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drilling hole in cinder block load bearing wall?

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drilling hole in cinder block load bearing wall? Aaron 08-04-2006
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Posted by Aaron on August 4, 2006, 11:40 pm
I need to drill a small 1" passthru in a roughly 7' X 10' load bearing wall,
will this hurt anything?



Posted by Chris Lewis on August 4, 2006, 11:52 pm
> I need to drill a small 1" passthru in a roughly 7' X 10' load bearing wall,
> will this hurt anything?

No. If the voids in the cinder block are filled with concrete
and/or rebar, it could be rather difficult. But that's rather
unlikely. You want to drill through a hollow. You probably
don't want to shatter the block (mostly from an esthetic
perspective), so don't get too violent with a hammer drill.

I've watched electricians punch holes in foundation cinder block
using hand sledges. This is for installing 2" PVC conduit for
service entrances, and the irregularities in the hole will
be hidden by the fittings and hole sealant. Surprisingly
neat holes tho.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

Posted by on August 5, 2006, 12:56 am
On Sat, 05 Aug 2006 03:52:04 -0000, clewis@nortelnetworks.com (Chris
Lewis) wrote:

>> I need to drill a small 1" passthru in a roughly 7' X 10' load bearing wall,
>> will this hurt anything?
>
>No. If the voids in the cinder block are filled with concrete
>and/or rebar, it could be rather difficult. But that's rather
>unlikely. You want to drill through a hollow. You probably
>don't want to shatter the block (mostly from an esthetic
>perspective), so don't get too violent with a hammer drill.
>
>I've watched electricians punch holes in foundation cinder block
>using hand sledges. This is for installing 2" PVC conduit for
>service entrances, and the irregularities in the hole will
>be hidden by the fittings and hole sealant. Surprisingly
>neat holes tho.


You can usually find the hollow cores with a tube up to your ear and
against the wall and tapping wiuth the handle of a screwdriver.
A paper towel roll or a short PVC pipe works.
Dowelled cells are usually in the corners and next to windows and
doors. You will also have them about every 4' if there isn't a window
or door. The top 2 courses of block will be solid. (coastal buildiing
code).

Posted by Aaron on August 5, 2006, 9:09 am
Thanks, I was worried about disturbing the integrity of the wall itself but
I didn't know at what point (from a structural) point of view you could do
this. I am assuming if you punched too many holes or too large of a hole
that at some point cracks would appear and you would disturb the integrity
of the wall?


>> I need to drill a small 1" passthru in a roughly 7' X 10' load bearing
>> wall,
>> will this hurt anything?
>
> No. If the voids in the cinder block are filled with concrete
> and/or rebar, it could be rather difficult. But that's rather
> unlikely. You want to drill through a hollow. You probably
> don't want to shatter the block (mostly from an esthetic
> perspective), so don't get too violent with a hammer drill.
>
> I've watched electricians punch holes in foundation cinder block
> using hand sledges. This is for installing 2" PVC conduit for
> service entrances, and the irregularities in the hole will
> be hidden by the fittings and hole sealant. Surprisingly
> neat holes tho.
> --
> Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
> It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.



Posted by HeyBub on August 5, 2006, 10:06 am
Aaron wrote:
> Thanks, I was worried about disturbing the integrity of the wall
> itself but I didn't know at what point (from a structural) point of
> view you could do this. I am assuming if you punched too many holes
> or too large of a hole that at some point cracks would appear and you
> would disturb the integrity of the wall?

No, the crack would stop at the next course of blocks. You could probably
remove every other block and the wall would be okay. Come to think on it,
I've seen walls done that way: a checker-board with blocks and spaces.
Evidently it works.



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