Lesson 1
Isolate before you touch anything
Water, power and gas: the ten-minute habit that prevents every disaster.
Every repair course should start with the same lesson: how to make the thing safe before you open it.
Find your isolators before you need them
Walk around your home today and photograph:
- The main water stop valve
- The small isolation valves under each sink and behind the toilet
- The consumer unit (fuse board) and which switch controls which circuit
- The gas shut-off, if you have gas
Photograph the labels and keep them in a phone album called "house." In an emergency you will not want to search.
Water: close, then prove it
Turn the valve clockwise until it stops, then open the tap. If water stops within a few seconds, you are isolated. If it keeps running, the valve is seized and you need the main.
Power: switch off and test
For anything involving a socket, light fitting or appliance, switch off at the consumer unit and remove the fuse or switch off the breaker, then test the circuit is dead with a tester. A switch on the wall is not isolation.
Gas: never a DIY job
If you smell gas, do not touch electrical switches. Open windows, turn off the gas at the meter if you can reach it safely, leave the building and call the emergency line for your supplier.
Do this now
Photograph your four isolators and label the album "house." That album is the foundation of every repair in this course.