Safety Precautions to Consider When Doing DIY Plumbing

When it comes to DIY plumbing, most people would think "how hard could it be?" and this notion is further supported by all the DIY shops around where anyone into Do-it-yourself projects could buy pretty much anything they needed. 

What many often fail to take into consideration is the fact that just like any other construction or renovation project, DIY plumbing does come with its own unique challenges, with some of them even being highly dangerous at times. There is an essential need to know the needed plumbing safety precautions before getting into it.

How Does One Stay Safe When Doing DIY Plumbing Projects?

If you have any doubts about being able to ensure your own safety relevant to DIY plumbing projects, the best course of action might be to consult with a professional plumber, since these are trained specialists with extensive experience in their field. 

For the most part, these specialists have learned the hard lessons about safety and best practices, and their actions and methods are largely guided by these lessons. Everyday people, however, could still undertake the DIY projects they have set their hearts on, provided they take into account the safety precautions needed.

Check for the Presence of Electricity



Before undertaking any kind of repair or renovation, be absolutely aware of the presence of any kind of electrical system or wiring in the area. This could very well protect the one doing the plumbing from a potentially fatal electrical shock. There have been numerous accidents involving plumbing repairs and electrical shocks that have resulted in injuries ranging from minor burns to severe injuries and even death.

Check for any kind of electrical system or wiring that is anywhere near the area where the plumbing repair or renovation is to be done. Also ensure that whatever tools might need electrical power, such as power tools that need to be plugged in, are safely positioned and protected from accidental exposure to water. While some tools are insulated and safe to use, others are not, and it would be a good idea to ascertain this before beginning the work.

Check for the Presence of Toxic Materials

Fixing the plumbing often involves going into the bowels of the house to get to the problem, meaning the work could be done in the most hidden, least-ventilated, and least-lighted areas. This means that there could be potentially toxic materials close by that the plumber could be exposed to while working. 

Depending on when the house was built and the piping put in, there could be toxic materials such as asbestos, unprotected lead, and other such things that people should not be exposed to for prolonged periods of time.

There are also some materials that are safe on their own but become chemically active when exposed to water, and doing DIY plumbing projects could involve being immersed in water for extended periods of time. This could allow any active chemicals to seep into a person's skin, which is why a thorough assessment of the work area and potential hazards need to be done before the project is started.

Protect Your Eyes

There are many who think that the danger and injury factor when it comes to plumbing is between low to none, but this is not the case. It is important to ensure that you are able to function properly even in the event of mishaps, so at the very least you could walk away from it with the least amount of damage to your person. To this end, it is important to make sure your eyes are protected, because should your vision be compromised, it is immensely difficult to know how to safely proceed.

It is always a good idea to wear safety goggles to ensure nothing inadvertently flies into your eyes. The standard water pressure in NZ under normal conditions is at least 200 kilopascals (kPa) or 29 pounds of pressure per square inch (PSI). 

Granted that this is nowhere near the pressure of water cannons which could go up to 500 PSI, which could knock a full-grown person off their feet, it is still more than enough to severely irritate a person's eyes with a direct hit. In most cases, the injury occurs when a temporarily blinded person tries to move around, often hitting their head or slipping on the water-laden floor.

Protect Your Hands

Everyone who is into any kind of DIY project will need to make sure that they are protecting their hands. This is an established fact. Even the most seasoned professionals in the field will not take chances with their hands, because the risk of permanent injury is always present in any project. 

This is particularly true with DIY projects, since the one doing it may not have the necessary experience needed to ensure that the danger factor is kept to a minimum. Wear heavy-duty gloves and arm guards if necessary, since there are many instances where a person's fingers could get caught in wrenches, cut up from rough pipe edges, or some other hazard while fixing the plumbing.

Wearing gloves and arm guards could also mitigate the risk of an infection. DIY plumbing does not always involve clean water, as some pipes that need replacing could already have rust or mould build-up, and exposing an open would to these risks could be highly dangerous. For those worried about the loss of gripping traction by wearing gloves, there are gloves available commercially designed to ensure good traction even on moist or wet surfaces.

Have a Good Understanding of Where the Valves Are

Unless it is necessary or impossible to turn off the valve, it would be immensely better to work without the added difficulty of water pressure. Not only will running water make putting pipes together difficult, but the deflected run-off could also spray directly onto the face of the one fixing the plumbing, and even with eye protection on, it could be nearly impossible to see through the rushing water. Having water constantly splashing against a person's face also makes breathing difficult even in the best of times, and even more so when one is working.

Ensuring that the water valve is turned off so no running water impedes the work also guarantees that the fixtures could be secured much better, as there is no counterforce pushing things away from each other. Once everything has been secured and checked to be holding fast, it is a simple matter to turn the water valve on again, and this is indeed a needed step, so as to check for leaks or connections that have not been properly secured.

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