Common DIY plumbing mistakes happen every day to inexperienced homeowners, which costs them more money than they expected.
While it is faster and saves a lot of money by doing the plumbing job yourself, it’s important to note that there are chances of making errors. The right way to do this is to undergo proper research before committing to the task.
Confidence might be your downfall if you are inexperienced in plumbing and underprepared. You do not want to further ruin a perfect pipe system or mess with items with no issue.
Additionally, some of these common DIY plumbing mistakes may cost you more money than what it would have cost to hire a professional. So, it’s essential to tread carefully. To get you prepared and started, here are some common DIY plumbing mistakes that you can easily avoid.
Table of Contents
1. Make Sure You Turn Off The Water
Forgetting to turn off the water system before you begin the repairing process is a mistake that happens far more often than you may believe. What people may not know is that water can be dangerous and destructive, capable of causing damage very quickly.
So allowing water passage without any restraints can potentially cause havoc. Therefore, it is a good idea to go to the main water source valve and turn it off before you start your repair.
Leaving the water on while repairing has never ended well for people’s homes. So, never forget to turn it off, even during minor repair tasks.
2. Using proper Tools
People often think it’s a good idea to start the repair work with whatever tools are available and fetch more tools mid-way if it comes to it. Contrary to what they may believe, this is quite risky.
Preparing all the tools required for the task before you begin the repairing process is wise. During repairs, you may discover you are missing something and leave your work unattended; anything can go wrong during that brief time.
Aside from this, it can be frustrating and time-consuming. Setting up all tools available to you during the whole process can be more efficient since you can get the task done better and faster.
3. Avoiding Over-Tightening
Over-tightening pipes or plumbing connections is the go-to security caution for most people since they believe that everything will remain secure. This is a massive misconception because over-tightening plumbing systems can cause cracks.
While minor cracks may not be a big issue, they can become bigger and ultimately be a huge nuisance for you to call in a professional to repair.
They can cause leaks, which is true for over-tightening toilet closet bolts. These toilets are porcelain of nature and can cause your bathroom to flood, damaging many electrical items such as your hand dryer. Also, clothes, flooring, walls, and even other entire rooms may be damaged.
4. Minimizing Chemical Drain Cleaners
Using chemicals to clear your drains is no doubt faster, but you must also consider the long-term damages it may cause. A couple of times might be okay but overusing them damages your pipes, slowly eating away at them.
Minimize your usage of chemicals for cleaning pipes by using them once a year. The rest of the time, switch to alternate tools for manual pipe cleaning.
5. Using The Right Equipment
Many of us have used tools not meant for the task simply because “it’s all we had” or “it does the job just as well.” While this approach may be convenient, it can also have drawbacks.
For example, using the wrong pipe wrench for a metal or plastic pipe may cause pipe damage. This holds for many other tools we may be using wrong. The damage may not even be visible most of the time before it’s too late. Always use the appropriate tools for the right tasks to avoid any mishaps.
Recap Of Common DIY Plumbing Mistakes
Many accidents happen when water is let loose without turning off the valve during the repair. Water can be destructive; therefore, it’s good to ensure that you shut it off at the valve before conducting any repair.
Before starting your repairing process, ensure that you have all the tools so you would not have to hassle with a trip to the store or leave your work mid-way unattended. Avoid compromising on tools because you believe it has the same functions.
Always tighten your plumbing connections just enough, making sure they are never too tight or too loose.
Minimize the usage of chemical drain cleaners since overusing them can eventually cause damage to your pipes.
Finally, there are many specialty plumbing tools and equipment that were designed for specific plumbing repairs. For example, homeowners can’t get the tools they normally use to fit in the tight spaces under sinks and other locations. So, make sure you have the right equipment for the job.
We hope this article helped give you insight into the DIY mistakes to avoid while plumbing. Thank you for reading!
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