When Should You Call a Plumber?
There are times when you can definitely fix something around the home on your own, with the right tools and know-how. Loose knobs on cabinetry are easily screwed in, torn couch cushions can be patched up with a bit of skill, and WD-40 and duct tape can help you out of a lot of home maintenance issues.
We often encourage DIY-ers to try new things, but there are still some jobs that should be left to the professionals. When it comes to your plumbing, there are many things you can fix or spruce up on your own. We want to make sure you understand when it’s safe to do so, and when you will likely spend less money and reduce the mess and headache by calling in a plumber.
DIY Drain Clogs and Smells
Drain clogs can potentially have a simple fix, but it’s not what you may think. We strongly recommend against using chemical drain cleaners that seem like an easy solution, but actually damage drain lines and do a poor job of removing most types of blockage. Instead, go-tos before calling a plumber should consist of…
- A plunger
- A drain auger
- Natural drain cleaning remedies
The natural drain cleaners we would recommend include Bio-Clean, in which bacteria eats away at blockage in the pipe, and a simple solution you can make from your kitchen. Just a simple solution of baking soda followed up by vinegar can clean small clogs and eliminate odors.
DIY Water Pressure Fixes
Low water pressure often has a simple solution. Sometimes, you just have to take apart the end of the sink faucet or showerhead and clean out the aerator, the small screen that helps to control water pressure. This can easily become clogged with sediment, but it’s an easy fix!
Sometimes, it turns out that a water shutoff valve is closed off somewhere around the house. But, since there is always the possibility of low water pressure relating to a plumbing leak, you should always call a plumber after ruling these out.
When DIY Goes Wrong
There may be other simple repairs an experienced DIY-er can make to their plumbing, like tightening a nut when a sink or drain is leaking. But we’ve seen many DIY plumbing repairs go wrong, resulting in money spent on the initial attempt to repair it and money spent calling a technician. Waiting too long to call a plumber or attempting to fix a problem on your own could result in more money spent, flooding, and severe water damage or sewage backup.
How to Make that Assessment
For the most part, you may be able to judge for yourself if something is worth fixing on your own. But as a guide, we recommend turning to a plumber in any of these instances.
- You have little experience working with plumbing.
- You find a tutorial to repair the problem, but it requires you to spend money on specialty tools that you’ll likely never use again.
- You risk a health hazard or property damage if the repair is done incorrectly.
- You don’t know whether you can safely complete the task without risking your plumbing.
- There is an emergency situation that requires fast plumbing repair.
For more information, call your local plumber in Port Richey, FL at Continental Plumbing Services, LLC.