Everyone enjoys saving money, and one of the best ways to do this is by carrying your DIY projects in your home. This allows you to save on the price of your project by only paying for tools and the necessary materials. A general knowledge of common DIY techniques can be learned by referencing the appropriate books and watching videos online. While this will offer a useful basic level of skill that you can use around your home, it can also be a bad thing. Here are five of the most common
DIY plumbing mistakes made by amateurs.
- The Wrong Connections:
Many amateur plumbers attempt to make plumbing connections using incorrect connectors. When different types of pipes are connected together, the right kind of coupling is essential to ensure that they don’t corrode. A dielectric union is usually utilized to divide different kinds of steels; this makes sure that they cannot touch each other.
- Dealing with Clogged Drains:
This is a very common home plumbing issue that many people decide to tackle on their own. Eliminating a drain blockage can vary depending on which drain is blocked and certain kinds of tools work better on different kinds of clogs. Specialized equipment, such as an augur are unlikely to be found in most DIY toolboxes and knowing how to use them correctly is essential to avoid causing damage. Some people may be tempted to simply use chemicals to clear a blockage, but this can also cause damage to the pipes, and it’s not advised.
- Fitting the Wrong Kind of Trap:
Some people when renovating a sink, fit an S-trap for the sink drain, rather than a more appropriate P-trap. This may seem like a small issue, but the wrong trap can allow sewer gases into your home, which can be harmful and even explosive. The right sink drain trap will have the appropriate ventilation to ensure that sewer gases cannot get into your home.
- Not Turning the Water Off:
Many homeowners, when embarking on a DIY plumbing project, fail to shut off the water supply. This can be a very costly error, water will be wasted, and water damage can occur. If the problem is not detected and the water is not turned off quickly, flooding can occur. Obviously, this kind of damage can be very expensive to fix, far more than it would cost to hire a professional plumber.
- Installing the Wrong Fixtures:
Changing a tap or fitting a new toilet yourself may seem like an easy task on paper. In reality, it can be quite challenging if your plumbing fixtures are not wrong and not set up correctly. Pressure can build up, and leaks can occur that may not be detected for some time. The longer a leak is active, the more damage it can do, and this could cost a lot of money to repair. If you’re in doubt about a plumbing project, consult a local plumber and get the job done professionally.
There are certain highly technical jobs that should not be tackled by a novice lacking specialized tools, and one of these is plumbing. It is very easy for an unskilled person to attempt a plumbing project or repair and actually cause more damage. This can lead to higher repair bills when a
professional plumber is contacted to correct the problem.
By Giovanni Longo President Flood Brothers Plumbing
Giovanni Longo is a 3rd generation master plumber who has been practicing his craft and trade in the greater Los Angeles area for well over a decade and a half. A plumbing and hydraulics-engineering innovator, Giovanni’s particular world-class expertise focuses on dealing with challenging sewer system designs as well as resolving complex commercial and residential draining issues. As a certified Flood Mitigation expert, he is also well versed in a wide variety of water damage and remediation solution.
