5 DIY Plumbing Mistakes To Avoid
If you are like most, you have probably been swept up in the DIY craze. The pride of accomplishing something on your own feels amazing! We love boasting about our new skills to friends and family, but every once in a while, we come across a DIY that is a little over our heads.
When it comes to your home’s plumbing system, things are a bit different. Have you built up the courage to DIY fix that annoying leak that has been wreaking havoc on your day-to-day routine? Before you grab your wrench, here are five mistakes that you might run into.
1. Forgetting To Shut Off Water
This is one of the biggest mistakes that DIY-ers face. It is so simple, that it is overlooked almost every time.
Don’t let your eagerness deter you from the first and most important step of any plumbing service.
SHUT OFF YOUR WATER VALVE!
Find your home’s main water valve and turn it off before starting any repair. This will save you many hours of cleaning up overflows and floods.
Don’t worry, we’ve done it a time or two.
2. Excess Drain Cleaning Chemicals
You may be a pro at tackling clogs in your toilet, sink, and bathtub. With a simple twist and pour of your favorite brand of chemical drain cleaner, you have saved the day, yet again.
Chemical cleaners offer a fast and convenient solution to persistent clogs. When chemical cleaners are overused, it can lead to bigger problems. Excessive use of these harsh cleaners can corrode your home’s pipes, resulting in thousands of dollars of repairs.
If your toilet or tub constantly faces clogs, we suggest using mechanical methods. A plunger or snake will do the trick with just a little more effort. By making the switch to traditional methods, you can save yourself from a BIG issue and a BIG cost.
3. Using The Wrong Tools
We understand that tools can be expensive, but investing in the right tools may save you a pretty penny in the long run.
If you are doing an extensive DIY, like repiping, you will need specific tools. This will allow for easy and proper removal and replacement of your home’s pipes. Even by tightening connections with the wrong wrench can lead to damage inside of the pipe. Don’t let a simple fix lead to more frequent leaks or replacements.
By investing in the right tools, or involving a professional plumbing service, you can feel confident that the job is done right.
4. Using A Mixture Of Materials
If your home’s current plumbing system uses galvanized pipes, be careful about replacements. If you are looking to replace broken or damaged sections with PVC or copper pipe, you are going to run into some problems.
Homeowners are making the switch to copper pipes because of their durability and flexibility. What they don’t understand is that some metal piping materials do not mesh well with copper. This can cause potential damage to your entire plumbing system.
Before you mix materials, contact a local plumber to make sure that your mixture is safe.
5. Not Knowing When To Say “Uncle”
We all want to fix things on our own. We want to feel that sense of accomplishment when we save the day with our handy skills. Sometimes, we find that homeowners don’t have the right sense of when they have taken on too much.
Throwing in the towel does not mean you failed, it simply means that the job is meant for a professional. Avoid a DIY plumbing catastrophe and contact a local plumber as soon as you feel that you are in over your head.
Bring out your inner superhero for your family without the mess. Before heading out to the nearest home improvement store, remember these five easily avoidable DIY problems.
