DIY plumbing repairs

Learning how to do a few simple plumbing repairs at home can save you a lot of time and money. Even if you learn how to fix a running toilet or leaky faucet and leave the major plumbing repairs to the professionals, the savings can add up. But you have to be careful. While you may feel the need to roll up your sleeves and try to fix everything yourself, sometimes you can make things worse. Many homeowners make easily avoidable mistakes when trying to fix plumbing problems. Here are some do-it-yourself plumbing mistakes to avoid by technical emergency room professionals 24. Follow these tips and you’ll be able to tell when a problem is too complicated to fix on your own: when that happens, give us a call!

Here are some DIY plumbing mistakes to avoid by professionals

Leaking faucet errors

While not everyone will suffer from a serious plumbing problem, most of us will have to deal with a leaking faucet at some point. And while some leaky faucets are easy DIY fixes, you need to be careful to avoid making some common mistakes.

Take out all the pieces. When replacing a disintegrated washer or a rubber gasket inside the faucet, be sure to remove any pieces that may be stuck in the faucet itself. If you don’t clean the faucet, these loose fragments can settle in the faucet and cause a blockage that will cause bigger problems later on. Cut the water. This applies to any plumbing problem, but it is especially common when working on a faucet. People forget to turn off the water supply more often than they think.

Using drain cleaner as a first resort

When you have a clogged drain, you may feel to just pour some drain cleaner down there. However, these harsh chemicals should only find use after exhausting all other options. You should start with a drain snake or augur that will physically remove any hooves. Only if that doesn’t work should you switch to clogged drain cleaner.

Not remembering / documenting how things fit together

You’d be shocked at the amount of times someone has taken apart a plumbing system to fix a problem only to realize they’ve forgotten how it all comes together. If you’re doing a DIY plumbing repair, take a picture to see what it should look like when plugged in. Alternatively, if you have a photographic memory, you can simply remember the arrangement of the pieces. We only recommend taking a photo, though.

Tightening things up too much

It’s natural to screw something in until it looks like it can’t go any further. But this can be problematic. Although it may not snap or break at that moment, all that water pressure can build up. And with no room to expand, connections can explode at the slightest sign of tension. Leave some space when you put everything back together.

Here it is! These were just a few of the more common DIY plumbing mistakes we’ve come across, but this one barely scratches the surface. When you have a plumbing problem, don’t risk accidentally making the problem worse – get in touch with us here at Dudley Plumbing Emergency and let the experts take care of it!