Detecting inside a house

maccounty

Full Member
Jan 7, 2016
227
283
SwMissouri
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro Minelab go find 60 Garrett pin pointer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Just curious has any one tried metal detecting inside a house? I know there will be lots and lots of signals. Got pretty good information from the persons family that the person who lived there was always hiding things. After the person died there was things missing they never found. The person I work for bought the place and is planning on having it dozed down in the near future. I have gone around the yard a little detecting and found a few coins and things. There are also a few out buildings I'm going to check out. I was just wondering about the inside. Any ideas or experience would be a big help.
 

kingskid1611

Gold Member
Feb 23, 2015
8,127
6,664
Oklahoma
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Can't metal detect it, too many signals. If they plan to tear it down then see if you can tear into areas that hidden things would be put. Under floor, up in attic, behind walls, etc. Good Luck with that.
 

Rustic

Sr. Member
Jul 10, 2015
394
663
western MA
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus, Garrett pinpointer
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I live in an old house with a stone foundation and a dirt cellar, and I was able to metal detect down there. I found a beautiful early 1800 dandy button.

Now I want to poke around and look for any potential hidey-holes; it gives me something to do this winter in my free time, when I wish I could be outside detecting.
 

kyrock

Jr. Member
Jun 23, 2012
60
24
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have detected around in old houses before but it can be difficult. I would physically check around the fireplace. Sometimes people have them sealed off or don't burn from them. Someone might have put something up inside. Check behind the mantel if possible. Loose envelopes or change could have fell behind it. Loose base boards is another place. I would also check in the heating vents. Take the covers off and reach back inside as far as you can reach. There just might be a package inside the vents. Loose floor boards are another place to check out.
 

Tom_in_CA

Gold Member
Mar 23, 2007
13,837
10,360
Salinas, CA
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
Explorer II, Compass 77b, Tesoro shadow X2
Get yourself an old Compass 77b . Or 77b auto, or 94b, or auto-legend. These were all great cache hunters, d/t they would null on, and see through, small iron (nails, wire, etc....) And with a little purposeful detuning (dumbing down), you could easily make them only pick up items of soda can or larger.

For cache hunting (versus singular coins and such), it's ironic but: The "more sensitive" actually becomes a detriment . So rather than being "more sensitive", you actually want to go LESS sensitive and dumb it down. That's why the old 1950s/60s detectors (early bfo's and early tr's) that struggled to get a coin to 3", were actually the *perfect* cache hunters :)
 

Crappies-n-Coins

Bronze Member
Nov 25, 2015
1,154
810
N/W MS
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Vaquero, DeLeon, Cibola(s), Compadre, Fisher 1265x, Garrett II PinPointer
Primary Interest:
Other
Use your PinPointer
 

GA_Boy

Bronze Member
Jul 30, 2006
1,433
1,579
Jefferson, Ga
Detector(s) used
BH LRP
1265X,
GoldBug II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Check old fireplaces for loose brick/stone. Also loose/short plank flooring.
Marvin
 

JUNKER

Full Member
Apr 7, 2012
231
60
SW FL,Copper Hill VA,Temple ME
Detector(s) used
XLT GrandmastercxIII Surfmaster PI
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Some people made hiding places in walls under cabinets under sinks plumbing panels and some old Houses in the doors. Also look in the basement with just small lengths pipe old people use to hide things inside them. Also check for loose baseboards. Good luck
 

Nitric

Silver Member
Mar 8, 2014
4,796
6,249
Dallas,GA
Detector(s) used
CZ6A
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Depending on how old the house is? You might have more luck reclaiming the wood! So if it's going to get dozed and you have permission? If it's old? Check the woods used! You might be walking past money looking for treasure! Just a thought! Copper pipe,wiring,wood,mantles,doors, hardware,light fixtures, stained or leaded glass doors and windows... etc... If your motivated they come apart pretty fast too! Me, my dad, and Grandfather have taken two apart in the past. working from the top down, letting all the junk fall into the basement hole on the way! One we did in 3 days. Taking all the cabinets, hardwoods, and the rest of the lumber.Big hard wood beams out of attic and basement. Some stone foundations have a little money too. Just throwing out ideas,of other things to look for and look up while your in there, treasure isn't always hidden!.:laughing7:
 

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SusanMN

Silver Member
Jun 1, 2007
4,534
4,098
Minnesota
Detector(s) used
Tiger Shark, Xterra 705, Makro Legend
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Be sure to remove and check out any furnace vents or grates, look around any built ins for loose boards or hidden corners and look through the attic, basement or crawl spaces. If there is carpet, look for loose corners that things could be tucked under. And don't forget to use a flashlight to check the tops of every closet and shelf.
 

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I DIG

Jr. Member
Mar 17, 2015
55
11
Missouri
Detector(s) used
Garrett GTI 2500
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I found a small coffee can with 20 half dollars in a old bank bag in a return duct. Check out old brick chimney clean outs. I found old fishing rods under some basement stairs. Found two guns in a false ceiling in a closet.
Check on top of the duct work to. I check on top of the beams. I check under build in drawers.
I've used my pin pointer along the old sill plat.
 

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