Maker Pro
Maker Pro

Trick to drilling a larger hole without damaging wiring

J

jawdoc

Jan 1, 1970
0
I want to replace a recessed sensor that someone prior placed a non
metal contact in a metal door.
I need to drill out the hole bigger. But I don't want to bugger up
the wire drilling.
Is there a special drill or a trick to do this?
I am scared in this particular door to push the wire up that I will
not be able to retrieve it.
Thanks in advance!
 
I want to replace a recessed sensor that someone prior placed a non
metal contact in a metal door.
I need to drill out the hole bigger.  But I don't want to bugger up
the wire drilling.
Is there a special drill or a trick to do this?
I am scared in this particular door to push the wire up that I will
not be able to retrieve it.
Thanks in advance!

They do make a specail bit with hole in center but your looking $50 or
better you could carefully use a dremel tool and widen hole that way
have done sucessfully sevral times
 
C

Crash Gordon

Jan 1, 1970
0
Carefully push the wire up into the frame an to one side, then carefully
drill the hole bigger...or drill another hole next to the old hole but in
the opposite direction from where the wire is coming from...or put on a
recessed contact if you can.
 
B

Bob Worthy

Jan 1, 1970
0
I want to replace a recessed sensor that someone prior placed a non
metal contact in a metal door.
I need to drill out the hole bigger. But I don't want to bugger up
the wire drilling.
Is there a special drill or a trick to do this?
I am scared in this particular door to push the wire up that I will
not be able to retrieve it.
Thanks in advance!

They do make a specail bit with hole in center but your looking $50 or
better you could carefully use a dremel tool and widen hole that way
have done sucessfully sevral times

Greenlee makes a uni-bit that will work. If you can push the wire up in the
door at least 1", widening the (probably) 3/8th hole to the 3/4 hole needed
should make retrieving of the wire very easy. Hopefully, who ever installed
it in the first place did a good job of getting it centered. Otherwise it
could be a problem, not only on the jamb side but on the door as well
because you are going to want to change the magnet too. If it is not on
center, a larger hole could be to close to the edge of the door. Take a good
look at things before you start drilling anything.
 
A

alarman

Jan 1, 1970
0
Crash said:
Carefully push the wire up into the frame an to one side, then
carefully drill the hole bigger...or drill another hole next to the
old hole but in the opposite direction from where the wire is coming
from...or put on a recessed contact if you can.

You might try this method, I have used it on wood jambs with success. You
should be able to adapt it to a metal frame:

Use a 3/4" hole saw with a removeable pilot bit, in a variable speed drill
motor. Push the wire up inside the hole about 1", or more in order to not
touch the pilot bit when you begin drilling. Place the pilot bit inside the
hole, tight against the side, and start drilling on very slow speed until
the body of the saw cuts into the frame to the extent that the pilot bit is
no longer necessary. Remove the pilot bit, and continue drilling your hole
with the saw body only, again using very slow speed. Retrieve the wire with
needle nose pliers or forceps.
 
C

Crash Gordon

Jan 1, 1970
0
I've not had much success with that method. A die grinder works pretty
well...bottom line is it's a PITA.


--
**Crash Gordon**
 
G

G. Morgan

Jan 1, 1970
0
jawdoc said:
I want to replace a recessed sensor that someone prior placed a non
metal contact in a metal door.
I need to drill out the hole bigger. But I don't want to bugger up
the wire drilling.
Is there a special drill or a trick to do this?
I am scared in this particular door to push the wire up that I will
not be able to retrieve it.
Thanks in advance!

I always just drill a new hole about an inch away. Duh. Make sure you take
the magnet out of the old hole in the door.
 
S

Spellcheck Patrol

Jan 1, 1970
0
I want to replace a recessed sensor that someone prior placed a non
metal contact in a metal door.
I need to drill out the hole bigger. But I don't want to bugger up
the wire drilling.
Is there a special drill or a trick to do this?
I am scared in this particular door to push the wire up that I will
not be able to retrieve it.
Thanks in advance! <

Tape a drag line to the contact wire, push the damn contact wire up in
the frame, drill your hole without fear of nicking the wire, and pull
the damn contact wire back down.

Another method you can try is snaking the contact wire into a 3 or 4
inch piece of flexible conduit, taping it at both ends, throw the
conduit back in the hole, drill away without fear, and remove the
conduit when you're done.

You could also tape a chain to the wire, push it up, and use a wet
noodle to drag it back down after drilling.

