What Metal Detector is best for my Old Building?

[Charlieky8]

After spending a bit of time researching this topic, I figured it would be best to ask the pros. My family has an old building that has been around since the late 1800's, downstairs is a store and upstairs is primarily used for storage. No one has lived upstairs for over 30 years and the electric has be turned off for sometime now.

We have good hope there are some valued items hidden in either the walls, floors, windows, etc. There is quite a bit of real estate to cover but I would like to invest in a good detector and start hunting.

Any suggestions what would be the best detector for my situation? Thanks

 

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[RustyGold]

Hi Charlie and welcome to the forum!
I will step up to the plate on this one and may I suggest an AT Pro by Garrett. Great detector for the price/features and once you learn it the hits will keep on coming!
Another one I like is the new Teknetics T2. The latest one is very light and feature rich. Both these detectors can be a little chatty but they're just doing their job.
The AT Pro is also waterproof to 10 ft.
Our dealers that advertise here on Tnet are great to deal with and will give you the best prices.
I have purchased several detectors from Bart at bigboyshobbies and had stellar luck with everyone. Make sure you check out the package deals that will include the 6" coil and coil covers.
The AT Pro is so popular you will be able to resell at little loss of your investment should it not be for you.
Best of luck!
Rusty

 

[DDancer]

As for inside the structure you might find a hand held detector a good choice. Garret offers a variety of security wands that are not to expensive. Outside the structure invest in the time to do some gardening first After that decide on how much you want to spend for the detector. Look for a model that gives you a few coil options and is easy to use~ you'll have a fair amount of rubbish to work thru so a small coil followed by larger coils is the thought here. A pin pointer may be useful as well. There are more than a few packages that sellers offer with all these items... just figure out your budget. Garrets AT and GTI series are good starting points. Minelab Xterra series are good too. Thing is mid-range stuff will probably suit your needs well and the learning curve is not bad. My thoughts.

 

[Mr.T]

Inspect the brickwork with a uv light- newer jointing will show up.

 

[JrMack]

Well there a problem with nails and most likely the building has aluminum electrical wiring, the walls most likely plank outside with plaster and lathe on inside.. you will need a machine that will mask the iron from the nails, just wave a nail in front of coil and turn up discrimination till ya don't hear it, most all machines will do this-even one from harbor freight--around 50 dollars. don't mask out the aluminum or copper wiring-you'll be able to follow that in the walls..hope this helps! If your interested in further detecting a good entry machine would be like a garrett ace 250, bounty hunter or a fisher-for a starter.

 

[cudamark]

Detecting inside a building can be a real challenge even of experienced users. Wiring, plumbing, nails, fixtures,etc can all effect a standard detector. I'd use a small hand held detector such as a Vibratector or a good pin pointer like a Uniprobe. You'll want something with a small coil and that is lightweight. Running a coil over walls and ceilings can be very tiring!