Am I the only one who hates running cable in these old brick buildings?

My whole neighborhood is full of early 1900s brick houses with solid walls. Drilling through them for new drops takes forever and wrecks my bits. I had a job yesterday where the mortar was so hard it smoked two drill batteries. Clients get mad at the time it takes, but what can you do?

3 comments

3 Comments

alex_wilson791mo ago

That bit about the mortar smoking your batteries hits way too close to home. I did a retrofit in a 1920s place last month and went through three masonry bits just for one outlet. The brick was so dense the drill would barely bite, and the dust clogged everything up. You ever try using a rotary hammer, or is that overkill for residential stuff?

patricia5581mo ago

My neighbor's Milwaukee rotary hammer chewed through his foundation like butter last year. It felt like overkill until I saw how clean the holes were.

-1

christopher9431mo ago

Man, that mortar turning to concrete over a century is no joke. Rotary hammer is absolutely not overkill for this, it's the only thing that makes the job possible without destroying your tools and your will to live. A trick with the really hard stuff is to use a little water on the spot while you drill to keep the dust down and cool the bit. Just gotta be dead sure you're in mortar and not a brick, or you'll still be there tomorrow.