CP-04Drill and fix the bracketsCables and pipes can run almost anywhere in a wall, not just in the usual safe zones. Before drilling, find your stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink) and check it turns, so you can shut off the water fast if you hit a pipe. If a detector shows anything, or you have any doubt, isolate the circuit at the consumer unit first, and use the detector as a warning, not a guarantee - it can miss deep cables, metal conduit or cables behind metal-backed board. For solid brick or block, drill a 6mm hole 45mm deep, insert a wall plug, and drive the screw home. For plasterboard on timber studs, drill a small pilot hole and drive a 4mm wood screw 40-50mm long straight into the centre of the stud. For plasterboard on metal studs, never use a wood screw or a plain plastic plug - they strip straight through 0.5mm steel; use a self-drilling metal-stud fixing instead. If a fixing must land on the plasterboard between studs, use a hollow-wall toggle fixing rated for the weight of the pole and curtains. For dot-and-dab plasterboard, use a long fixing (60-75mm) that passes through the board and dab layer into the solid masonry behind. For lath and plaster, locate a solid timber stud or batten behind the laths with your detector and screw into that, rather than the laths themselves, which will crumble under load.