Maybe dumb question but first time homeowner here.

So I wanted to hang a pice of art in my bathroom, on the wall that is shared with the shower head and bathtub faucet. Anyhow as I began using my screwdriver to push the screw it, it hit something (I assume a piece of wood). So I got out my little electric screwdriver from B&D (Note, it was NOT my big dewalt drill) and proceeded to drive the screw in. Screw was 1.5inch and probably an inch went in.

Anyhow no problems there however I was thinking about it, the screw is almost exactly behind where the shower head it. So then I started freaking out that maybe I hit the pipe. Wondering how I can check without tearing the wall out

I tried the following
-Ran the shower for 30min, no visible water on wall drywall, or floor
-Took small wire and push into screw hole, with a piece of toilet paper on end, no sign of wetness

So I think its good but wondering if anything else would tell me for sure? Also out of curiosity when the shower is OFF, is there still pressure in the lines? Meaning if I were to nick the line, would it constantly be leaking water, or only when I have water on to that shower head? Not sure how it works

Thanks all!

 

Is the pipe between the control valve(s) and the shower head or in front of the control valve(s).

You can use a stud sensor that also spots live electrical wires and water pipes - if they are metal - to "see" inside your wall.

Were you hanging this piece under the shower head?

 

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bad picture but here is the wall. Top left is shower head, bottom left is the lower tub faucet. The top right is the screw

The wall thickness is approx 5-6"

Also I forgot to mention I have a stud finder which has a SUPER strong magnet and it ddidnt detect any metal where my screw was. But this brings 2 ideas to mind
1. I assume copper is magnetized and my stud finder would pick it up?
2. If it went drywall, then wood, then pipe, would my stud finder still 'see' the metal behind the drywall and wood?

Again im feeling like the probability is very low and hoping there is another method or two to check to give me piece of mind
Thanks!

 

If you removed the screw and didn't get wet, you should be fine.
Of the few showers I've worked on as a home owner, the pipe tends to be attached to a stud and closer to the shower side of the wall.

 

If the hole is above the level of the shower outlet you are probably fine. Is the wall drywall or plaster?
Did you back the screw out? If you left it in it might take a while before it leaks but if you hit a pipe it will.
Most likely the pipe only has pressure when the shower is on.
When yo pushed the wire in did it hit something and stop or did it go without resistance. If it met no resistance then maybe you are between studs and hit nothing. If it hits something solid it might be the stud. On the other had it might be the back side of the pipe.
A hole the size of a half Dollar is easy to repair. You can make a hole that size, maybe even the size of a quarter and shine a light in there and see what you see.
The percentage of area of the pipe is pretty small compared to the whole space of the stud cavity.
You might be able to use a stethoscope and listen for water running Unfortunately the noise of the shower might be indistinguishable from the noise of a leak.

If the wall is drywall you can with practice thump on the wall with your knuckle and distinguish the sound of the thump between the studs and on the studs.
Find an outlet box and thump in line with that box. It is almost certainly on one side of a stud. Listen for the difference in sound there and eight inches away. Do this a few times around the house. You will get the hang of it. To check your self out you can drill a minute hole where you think a stud might be and see if you are right. Now go into the bathroom and try it. One thing though and that is there might be a block of wood nailed between the studs for mounting the shower fitting. You might have to try moving your thumps up and down rather than right and left to hear the difference. And maybe that block is what you screwed into.

Please let us know what you find out and how you find it. Now if you must make a hole in the wall to fix the pipe we can tell you how to patch that hole too.

 

No. Only steel will deflect a magnet. A magnetic "stud finder" is, in general, only useful if used along a piece of trim, to find the nails used to install that trim by nailing through the drywall or plaster into a stud.

 

The walls are drywall for sure (im in south fla if that helps relate)

I can see there is about 1/2" of drywall. The real question is what was after the drywall, and if it is wood, was there anything even after that

Unfortunately the hole is very small (#6 size screw) so a flash light is not helpful. When putting something in there, such as the wire, it only goes in about 1" which is likely the amount I screwed in, however it could still be in the wood right? Also I did remove the screw so now there is just a hole there.

