• Forum server maintanace Friday night.(around 7PM Centeral time)
    Website will be off line for a short while.

    You may need to log out, log back in after we're back online.

Complete newb needs advice on old home search

sandandsurf

New Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2019
Messages
1
Hi, complete newb here hoping for some friendly advice on searching an old home from the late 1800s. This house is still in good shape and being lived in. What I need to know is, can a metal detector be used to search ceilings and walls, wood floors, stone foundation, attics, chimneys, etc?

Will the electrical wiring cause constant interference or can that somehow be adjusted for? What about nails? What about old pipes?

I am just wondering if it would be a futile endeavor to use a detector inside a house or if it could actually work. If there is a particular model you would recommend, please let me know. Any other info that you think would be useful is welcome, as well. Thanks.

sandandsurf
 
No any detector in a house or even too close to it would be a waste of time . The chatter would drive you insane.
 
If it's abandoned and you have permission, think in terms of where you would hide a stash of valuables -- and look there.

(Edit: look with eyes, not a detector.)

Under stair risers; in 3/4 inch holes drilled into tops of doors; beneath floor boards in attics; in false bottoms in cupboards; cedar chests; or dresser/kitchen drawers; buried in dirt-floor basements; hollowed out books, etc.
 
Last edited:
If it's abandoned and you have permission, think in terms of where you would hide a stash of valuables -- and look there.

Under stair risers; in 3/4 inch holes drilled into tops of doors; beneath floor boards in attics; in false bottoms in cupboards; cedar chests; or dresser/kitchen drawers; buried in dirt-floor basements; hollowed out books, etc.

In the original post, they said the house is being lived in.

The larger your coil, the more hits you'll get from nails, plumbing, wiring,e tc. Even a tiny "sniper" coil (3-4" diameter) would be very bothered by all that house metal.

In a basement, an ultraviolet light could be useful in "seeing" disturbances in foundation walls that have a brick or fieldstone removed to create a "hidey hole".
 
In the original post, they said the house is being lived in.

The larger your coil, the more hits you'll get from nails, plumbing, wiring,e tc. Even a tiny "sniper" coil (3-4" diameter) would be very bothered by all that house metal.

In a basement, an ultraviolet light could be useful in "seeing" disturbances in foundation walls that have a brick or fieldstone removed to create a "hidey hole".

I could have sworn the original post said still in good shape FROM being lived in, but it says AND being lived in. My mistake.

This is now even more confusing because why would someone detect walls, ceilings and foundations of an active house absent a plan to rip up the place if the machine goes beep?

Like other posters here, I don't see detecting inside a house as feasible, unless the goal is to find nails and wires.

Regardless, my suggestions for where to look stand. (Using eyes, not a detector.)
 
Dirt floor crawl space would be about the only place a detector would work.
If it has heat vents in the floor it can't hurt to look for coins. I had a family member almost paid for a new furnace with jewelry and coins from the heat vents.
 
Dirt floor crawl space would be about the only place a detector would work.
If it has heat vents in the floor it can't hurt to look for coins. I had a family member almost paid for a new furnace with jewelry and coins from the heat vents.

In my 1885 Victorian that we lived in till 2003, down in the metal ductwork from a floor register that didn't have a screen of hardware cloth, I found about 20 marbles in the elbow of a horizontal section. The previous occupants had three kids that played marbles inside and outside (where I found several more in the dirt under a 2nd floor porch overhang).

Jim
 
I use my Carrot as a stud finder sometimes. Couldn't even turn the ATP on indoors with all the ductwork and appliances around.
 
I'd give it a try. Wires, nails, etc. would give signals all over the place, but with many (most?) detectors, you can turn the sensitivity down. I would try turning it way down to where the nails only give a very minimal blip. Wiring, metal ductwork or vents would be too much metal to avoid completely, but I would try scanning all around, with a hope of detecting anything with substantial metal, but not known to be part of the building.
A good signal could be a jar of coins, a gun, a safe, or an old electric box, or some tin cans, or a hammer. You wouldn't know until you open up the wall, or ceiling, or floor...unless you had a camera probe.
Crazy plan, but good luck!
 
Back
Top Bottom