What workarounds did people try for "Stud finder mistakes refrigerant line for stud when hanging shelves"?

Community members documented 10 workarounds: 1. Using magnet stud finders instead of electronic ones 2. Using a borescope to inspect inside the wall before drilling 3. Applying constant but low pressure on drywall with a drill on low speed 4. Limiting screw length to avoid hidden pipes and electrical wires inside studs 5. Using simple push pins instead of nails for lightweight items 6. Using Command strips or short nails 7. Checking for studs with a stud finder to avoid plumbing or electrical lines 8. Using specialized wall-scanning devices like Wallabot to detect pipes before nailing 9. knocking on the wall with knuckles to find studs by sound 10. drilling a tiny pilot hole to confirm before committing

Stud finder mistakes refrigerant line for stud when hanging shelves

Wall scanners can falsely register utility lines like refrigerant tubing as wooden studs, leading to dangerous punctures when driving fasteners. This risk causes constant anxiety during home installation projects and can result in severe property damage such as complete refrigerant loss.

Overview

Last updated Sep 11, 2026

People affected3 accounts across 2 forums

Workarounds found10 items attempted

Community agreement7,562 total upvotes

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

10 items+ Contribute

Found another way around this?

Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.

1
Using magnet stud finders instead of electronic ones
Did this help you?
2
Using a borescope to inspect inside the wall before drilling
Did this help you?
3
Applying constant but low pressure on drywall with a drill on low speed
Did this help you?
4
Limiting screw length to avoid hidden pipes and electrical wires inside studs
Did this help you?
5
Using simple push pins instead of nails for lightweight items
Did this help you?
6
Using Command strips or short nails
Did this help you?
7
Checking for studs with a stud finder to avoid plumbing or electrical lines
Did this help you?
8
Using specialized wall-scanning devices like Wallabot to detect pipes before nailing
Did this help you?
9
knocking on the wall with knuckles to find studs by sound
Did this help you?
10
drilling a tiny pilot hole to confirm before committing
Did this help you?

Tried another approach not listed above?+ Share your workaround ↑

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/hvacadvice1 person · August 2026

“The refrigerant line showed up as a stud on my stud finder and I managed to drive a strew directly into the line and loose all of the refrigerant.”source ↗

geekthinker · r/hvacadvice · 7,264 upvotes

r/HomeMaintenance2 people · December 2025 – September 2026

“This always worries me when hanging things - is there any way to avoid doing this?”source ↗

Rd545454 · r/HomeMaintenance · 311 upvotes

“I’m using my stud finder to locate studs and any electrical wiring to avoid, but it’s telling me that the *entire wall* has electrical behind it- but that can’t be right?”source ↗

“Any idea on how to find a safe spot for the screws?”source ↗

2ThumbsWayUpLA · r/HomeMaintenance · 1 upvotes

Where this came up

r/HomeMaintenance r/hvacadvice diy drywall home maintenance home repair plumbing tools