wall.
Post by billythekid on Nov 14^th, 2005, 9:14pm

if its solid stone right thru, then the diamond core bit is the way to go, i had to drill one as an apprentice in a school for a new toilet conversion. was a complete bastard, but if you get a decent core drill and let it do the work without "forcing" it through then it won't be too much bother, my guess is that since this post is a month after the original question, the jobs done already, so how about an update...

btk :)

Title: Re: Drilling through a stone wall.
Post by sparxxxx on Nov 14^th, 2005, 9:56pm

He followed scruffs advise and his house fell down. he therefore has other things on his mind.

Title: Re: Drilling through a stone wall.
Post by thescruff on Nov 15^th, 2005, 9:39pm

wrote on Nov 14^th, 2005, 9:56pm:

He followed scruffs advise and his house fell down. he therefore has other things on his mind.

;D ;D ;D :-[ :-[ :-[

Title: Re: Drilling through a stone wall.
Post by gullrock on Jan 6^th, 2006, 6:25pm

" Scruff's done it before. I don't think the others have."

I know I am a bit late, but my house is built just as described by Scruff and I did it by removing stones bit by bit with a bit of drilling and splitting and then filling in the hole round the pipe at the end. No problems there and I am only an amateur!!

Title: Re: Drilling through a stone wall.
Post by thescruff on Jan 6^th, 2006, 6:35pm

Most of these old stone buildings including mine, are dry stone wall then pointed with cement, the middle was filled with all the loose rubbish.

When you drill through the first stone about 200mm average all the small stuff fall back in the hole and blocks the drill bit.

Done it, seen it done and we all got the T shirts ;D ;D