Second generation of “advanced” and easy to use stud finder utilizes multiple sensors and sophisticated signal processing to filter out false positives
To work safely and productively, most electricians rely on stud finders to find or avoid wood studs since most of the work involves remodeling rather than new construction.
“Every electrician needs a quality stud finder in their toolbox because it will be utilized all the time on the job,” says Morgan Metcalfe, an electrician and owner of Westfield Electric, a southern California-based full service electrical contractor.
The challenge is that electrical contractors have long utilized stud finders with a design based on unrefined capacitive technology that identifies changes in density behind the walls. While this technology can indicate the location of wood stud framing, it also discovers metal, plastic, wiring, and other objects in walls just as easily. Hypersensitive “deep scanning” modes further increase the potential for “false positives,” objects inaccurately identified as studs. The result is that traditional stud finders frequently chirp or flash LED lights to indicate something was sensed.
Now, newer, and more refined technology is being introduced to this popular tool category that promises to redefine and even reset the standards for stud finder performance and accuracy. The next generation “intelligent” models incorporate multiple sensors and sophisticated signal processing technology to filter out “false positives.”
These technologically advanced stud finders locate wood studs as intended, while filtering out non-wood objects such as plumbing, conduit, straps, brackets, screws, protector plates, ductwork, plastic pipe, PEX tubing, and wiring behind the walls.
For professional electrical contractors, this innovative technology will provide a more accurate representation of what is behind the wall and significantly improve confidence that what is detected is truly a wood stud. The benefits are significant: minimized rework, less damage created, and increased safety.
Increasing Electricians’ Productivity and Profitability
As an electrician, Metcalfe often uses a stud finder to identify the void between studs. If a customer wants a new receptacle for a wall mounted television, for example, a 3-inch retrofit outlet box would need to be installed in the wall cavity without interference from a stud. When remodeling a kitchen, bathroom, or office space, re-routing electrical lines can be part of the job, so having an accurate stud finder is essential to understand how much room there is to work with and if the studs are plumb or fire blocking runs horizontally.
Maximizing profitability also means knowing as clearly as possible what is inside a wall before cutting into it.
“When you cut into a wall, the more you know about what is behind the drywall, the better. You do not want to create damage. You want to eliminate costly mistakes that need to be repaired, that reduce your productivity and profitability,” says Metcalfe.
Today, the challenge is only increasing. In addition to metal plumbing and wiring, there is more behind the walls than ever, including network cabling, plastic pipes, and tubing. Complicating matters, wood framing in homes, old or new, can be inconsistent at best. Not all construction follows standard stud spacing practices of 16 inches or 24 inches on-center, and there are often additional support beams, fire blocks, and other framing features that can further muddy the picture.
In search of a better solution, Metcalfe recently had the opportunity to use an advanced, second generation, stud finder by Zircon Corporation that utilizes multiple sensors and sophisticated signal processing to filter out false positives.
Zircon, a wholly owned subsidiary of ZRCN Inc., has been in the stud finder game for more than 40 years. In 1980, the company manufactured the original StudSensor™ stud finder and invented the category. The Silicon Valley-based company produces more than just stud finders. They design and manufacture an extended range of sensor technologies in electronic hand tools spanning wall scanners, metal detectors, circuit breaker finders, drill guides, water detectors, and leveling tools.
The company’s latest innovation is the Wood Stud SuperScan® advanced stud finder with Target Control® Technology and FILTERz™ cancellation. By analyzing the complex data streams from multiple sensors and controlling the result using sophisticated intelligence, the stud finder can find wood studs and filter out metallic objects such as plumbing, conduit, straps, brackets, screws, protector plates, or ductwork in the wall. Additionally, the technology alerts the user to the presence of other low signal-strength, non-metallic targets, like plastic pipe, PEX tubing, and wiring, and alerts to the presence of live, unshielded AC electricity.
The stud finder has a new and improved user interface that provides an intuitive “go/no go” indication in response to what is being sensed. With a new haptic vibration and a patented SpotLite® Pointer that shines an arrow-shaped beam on the wall, users can clearly understand the target’s location and areas to avoid.
“For electricians, the new Zircon unit’s ability to quickly pinpoint the middle of the stud with the arrow-shaped beam is definitely an advantage. The vibration also indicates if you are at the center line of the stud or the edge. This is nice if you are going to mount something to the stud and need some strength. With a quarter-inch lag bolt, you need to make sure you are not on the stud’s edge but right in the middle,” says Metcalfe.
With his previous stud finder, there was no precise way to find the edge of the stud.
“The stud finder I have been using just beeps when it finds a stud. I can move it back and forth and narrow down and figure out the approximate location of the stud within an inch-and-a-half to two inches, but it does not indicate the actual edges,” says Metcalfe.
When Metcalfe first tested the stud finder, he decided to determine its accuracy in a real-world field test. The wall he evaluated conveniently had a large open hole in the 5/8-inch drywall so he could see the location of the studs.
“The Zircon unit found the stud – found the left side, found center, and found the right side so it is definitely very accurate,” says Metcalfe.
He also appreciates the device’s ability to detect electrical wiring within a wall. It is critical to avoid the wiring when cutting into the wall.
“The advanced stud finder is much more precise than anything that I have used before. I would recommend the Zircon unit to other electricians because you are only as good as the tools of your trade,” concludes Metcalfe.
By filtering out false positives, electrical contractors can be confident they have located a wood stud and not something else. Given the opportunity for a much clearer picture of what is behind the wall, electricians would do well to upgrade their existing stud finder with an affordable, next-generation model that is sure to become the new standard in scanning. It would be the “intelligent” decision.
For more information, call Zircon Corporation at (408) 963-4550, e-mail: [email protected], or visit www.zircon.com.