Fixing and maintaining your home can tend to be pricey, especially if done by professionals. Often, as a homeowner, you resort to do-it-yourself or DIY methods so that you can save on the repair costs. Many hardware stores also offer a lot of tools and other equipment you might need for your DIY projects. The Internet also provides a lot of tutorial videos on how you can do home repairs all by yourself.
Regardless of the method, DIY plumbing is not a good idea since waterworks and pipes are very delicate and deeply embedded into the house’s structure. To be on the safe side, you can consult quality plumbing services for your pipe and drainage issues.
Here are some of the dangers of DIY plumbing:
1.You might accidentally burst a pipe
A frozen pipe is a common problem to have especially during winter. Most homeowners make the mistake of taking matters into their own hands, and making the situation even worse. Sometimes, the DIY solution might become the cause of worse issues like pipe destruction or even flooding.
Problems often revolve around the following scenarios:
- You might accidentally forget to turn off your water pressure which will result in permanent damage or burst pipe. This mistake can be very costly.
- When you try to fix frozen pipes by yourself by the use of hairdryer or something similar, the water pipe’s pressure might increase and it can lead to permanent damage.
Instead of fixing the problem, you’ve only just added to an expensive cost, which is avoidable, if you first ask a plumber to do it for you.
2.You might end up destroying your drainage
A clogged drain is the most common household plumbing problem most people encounter. The quickest and most accessible solution that you can find is to buy those readily available drain cleaners at the supermarket. However, if it can work that strong on your ducts, think about its impact on your pipes.
You will never be able to see whatever damage chemicals can do to the drainage system like maybe even thin out your pipes in the process. Clogged drains do not have a “one-size-fits-all” solution, like those chemical cleaners. The approach should be individualized – depending greatly on what stubborn dirt has caused your drainage to be clogged.
Only your plumber or a drainage professional can safely determine if your drainage calls for chemicals or a better solution.
3.Your whole toilet can be damaged
Everyone has had one or more of these problems: the toilet doesn’t flush as it should, there is water dripping out the flush system, or water overflows upon flushing. The temptation to DIY is high, as these may seem like small, fixable problems. It is better to spend a few bucks to call a professional plumber’s help, rather than spend hundreds more to buy and install a whole new toilet system.
One small mistake with trying to fix the toilet system on your own can lead to bigger problems, especially if you do not really have the training and knowledge to do so.
4.Your water heater will overheat
When your water heater seems to be having any form of malfunction, it is best to call a maintenance specialist from the heating company or supplier instead. If you try to do it yourself, your heating system may end up overheating – which is very hazardous to your health! You might accidentally end up burning yourself.
There are authorized heating system repairmen who are properly trained by the manufacturing company to understand how the whole heating process and system operates.
5.You do not know how to proceed
Consider this situation: You’ve already started to fix your plumbing problem – following all those instructions from your online guide, but somewhere in between, you end up confused, and you no longer know how to continue what you’ve started. You still end up calling a plumber, and instead of the plumber simply fixing a minor problem, now he will probably have to do a big plumbing job – which will cost you even higher now.
A plumber is equipped with the following qualities that make them more equipped for the job:
- They are licensed and certified with the proper training in plumbing.
- They are experienced and well-trained.
- They know and understand how to properly operate machines.
6.Your house may flood
You wouldn’t want water to flow non-stop to your basement after improperly installing an ejector pump. Imagine having to clean up your whole house after your flooring, carpets, and other appliances get wet. Plumbing works have to be installed properly by someone with the right expertise to prevent any unwanted leaks and odors from spreading through your home as well, as these problems can be costly to fix.
7.You may seriously hurt yourself
Plumbing tools are not like your household vacuum cleaner or your electric wire whisks. Those tools are more complicated to handle and they require training and expertise to be able to operate correctly. Furthemore, plumbing tools are also quite costly. Sometimes, purchasing a machine for DIY purposes can cost more than calling a plumber and having the problem fixed immediately and correctly.
Conclusion
With this in mind, it is best for you to leave plumbing works and repair to the experts instead. You are not a plumber, and those step-by-step guides on YouTube and Pinterest will not help you in every issue. Although it will cost you more rather than doing it yourself, you are also doing your home and your plumbing a favor by leaving it to your trusted plumber instead.
