Tape Cap for a Rough-In
A first turn of tape wrapped sticky-side out, so a debris cover over an open pipe stub holds firmly and still peels off clean.
Wrap Plastic Pipes in Foil Before They're Buried in a Wall
Plastic pipe is invisible to the detectors people use before drilling. Two minutes of aluminum foil around the pipe before the wall closes up makes it show on a pipe detector forever after.
avoid hitting a pipe when drilling, locate pipes behind drywall, protect pex before drywall goes up
The Problem
Copper pipe in a wall shows up on a detector. Plastic pipe doesn't — once the wall is closed, PEX and other plastic runs are invisible to the scanner someone uses before drilling. The picture-hanger's stud finder says all clear, the drill goes in, and the "all clear" turns out to have been a water line.
The Technique
A property-renovating couple's standard step before any wall closes:
- Wrap the plastic pipe runs in ordinary aluminum foil before the drywall or plaster goes on.
- That's it — the foil sleeve makes the run read on a pipe detector like metal pipe would.
Two minutes per wall while everything is still open, against the cost of a drill bit through a buried water line after the room is finished. Anyone scanning that wall for decades to come — including future-you — finds the pipe instead of piercing it.
Pro tip: The same thinking applies to anything invisible-but-expensive you're about to bury: photograph every open wall before closing it, with a tape measure in frame. The foil makes pipes findable by detector; the photos make everything findable by memory.
Electrical, plumbing, and structural work may be regulated where you live — check local code before you start, and note that a permit may be required. More in our disclaimer.
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