There is the possibility of risk in any situation. You won't be able to prevent everything, but there are lots of things you can take to make your house as secure as it can be. Consider, for instance, the plumbing in your house. When you are dealing with an issue with your plumbing, taking a few moments to think about safety may make all the difference.
But what exactly does it mean to take precautions into account? It might involve seeking the assistance of specialists, or it could mean doing something as simple as using the appropriate eye protection. To make it simpler for you to implement our recommendations, we have separated them into two distinct categories: "do's" and "don'ts." Let's begin with the "do's" of the case.
Do’s
1. Wear protective clothing
The abbreviation "PPE" stands for "Personal Protective Equipment." When working on any kind of project, you should always be sure to protect yourself by wearing the appropriate gear. Your eyes, hands, and lungs are the most critical areas of your body that require personal protective equipment.
Eyes: When working on plumbing, it is critical to always use protective eyewear, such as safety glasses. It is impossible to predict when sewage or high-pressure water may erupt from a pipe and head directly for your face.
Hands: When working on the plumbing in your house, you should always wear work gloves. This is because your hands may come into touch with sewage, dirty materials, or chemicals. We strongly suggest, at the absolute least, that you use latex gloves. Choose leather as your material of choice if durability is a priority for you.
Lungs: To protect your lungs, you should use a respirator or at the very least a face mask while you are sanding or sawing while working on your project. Your lungs may be protected from the particles that are released during activities of this nature if you wear them.
2. Turn off the water if necessary
Before continuing with any further steps, you should first ensure your safety by turning off the water supply at the mains if the plumbing task you are working on includes or could entail water in the future. If a little knob or cap is preventing pressurised water from releasing, the last thing you will want to do is to be panicking and scurrying around in search of the mains tap.
3. Use natural methods to unclog your drains
Nobody enjoys having to deal with a clogged sink or shower. However, you should not rely on chemicals that can be purchased in stores to solve the problem if it does occur. These remedies, despite their efficacy, have the potential to do irreparable damage to your plumbing over time.
You may get aid from things that are present in your home, like salt, hot water, baking soda, and vinegar.
4. Practice and understand tool safety
When working with power tools, use extreme caution, and make sure to read and abide by the manufacturer's instruction manual at all times. When drilling large holes for pipes with a strong power tool with a 1/2-inch diameter, one of the most prevalent dangers that plumbers face is cutting themselves.
Always check to see that the drill cutter or bit won't bend since even if it does, the drill will continue to operate even if the bit stops moving. When working with heat on pipes, such as when soldering, use extreme caution so as not to burn the wall or start a fire in the insulation. Always be sure you utilise a heat shield if you are working with a soldering torch in close proximity to dangerous or flammable materials.
5. Think before you open the drain
Before removing a cleanout or dismantling a drain, be sure you've thought it out. Consider whether or not the pipe might go to a drain in your area. Normally, drains are devoid of pressure, but when they get clogged, the combined effects of the obstruction's mass and gravity can lead to significant upward pressure.
Get any plumber to share horror stories they've heard about or experienced personally. The plumber will undoubtedly tell you about the time someone opened a cleanout and raw sewage shot out like a firehose.
Don’ts
1. Don’t put trash in the garbage disposal
It is natural to consider the disposal in your kitchen to be a repository for leftover food waste. However, if you put the incorrect things down there, they might potentially damage or destroy your pipes, which would result in the entire system failing. These include oil, vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, etc.
2. Don’t over tighten plumbing connections
There's a good reason why the age-old proverb "hand-tight is just right" has been around for as long as it has. When it comes to the fittings and connectors, you should only tighten them up to the point where you can no longer reach them with your hand. This helps to prevent the breaking of bolts, pipes, or porcelain, as well as the stripping of screws.
3. Don’t ignore strange odours
Do not disregard the warning odour of natural gas, which is described as being similar to that of rotten eggs or hydrogen sulphide. Put an end to whatever you are doing, cut off the gas supply to your home, and then contact the gas company as soon as possible. As a precaution, you should also remove everyone from your own house.
4. Don’t do something out of your skill level
Set aside the tools and call for help if you find yourself in a situation in which you are over your head. It is acceptable to delegate certain plumbing tasks to skilled tradespeople when such tasks need extensive experience. When anything like that occurs, all you need to do to get help is make the right phone call to the local experts.
In its simplest form, security consists of being aware of your surroundings and ready for anything. There will be occasions when a project is just out of your league. You don't have to be good at plumbing if you aren't; everybody has their strengths. If you are on the fence about taking on a plumbing project, it is better to play it safe and hire a professional. Always remember that you have access to expert help whenever you need it.
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