Do It Yourself Plumbing

If you’re looking to do more of your home repair work, and you’re not sure exactly where to begin your education, plumbing is as good a place to start as any. Granted, more complex jobs are going to require the kind of specialized training a professional will have undergone. Still, there are a few basic repairs which are easy to learn to do. What’s more, all of these are fairly common household needs, which makes learning these skills that much more useful. There are three types of repairs in particular that are most common, and we’ll look at them in order of difficulty, from easiest to most complex.

The Toilet

It’s obviously important to make sure that your toilet stays in good working order. Part of that is making sure that nothing gets dropped into it that could clog it up. That can be easier said than done, though, especially if you have kids. Plus, even with those common sense precautions, it may get clogged anyway. The most important tool to have on hand for unclogging it is a plunger, but it has to be the right kind of plunger. What we mean by that is that it needs to have a flange. A regular plunger isn’t going to be nearly as effective. For more persistent clogs, a “snake” is a cost-effective, easy to use solution.

Drain Clogs

Another common plumbing issue which may require your attention is that of a clogged drain. The first step involved in repairing a clogged drain is to turn the water off, unless you want a bigger job than you’re planning for. There’s usually a valve under your house that will turn off your entire water supply temporarily. Once the water is off, remove the “U” shaped part of the piping underneath the sink. That’s the part that gets clogged. Take it outside, run a hose pipe through it, and reinstall it. Then, turn the water back on. That should be all it takes!

Busted Pipes

Another plumbing problem you might run into is busted pipes. They’re a little harder to fix than the first two problems we discussed, but usually still doable. Here again, you’re going to want to turn off your main water supply as soon as you realize there’s a busted pipe. You’ll usually be able to hear the water spraying out. Once you’ve located the leak, you’ll likely discover a pipe has come loose from a joint. You’ll just need to reinsert the pipe into the joint and apply some plumbing sealant. It’s obviously important to repair these as quickly as possible.

When To Hire A Pro

In attempting to resolve any of the issues we’ve discussed, you may encounter a problem so severe that it doesn’t respond to any of the remedies which we’ve recommended. In that event, you should consider hiring a professional plumber. Another good time to hire a professional is any time you have a plumbing problem which we haven’t described in this article. Some issues are so complex that unless you have a thorough knowledge of plumbing, you could inadvertently make the situation far more expensive for yourself.