Drywall Screw Through a Cable Knocked Out Two Bedrooms in East Vancouver, WA
A drywall crew saw a wire spark, and then two bedrooms and a bathroom lost power. We found a screw driven into the cable where it runs through a stud and repaired the damaged cable in about half an hour.
Symptom
Two bedrooms and a bath dead
Cause
Screw through the cable
Where
Cable hole in a stud
On site
About 30 minutes
Scope of Work
- Opened the wall where the drywall crew saw the spark
- Found a screw driven into the cable where it passes through a stud
- Repaired the damaged cable
A drywall contractor was working in this east Vancouver home when they saw a wire spark inside the wall. Right after that, two bedrooms and a bathroom lost power. We found a drywall screw driven into the cable where it runs through a stud and repaired it.
What happened
Cables run through holes drilled in the studs. When a hole is close to the edge of the stud, a drywall screw can go right through the cable. That’s what happened here. A screw through a cable can short it out, and everything past that point on the circuit goes dead. You can see the black marks around the hole in the photo.
This is why we put a steel nail plate on the stud anywhere a cable runs close to the face. We did it on this Vancouver bedroom addition before the drywall went up.
Don’t just reset the breaker
If a wall gets a screw or nail through a wire, resetting the breaker isn’t a fix. The damaged spot can keep arcing inside the wall. Turn that circuit off and leave it off until someone opens the wall and repairs the cable.
The repair
We opened the wall where the crew had been working, followed the cable from the outlet, and found the screw. We repaired the damaged section of cable. We were in and out in about half an hour.
Lost power after a contractor was working in the walls? That’s an electrical troubleshooting call. Call 360-828-7143 or tell us what happened before it went out.
Real Reviews
What customers say about our troubleshooting work
A great experience. Ryan came over, diagnosed the problem, and gave me two realistic solutions with honest pros and cons. When Chris and Roman came to do the work, they were fast, polite, and respectful, offering to take their shoes off and being very mindful of their language around my 3 y/o. They showed me how to adjust the settings on the new electrical fixtures and patiently answered my questions, and did a great job cleaning up. I will definitely be calling them for electrical work in the future. ///// Had Roman and Garrett out for another job, same great experience. They were quick, efficient, and respectful. They kept me informed on the progress. All together really happy with the company having worked with them twice!
I have to shout out Ryan for going out of his way to come save us tonight. After having an HVAC tech out two days in a row, I was really hoping to have AC restored in my home. What we thought was an HVAC issue turned out to be a breaker issue and we thought we were going to be sweating through the night once again. Newman Electric was the first place I called and I’m super glad I did. Ryan was probably on his way home for the day but diverted over to our house to help us out. He charged a fair rate for emergency service and was in and out in less than 15 minutes. Best part is.. I might actually sleep through the night tonight now that my house is finally cooling down. We’ll be hiring Newman Electric again in the future, as it sounds like we’re due for a panel swap and their pricing is good. As a dispatcher for a local plumbing company, I know good service when I see it. Thanks again Ryan for helping us out tonight! We really owe you one. 10/10 will recommend to friends and family.
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