This is a photo we found on an american site (electrical-contractor.net), apparently taken on a US base in Iraq, where a massive drill bit was used as a fuse on a UK plug……. OMG! Any electricians out there got any photo’s of DIY disasters you have come across? We want to see them….!
If you are working with garden equipment that is plugged into the mains you should always use an external RCD to protect you against electric shock.
We also recommend an external socket of this type if you have an electrical supply to the shed or other outbuildings.
In this video review DIY Doctor Mike Edwards gives his opinion on the Nexus Performance RCD External Socket
Nexus Performance RCD External Socket, click here to see the full review
For more information on fitting an external socket with RCD protection – see our project and video on installing an outside socket.
To find out more about having your product reviewed by DIY Doctor click here
In Part One we looked at the screws you might use for particular jobs, now we look at the drivers and bits that you can use to put them into the materials you are fixing together.
DIY Doctor recommends that you have two drills in your toolkit, especially if you are a regular DIYer or if you have a big job to complete – one to use as a drill and the other to use as a driver. This avoids the need to constantly swap between drill bit and screwdriver head as you work your way through a project. Although this might appear expensive, or even lazy, in fact it makes it much quicker to complete tasks. Also with the vast array of drills on the market, it is not that expensive to add an extra drill to your kit.
Mike Edwards from DIY Doctor has been reviewing tools to give you advice on what each product does and whether it is worth adding to your toolkit, check out our other Video Reviews.
Here are the ones that are related to ‘what drives them’:
Makita 8391 18 volt Combi Drill, click to see review page
DeWalt DCD785 Combi Drill, click to see full review
Hitachi 18V Cordless Combi Drill, click to see full review
Angled Bit Holder, click to see full review
It is worth mentioning that you should be sure that there are no pipes or cables in the area you are about to start drilling. You can get detectors that will flash and sound an alarm if they are passed over an area where there is cabling – below Mike reviews the Bosch Digital Detector. In our blog on electrical safety we also went into the importance of having and RCD on your electrical supply, just in case!
Mike comments “while it is usually safe to assume that cables will run straight up the wall from switches and sockets, and that pipes will run along logical lines from radiators I used to live in a house where the radiator pipes ran in ducting down the center of the walls before splitting out to the left and right to feed the radiator. Fitting a shelf or picture on this wall without going through the pipework would be hit and miss without the use of a detector, so it is always best to be sure”.
Bosch Digital Detector, click to see full review
for more information on having your product reviewed by DIY Doctor click here
The Electrical Safety Council (ESC) is trying to raise awareness of electrical safety in the home among new parents.
This prompted us at DIY Doctor to join our voice to that of the ESC, and MumsNet, who are also concerned about this problem. In the UK each year there are approximately 350,000 electrical related accidents in their homes and sadly around 50 of these are fatal. In addition to direct injury the fire brigade report that 50% of household fires are caused by electrical faults.
New parents are understandably anxious to protect their children and spend lots of money on safety devices such as socket covers, but what they are not considering is whether their system is as safe as it could be.
‘If your wiring is unsafe, buying such localised protection is like putting a sticking plaster on the problem,’ explains Mike Edwards CEO of DIY Doctor ‘I am not saying parents shouldn’t use these safety devices on sockets, but they should not feel that it is a failsafe method of avoiding electrocution’. He believes that many householders are not aware of the benefit of getting a Residual Current Device (RCD) installed by a qualified electrician. RCD’s are designed to trip if there is any fault or short circuit. So if you mistakenly damage a cable while drilling into walls, or a child pokes something into a socket, the RCD will shut off the electric supply to that area. Read more about RCD’s in our Consumer Unit Project.
Consumer Unit showing an RCD (E)
What can you do?
Have your system checked by a qualified electrician and invest in an RCD if you don’t already have one. Having made sure the system is safe don’t do anything that may damage it. When you are drilling into walls make sure you avoid any cables by searching for them before you drill using a cable detector.
Don’t forget, all but the most basic electrical work should be carried out by a qualified electrician. This follows an amendment to the building regulations and is covered in greater detail in our Part P Project.
Using site lights can dazzle and fry you when you are working in dark enclosed spaces, so the answer to that could be this low energy portable light which gives off ample light for the jobs you might need to do in a loft, basement, shed or other dark corner.
Mike Edwards discovers the pros and cons of working with this light to tidy up electrical cables in a dark area, see his review video here.
See this and other video tool reviews in our video review section.
