Older houses that were built with lath and plaster instead of sheet rock often have too much inconsistency in the walls for the detector to work reliably. One way i would try is an educated guess exploratory hole method try locating a stud with a stud finder on the same wall but away from the problem area.
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Stud finder doesn t work. If your stud finder seems to be picking up things between the studs it could be detecting metal or plastic plumbing components electrical boxes or wiring or metal ductwork. The magnet would help you find nails that had been driven into a stud. Device does not switch on. Stud finder tips once youve identified your stud move away then come back and find it again at a different height. Try using the stud finder at a higher point on the wall or a lower. It may actually be your wall.
Electronic stud finders changed all that. If you cant see it there then buy a new finder. Heres how you should go about troubleshooting your glitch electronic stud finder. When it lights up it has reached the edge of a joist. If yours was working yesterday and isnt today try. If it doesnt find a joist measure 24 inches from the wall and try that area instead.
If you dont have a handy stud finder tool to locate wall studs youll just have to do it the old fashioned way using one of several time tested methods. If your stud finder is not working properly it may not be your stud finder. If youre using an edge finder be sure. The stud finder doesnt work very well anywhere in my house. Once you get close to one theres a simple and reliable way to find and mark both side edges of the stud so you can drill or anchor into its center. Run the stud finder over the ceiling in that area.
The first technique works but it damages the wall. Before there were stud finders either you pounded a small nail into the wall until you hit a stud or you used a small pivoting magnet. Then if you have a little bit of faith that your builder followed the standard 16 stud spacing measure over and drill at 16 intervals. Some stud finders are surprisingly sensitive to battery charge. If your stud finder has rechargeable batteries recharge them or inset new batteries if it uses disposable ones. This is an indication that the battery in your electronic stud finder has discharged.
Now find the next. They give you. The magnet technique is slow. 1 studfinder does not work test on an exterior wall studs should be 16inches apart or less.