Also, my test, of turning on the shower for 30min and examing the walls, floors, drywall, etc... would it be fairly obvious if a leak was present?

Any other thoughts? Thanks

 

My curiosity is too much. Were you hanging something in the shower? What is the wall made of in this area? The copper line is almost touching the wall where the control valve and shower head are located. There are usually no studs there, since stud spacing is 16" and it would fall between studs. Give us a hint

 

Yes I was hanging a piece of artwork. Its not the studs as my stud finder shows them to be approx 8" in each direction so this was pretty much directly in between them

Im fairly sure there is wood there (could still be pipe behind) as if I put the screw back in, and hand turn it, it will get tight to the point of feeling very tight/secure. I dont think it could do this on a copper or metal pipe

 

You ain't answering the questions, hoss. Are you installing this artwork in your shower??? Or in the room behind it? Your little magnetic stud finder may not be telling you the truth. You need a sonar unit that will detect studs, electric, etc. Not very expensive, but invaluable when you do things like this.

 

The hole is the white dot

 

I'm not a plumber but don't they usually have a 2x4 turned sideways between the 2 studs so they can secure the shower pipe with a clamp? If so, you probably screwed into that 2x4.

 

A hole the size of a half Dollar is easy to repair. You can make a hole that size, maybe even the size of a quarter and shine a light in there and see what you see.

Read more: http://www.doityourself.com/forum/wa...#ixzz28NZk14CW

The perspective could be off in your two pictures but it looks like the hole is above the level of the top of the tile. The shower head is below the top of the tile. .'' you should be fine. If I am wrong then you can still measure from the ceiling down to see ow they align. It could take a while for a leak to show up. It will run down the inside of the wall and find its way out which could be right down the hole the water pipes and drains make into the crawl space or under the slab.
I'd sure make a hole and take a look if it bothered me as much as it seems to bother you.

don't they usually have a 2x4 turned sideways between the 2 studs so they can secure the shower pipe with a clamp? If so, you probably screwed into that 2x4.

Read more: http://www.doityourself.com/forum/wa...#ixzz28Nb3RhR9
Yes, and the fitting for the shower head will be on the shower side of that block so a 1 5/8 or shorter screw through the drywall will only go a bit more than half way through such a block if that is what you hit.

 

Thank you for posting the pictures. I guess that's one way of answering the questions.

Since you're screwing into the outside of the shower wall, you likely hit the blocking that supports the shower riser, if anything. Are you, or were you, installing a screw which only has threads on the outer part of the shank?

 

Nash? Got me on that one.

 

I wondered the same thing then I thought of a sex bolt.

 

lol

Ill try for another shot when I get home but based on my very quick check, the hole is almost exactly the same height as the showerhead on the other side of the wall.

One other consideration would be the placement of the pipe in the wall. I assume the pipe is like 1/2" diameter or maybe a little more but wouldnt it likely be in the center of the wall, or maybe even closer to the wall where the showerhead is? (using picture 2 as a reference while typing).

I dont know the exact measurement of that wall but it was something like 5 or 6" wide, so wouldnt it make sense that i would need to go in at least 2.5" before i hit the center of the wall, assuming the pipe was in the center. Even more if the pipe was closer to the showerhead side?


As for the notion of cutting out the wall, I very well may do that but I certainly am trying not to add more workload to my house projects if I can avoid it

Thx

 

Here is something you surely thought of but just in case you didn't: measure left and right on the wall to find the center of the shower head outlet. On the other side of the wall measure right and left to see where the hole is. If you are off by an inch you probably missed the pipe and yes the pipe probably is more in the center of the wall than nearer the side of the wall you screwed into. How old is the house? If it is old enough to have copper or galvanized plumbing you could probably tell by tapping the wire against whatever it is touching if it is a metalic sound or the sound of wood.

By now I would have had a hole made, checked out what is inside the wall and, assuming I did not hit a pipe have the hole plugged and ready to paint. If the picture would cover the hole I would have the picture hung and not even worry about paint and maybe not even patching the hole.