Is It Safe To Use A Cordless Drill While Standing In Water?

There are multiple reasons why you might want a lightweight cordless drill over a corded one. One of the main ones is being able to access tough-to-reach areas, as well as not having to worry about tripping over the cord. There's also a much smaller risk of short-circuiting because you only have a battery as a power source.

Even then, they're not without risks, and some users frequently make mistakes while using them. After all, a cordless drill is still an electrical device, and you should always be mindful of water ingress and other items that can damage such devices.

While you can technically get away with standing in water while using a cordless drill, it might be a safety risk. It could lead to injury or possibly damage to your drill if you're not careful. Let's take a deep dive and see what the risks are and what you need to look out for in case you need to use a cordless drill while standing in water.

To be a little more specific, we're talking about using a cordless drill while standing in water, and not about submerging the drill completely underwater. While most tool manufacturers don't advertise water resistance ratings, all of them are designed to handle a small amount of water ingress to protect from unpredictable conditions and small incidents, such as accidentally dropping your tool in that puddle. Some other tools are properly water-resistant with IP ratings, much like smartphones and other electronic devices.

That being said, prolonged contact with water will almost certainly cause damage to internal components or even ruin your battery, like how smartphones get water damaged. As we know, power tool batteries aren't cheap, so it would mean investing extra cash in a new tool or new batteries. 

Generally, however, using power tools near water isn't really recommended. DeWalt specifically states on its website that "Power tools cannot be used in any type of wet condition regardless of the circumstance," adding that "Using a power tool (cordless or corded) in such conditions may result in shock, personal injury, death, fire and/or property damage."

Granted, this is likely referring to heavy rain or completely submerging tools in water, the latter of which you shouldn't do under any circumstances. As long as you're careful about water entry and you take the necessary precautions, you might be able to use a cordless drill while standing in water briefly, but that's the key word — keep it pretty brief.