KS-04Check for cables and pipes before you drillKitchens have cables and pipes running almost anywhere behind walls, especially near sockets, switches and the sink. Sweep the whole fixing area with your detector, but still treat it as if something might be there — detectors miss cables that are deep, in metal conduit, behind metal-backed plasterboard, or outside the usual safe zones, and a metal stud frame can throw a cheap detector off completely. Find your stopcock now, 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 relevant circuit at the consumer unit before drilling, and be ready to turn off the water at the stopcock before you go any deeper than a shallow pilot hole.