Plumbing issues in the home are wide range and every time something goes wrong with one of the plumbing features in your home, the chances that you are going to spend money to fix it are high. The combined cost of fixing small plumbing issues in the home can sum up to a lot of money at the end of the year.
One of the best ways to minimize the cost of solving problems with your plumbing is to understand how the system works. As a homeowner or a landlord, says Vineyard Property Management, you should know how to prevent, diagnose, and fix certain plumbing issues in your home. It makes no sense to call a plumber for problems you can handle yourself.
At the same time though, a do-it-yourself approach to plumbing issues in your home also can be a problem. DIY plumbers get into trouble when they start to imagine themselves as professional plumbers. There is a difference between what you can learn on a YouTube video and what a professional plumber knows.
Not knowing the limits of your DIY abilities will cause you more plumbing problems than you are trying to solve. The plumbing in your home is massive, complicated, and is made up of interconnected systems. Seemingly small issues in one part of the plumbing will result in bigger problems elsewhere.
Most amateur plumbers do not fully comprehend the truth about the complexity of a home’s plumbing. As a result, they will undertake projects without a complete overview of the system. What often results is they end up compounding the existing issues and causing bigger problems for themselves.
What are some of the DIY plumbing repairs that homeowners encounter?
Increased risk of flooding
The margin for error when fixing plumbing problems in the home is very narrow. Small things you overlook can result in consequences that are several times worse than the original problem.
It is not uncommon for the home to get flooded as a result of mistakes during a DIY plumbing repair. This happens because amateur plumbers do not follow a systematic routine and they can also fail to turn the water off.
Superficial fixes
Most DIY fixes focus on the immediate rather than the remote causes of a problem. The concern of the homeowner is to eliminate urgent and distressing issues. As a result, DIYers do not do a proper diagnosis of the issue but only apply superficial fixes.
The result of doing that is the underlying problem is left to persist and grow worse. When it is eventually discovered, it will cost a lot more money to solve than it would have if it was detected earlier.
Recurring problems
Without attention from a licensed plumber, your home’s plumbing systems will deteriorate at a faster rate. Firstly, the prevalence of shoddily done DIY fixes will combine to make the system more prone to damage.
Secondly, the lack of attention by a professional plumber will increase the rate of natural wear and tear. The issues of a plumbing system will steadily become worse if that system does not get the professional care it requires.
Exposure to safety hazards
In addition to pipes and connections, the plumbing system in your home also has components that use gas and electricity. Fiddling with appliances like water heaters and washing machines when you don’t have the necessary training is a recipe for disaster.
Moreover, some plumbing repairs require the use of power tools that can easily cause injuries. Lastly, slips and falls are common when doing plumbing repairs. Protect yourself by leaving the job to a professional.
Lost time and avoidable delays
There is nothing like a plumbing emergency to get you to rearrange your plans. The danger of flooding posed by the problem and the chance that you will be without water, makes solving the problem urgent.
The frequency of disruptions to your work schedule and lifestyle increases with the number of plumbing issues in the home. A professional plumber can help you prevent plumbing problems that show up at the most inopportune times.
Higher system maintenance cost
DIY repairs are more impromptu than they are systematic. A DIY approach to solving your home’s plumbing issues prevents you from adopting a preventative maintenance schedule that is based on timely inspection of the plumbing. This narrow focus on solving short-term problems will cost you more money in the long run because it is easier and cheaper to manage your home’s problems when you can anticipate the issues.
In conclusion, when maintaining the plumbing system in your home, it is important to make a distinction between what you can do and what you should not try to do. Minor repairs like changing faucet aerators or unclogging the toilet with a drain snake are things every homeowner should be able to DIY. More complex plumbing repairs are best left to a professional plumber.
Hiring an expert plumber when you need to will ensure your personal safety, protect your home’s plumbing system and also minimize your plumbing expenditure.