My kitchen island build went totally sideways when the electrical rough-in got botched

I was wiring up outlets into my new kitchen island last Saturday afternoon in my garage here in Nashville, and I thought I had everything planned perfect. Well I drilled through one of the studs to run the Romex and completely forgot about the gas line that ran underneath. Hit the pipe just enough to hear a hiss and I panicked so bad I grabbed my phone and ran outside. Called the gas company and they showed up in 20 minutes, turned out it was just a small scratch on the pipe but they had to shut off the main line to check it. Cost me $150 for the emergency service call plus I had to redo half the wiring because I pulled it all out in a hurry. What really changed my mind was the gas guy telling me to always map out all utilities with a stud finder that detects metal and pipes before cutting anything. Has anyone else made a dumb mistake like this that made you totally rethink your approach to DIY wiring?

2 comments

2 Comments

robert_bennett291d ago

My buddy Kyle did the same thing with a sprinkler line and flooded his whole basement last summer lmao.

susanm221d ago

Did the gas company give you any advice on what specific stud finder or tool would have caught that pipe? I'm asking because I've been trying to decide between a few different models, but I keep reading reviews that say they give false readings on older houses with metal lath or foil-backed insulation.