LB-04Drill and fix the support batten safelyCables and pipes can run almost anywhere in a wall, not just the usual safe zones, and a detector can miss cables that are deep, in metal conduit, or behind metal-backed board - a metal stud frame confuses cheap detectors further. Before drilling, find your stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink) and check it turns freely, so you can shut the water off fast if you hit a pipe. If you're at all unsure what's behind the wall, isolate the electrics at the consumer unit and turn the water off at the stopcock first. On solid brick or block, drill an 8mm hole 40mm deep and use a wall plug with a 5x60mm screw. On a timber stud, find its centre and drive a 5x60mm wood screw straight in with a pilot hole. On a metal stud, use a self-drilling metal-stud screw or a toggle fixing - never a plain wall plug or wood screw, which strips straight through 0.5mm steel. On dot-and-dab, use a 60-75mm fixing long enough to reach the solid masonry behind the plasterboard and adhesive dabs. A bath batten takes a real pulling load every time someone gets in or out, so a metal stud or plasterboard alone will not hold it - fix through to a timber stud, through to the masonry behind on dot-and-dab, or add a timber noggin between the studs first.