Use of Hand Tools, Power Tools, and Plumbing Equipment
Hand tools, power tools and plumbing equipment
This domain checks whether you can select, inspect and use plumbing tools safely and correctly. Exam items often show a task and ask for the right tool, the safe procedure or the consequence of a common misuse.
Core rules
- Select the tool for the material and size; inspect handles, jaws, guards, cords and blades before use; wear the PPE the task requires.
- Pipe wrench: jaws face the direction of pull; pull rather than push; use the correct length and never use the wrench as a hammer or add an unauthorised cheater bar.
- Hacksaw: secure the pipe in a vise, use 18 TPI for thicker walls and 24 TPI or finer for thin-wall pipe, cut square and deburr inside and outside.
- Levels must be checked and protected from drops; a damaged level gives false readings.
- Angle grinder: keep the guard in place, use the correct wheel, stand to the side and never cut with the side of the wheel.
- Hammer drills and core drills: check for hidden services, use dust extraction and let the clutch work.
- Press tools: use the correct jaw and size, complete the full stroke and mark the joint.
- Drain cleaning machines: keep hands away from the spinning cable, use leather gloves and a foot switch.
Worked example
Cut 50 mm GI pipe by hacksaw. Reasoning: mark the cut with a square and pencil; clamp the pipe in a pipe vise; fit an 18 TPI blade for the wall thickness; cut with light, even strokes and let the blade do the work; check squareness; deburr the inside and outside with a half-round file; if the pipe will be threaded, ream the bore so the die starts cleanly and the flow area is not reduced.
Traps
Removing a grinder guard, using a dull blade that wanders and work-hardens the pipe, using a pipe wrench to align flanges, and over-tightening plastic fittings are common mark-losers. A tool that is damaged or the wrong size is not made safe by careful use.