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How to drill into brick to mount hose reel?

nagumuthu

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to mount a new water hose reel from Bunnings onto my wall, but I’veve hit a roadblock trying to drill the 10mm mounting holes.

I’m using a 10mm masonry drill bit on hammer mode with my Ozito drill, but even applying maximum physical pressure, the bit barely makes a dent and refuses to go deeper.

Has anyone faced this issue with Ozito drills or hard brick? What’s the best fix here?

I thought of the idea of using a smaller pilot bit (e.g., 5mm/6mm), the drill bit operation generated a burning smell. I stopped there.

Appreciate any advice or tips!

Images as below.

Thanks, MM

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nagumuthu

5mm drill bit (masonry) turned bluish black.

I assure you that the Ozito battery is charged to 100% before the exercise.

MitchellMc

Hi @nagumuthu,

Can you please check whether you have engaged hammer mode on the drill's selector? Look for the hammer symbol and move the selector to that position. If the drill isn't actually in hammer mode, the lack of progress you're experiencing would make sense.

The blue/black discolouration on the smaller masonry bit indicates it has become very hot, typically from running at high speed without making much progress. That's understandable given you've been trying to get the bit to bite into the brick.

Although cordless drills can sometimes struggle with particularly hard masonry, I'd expect considerably more progress than you're seeing. Once you've confirmed hammer mode is selected (move the hammer symbol so the arrow is pointing at it), try setting the drill to gear 2 for higher-speed hammer drilling. You shouldn't need to apply excessive pressure; let the hammer action and bit do the work.

If you're definitely in hammer mode and still getting nowhere, another option would be a multi-material bit such as the https://www.bunnings.com.au/full-boar-10-x-150mm-multi-material-drill-bit-fmmd-10150h_p0725621 , which can drill masonry without hammer mode.

Please let us know how you go.

Mitchell

Noyade

"I assure you that the Ozito battery is charged to 100% before the exercise."

I would continue the exercise - but on a spare brick, not your rather band new(?) looking wall. Get it right - then go back to your wall. Do you know if the bricks are 'hollow' - ?

Just Sunday morning thoughts @nagumuthu

nagumuthu

Hi @MitchellMc

Thanks for the quick reply.

I can confirm that the Hammer Mode is selected with Speed selector at '2'. I can try buying Full Boar Multi Material drill bit as proposed.

Hi @Noyade

That's a good idea to try in spare brick. Yes. They are hollow bricks.

Thanks
MM

MitchellMc

Did you perhaps run the drill bits in non-hammer mode at high speed before switching to hammer mode @nagumuthu? That can round the cutting tip over very quickly, and it will then not cut, even in hammer mode, after that.

This could potentially be a situation where the drill does not have enough power, but on this type of brick, I find it a bit unusual that you are not making more progress.

Just covering all bases, but you haven't got the drill in reverse by chance?

Mitchell

nagumuthu

Certainly not @MitchellMc. The drill direction is 'Clockwise' and at all times, the 'Hammer Mode' is engaged. Possibly, I have used this masonry drill bit on one occasion. Did not face any issues.

Let me procure the Full Boar drill bit and see any magic happens.

nagumuthu

I bought the Full Boar drill bit as suggested. I was able to drill one complete hole, but the second hole only reached about 75% depth before stopping. I’m not sure why it’s having such a hard time going through the brick, even after swapping in a fresh battery right after that second hole."

nagumuthu

How many holes are the Full Roar drill bits designed for masonry. I doubt not 2 holes. Should be much more.

I drilled straight with 10mm drill bit.

nagumuthu

On of the drilled hole is slightly off centered, due to template issue. I

Is there a way, I can get this right?

EricL

Hello @nagumuthu

I suggest having a quick look at this guide - How to drill into brick. If the drill bit overheats it will ruin the cutting edge and round out the drill bit making it ineffective. It's important to have the drill in "hammer mode" to help with the drilling action. Remember to set your drill switch to "number one". It provides a lower speed and higher torque (twisting power), which gives you the strength and control needed to push through hard masonry like brick. My best advice is to not force the drill to operate continuously especially if you feel that the drill bit is overheating.

If used properly the Full Boar drill bit will provide quite a number of uses before it begins to slow down and get dull. There are a number of suggestions on drilling techniques in the guide I recommended. Have a good read and try again.

Eric

Noyade

Do you have more weapons in your armory - like a SDS rotary hammer drill (240V) - with more grunt.

The template failed. Is the mounting plastic or aluminium alloy?

nagumuthu

Hi @EricL

Thanks for sharing the post about drilling hole on the brick. After reading it, I realised my mistake was applying too much pressure on the drill bit, thinking it would cut through the brick faster. Instead, it likely overheated and blunted the carbide tip. I suspect the Full Boar bit I bought today may already be damaged, but I'll give it one final try before discarding it.

I also noticed that I used my Ozito drill on the higher speed setting. Based on the post, it seems I should have been using the lower speed.

Another shortfall, is that I did not use a pilot drill bit (3mm) before drilling 10mm. I have used 10mm straight.

Can an SDS drill bit be used effectively with an Ozito drill? If not, could you recommend a heavy-duty alternative, other than Full Boar, that would also be suitable for future projects?

Also, is there a way to correct the offset hole I drilled? If not, would enlarging one of the holes in the Holman retractable wall mount (plastic) be a practical solution, and how would I do that?

nagumuthu

Hi @Noyade

Unfortunately, I don’t own an SDS drill.

By the way, the wall mount is made of plastic. The main issue was that I couldn’t accurately transfer the drilling template (Printed in the packaging box) onto the brick wall. Likewise, marking the holes through the plastic wall bracket is not accurate enough, which resulted in one of the holes being drilled slightly off-centre.

There should be a better approach, which I'm not aware of for transferring the 4 holes from the wall mount to the face of the brick.

EricL

Hello @nagumuthu

I'm sorry you can't use an SDS bit on a standard drill. It is not compatible; you'll need a proper SDS drill to make an SDS drill bit to work. I propose investing in a corded drill such as the https://www.bunnings.com.au/ryobi-800w-13mm-corded-hammer-drill-rpd800-k_p6210471 or the https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-710w-hammer-drill_p0299328 . These drills have more power than your standard battery-operated drills.

To fix the offset hole you started, I suggest using a smaller masonry drill bit to drill a small pilot hole in the correct spot. This will create a guide for the larger masonry bit and prevent it from jumping to the incorrect hole. My best advice is to give the drill bit a rest every so often allow it to cool down so that it does not overheat and blunt itself.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

Noyade

"There should be a better approach, which I'm not aware of for transferring the 4 holes from the wall mount to the face of the brick."- @nagumuthu

Here's my 5c for what it's worth.

Position the bracket.

Mark the top left.

Remove the bracket and drill the 10mm hole.

Plumb. Screw the bracket tightly in place.

Then drill the remaining three holes with the bracket in place with a drill the same diameter as the bracket holes. This should prevent 'tip wandering.'

Remove the bracket.

Expand the remaining three holes to 10mm.

With your current situation above I would position the bracket with bolts in the top left and bottom right holes. Then sort out your bottom left. Then, you should be able to visualise what 'moon shaped' cutting is needed for the top right hole. Mark it and remove the bracket, which being plastic, can now be easily achieved with a round file. Trial and error - replace the bracket and use a washer for that particular mounting bolt.

I hope you get it sorted mate.

Cheers.