SH-03Check for cables and pipes before you drillA detector can miss cables that run deep, sit in metal conduit, or lie outside the usual safe zones near sockets and switches — treat every drilling point as if something could be there until you've proved otherwise. Before you drill anything, find your stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink) and check it turns freely, so you can shut the water off fast if you hit a pipe. If you have any doubt at all, isolate the circuit at the consumer unit first, and never drill in the same spot as a socket, switch, or visible pipe run below or above it.