Do you have a summer project you are planning to do in your home that involves plumbing? Perhaps it is a bathroom or kitchen remodelling project? Or you might be adding in a laundry room? Your plan is to be the do-it-yourself (DIY) carpenter, tile installer, painter, electrician, plumber, and overall jack of all trades for this project.
The problem is that many homeowners who plan a DIY project, especially when plumbing is involved, come to find out how badly their project can go wrong. So, even if you plan on doing most of it yourself, there are a number of reasons why you should hire a plumber.
Here are some problems to avoid by calling the plumber instead of trying to DIY:
A-Line Leak
This plumbing emergency can require quite a bit more skill and tools than you have to properly make the repair. You may see water stains, observe flowing water, or have a flood. Just because you see it doesn’t mean the leak is in that same location. Leaks have a tendency to start behind a wall or beneath the floor. The water then travels along the path of least resistance, showing up only when it reaches a point that is visible to you.
At High Priority Plumbing, we advise you don’t start to tear apart your bathroom or kitchen floors or walls without knowing the exact line leak location. And even if you see exactly where the leak is, improperly fixing the leak will only be temporary. A quick or bad repair can be costly later on when your newly remodelled room gets damaged. Instead, call a professional plumber who has the detection equipment and can properly make the repair.
A Clogged Toilet or Sink
Clogged drains are not unusual and many can be fixed with a simple plunger and drain cleaner. But if you have constantly been trying to unclog a toilet, sink or other drains, your clog is probably further down the sewer line from the drain opening where a plunger and drain cleaner won’t be effective. And don’t make the mistake of replacing a fixture thinking it is the problem without fixing the clog.
Professional plumbers have equipment such as a camera to see inside the line and a mechanical snake or jetter to deep clean the line. Depending on what has clogged the drain and how extensive of a clog you have, your plumber might need to replace a section of your sewer line.
Cracked or Broken Fixtures
We regularly see problems with homeowners who attempt to do all the remodelling for a DIY project only to end up cracking a toilet bowl, dropping a glass shower, breaking a faucet, or making other mistakes. The number of things that can go wrong is immense.
There are enough things you can do to save money for your DIY, but installing your own plumbing fixtures is risky. Hiring a plumber will not only save you time and get your fixtures installed properly, but it can also help save you from replacing new fixtures before they are even able to be used.
Some of the many other problems with DIY plumbing involve homeowners not understanding the process behind installing appliances and fixtures or the placement of these as it relates to the plumbing. They fail to take accurate measurements, skip necessary steps, neglect installing parts, and ultimately create more problems than when they started their project. The results are sometimes mismatched hot and cold water lines connected to the new faucet, a crazy maze of pipes underneath a new sink, a missing p-trap beneath the drain, and doors that won’t close properly because of where a countertop or toilet was placed.
A skilled plumber has the experience, training, and tools to get the plumbing portion of your project done right the first time. He can save you time, money, and the headaches of a disastrous DIY.
Before you move forward with starting your DIY project, think about what tasks are best suited for your own skill level, your available time, and the equipment you already have. If you decide to get help with the plumbing, call High Priority Plumbing at 770.860.8110 in Atlanta.