This isn't very difficult
 
J

Jim

Jan 1, 1970
0
I want to replace a recessed sensor that someone prior placed a non
metal contact in a metal door.
I need to drill out the hole bigger. �But I don't want to bugger up
the wire drilling.
Is there a special drill or a trick to do this?
I am scared in this particular door to push the wire up that I will
not be able to retrieve it.
Thanks in advance!

In new construction, many times the entry door from the garage to the
house is not installed until some time after the alarm pre-wire is
done but is installed before you're called back for final hook up. At
pre-wire, I'll usually tie a tag on the wire for the garage door
contact, saying not to bury the wire. I don't tell them to drill a
hole because they wouldn't know where to drill it anyway.
So, many times, the door installer, trying to be helpful, will drill a
small hole in the jamb and pull the wire though. I always bring my
wire to the jamb from the bottom of the door, regardless if the wire
source is from up .... or down. This way I always know which way it's
coming from. So anyway, if he drills like a 1/4 size hole, I'll just
drill a larger hole above it and pull (snake) the wire out of the old
hole and into the new and fill the smaller hole. If the hole is
larger, like 3/8 or larger but not 3/4, then I use the following
method.

This works for me.

Pull the existing piece of wire out of the hole and with a flashlight
you'll have to look to see which way the wire comes into the back of
the hole. (Mine always come from the bottom of the hole.) Sometimes it
may come straight from the back of the hole. Sometimes from the top or
bottom of the back of the hole. This is important to know so that you
don't cut the wire off when you're drilling the new hole.

Lets' say the wire is coming from the bottom of the back of the hole
about two inches in. I have a flat screw driver with a square shaft
that I use, but you can fabricate a flat piece of metal that will fit
into the existing hole just wide enough to cover the wire beneath it,
to protect it from damage while you're drilling the new hole. With my
screw driver, I can jamb it into the wood at the back of the hole so
that it doesn't get pulled out of the way by the hole saw. Using a
hole saw with a pilot drill, start a larger hole above but
intersecting the diameter of the existing hole. You can drill into the
jamb with the hole saw just barely touching the top of the metal piece
that you're protecting the wire with. Drill slowly. You should wind up
with the larger hole intersecting the smaller hole aprox half or less
than it's diameter. Take out the piece of metal that protected the
wire and pull the wire up ito the channel of the new hole so that it
protrudes out of the larger hole. Mount your larger contact. As you're
mounting the larger contact, fill in the smaller hole with caulk or
silicone, or whatever it needs, to hide whats left of the smaller
hole. Most times, you can barely see the old hole because the lip of
the new contact covers it.

Pull the magnet from the door and do the same thing with the hole saw
if the magnet is larger.

Some times you have to shift the hole saw to one side or the other
because you don't want the larger diameter hole to break out the side
of the jamb or the magnet to be too close the to edge of the door.
Look at it all closely and take your measurements before you begin.

Others will just drill another hole an inch or so above or below the
old hole and take a chance that they wont cut the wire, since they
have no idea from which direction it's coming to the hole. I'm not
that lucky.

But I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night.
 
B

Bob

Jan 1, 1970
0
nice, $100+ for the 3/4. prob need the set. a little pricey?
 
P

Petem

Jan 1, 1970
0
Bob said:
nice, $100+ for the 3/4. prob need the set. a little pricey?

Maybe pricey for diy, but for an installer it could proove to be usefull..
its a pitty i dont install anymore... ;-)
 
B

Bob La Londe

Jan 1, 1970
0
jawdoc said:
I want to replace a recessed sensor that someone prior placed a non
metal contact in a metal door.
I need to drill out the hole bigger. But I don't want to bugger up
the wire drilling.
Is there a special drill or a trick to do this?
I am scared in this particular door to push the wire up that I will
not be able to retrieve it.
Thanks in advance!

Pack the wire in wet rags and then cut out your hole with a torch?
 
C

Crash Gordon

Jan 1, 1970
0
a small circle of primer cord would be faster

--
**Crash Gordon**
 
F

Frank Olson

Jan 1, 1970
0
Crash said:
a small circle of primer cord would be faster


Your head technicians name is probably on the "no fly" list... :)
 
J

Jim

Jan 1, 1970
0
Your head technicians name is probably on the "no fly" list... �:)

Unfortunately, there are people like you who'd still let him fly.

After all, just because he uses a little C4 to drill a hole for a
contact is no reason to suspect that he might use it for something
else.

Why, Mohammad is the sweetest guy you'd ever want to meet.
 
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