Plumbing Problems? When to DIY It and When to Call a Plumber

When plumbing problems happen at home, the first thing to do is to evaluate the situation. In some cases, you can try a DIY solution and save yourself the trouble of calling for the help of professional plumbers in North York.

However, since plumbing issues deal with the structure of your house, when is it appropriate to fix it yourself? It’s important not to attempt to fix some plumbing problems on your own because you could make it worse and cause more damage to your home.

A good rule of thumb is to see if the initial plumbing problem isn’t presenting any immediate danger to the people in your home or causing big damage immediately. With this approach, you can apply DIY solutions with basic tools.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at plumbing issues you can DIY, and when it’s time to call licensed plumbers to troubleshoot the issue.

Plumbing Issues You Can Do Yourself

Everyone likes saving money when they can solve a plumbing issue by themselves. When it comes to your home’s plumbing, though, what issues can you work on by yourself? Here are a few signs that you can do it yourself:

Fixing a Leaky Faucet

When a leaking faucet starts dripping at night, it can certainly keep you up. The main cause for a leaky faucet is worn-out washers. These silicone washers are seals that eventually face wear and tear caused by corrosion and constant usage, thus causing them to deteriorate.

Once your faucet washer gets worn out, your faucet will start to drip. The good news is that you can fix a leaky faucet with just a few tools or a faucet repair kit.

Clogged Toilet

A clogged toilet is one of the most common plumbing issues that need immediate attention. Since a clogged toilet overflows quickly and waste dirties your bathroom floor, you don’t want to wait too long to fix it.

Fortunately, unclogging a toilet can be done by simply using a plunger. Push up and down on the plunger in the toilet several times and then flush. If, after flushing, the toilet overflows again, then it’s time to call professional plumbers in North York to take a look.

In this case, you might have a blocked pipe or damaged septic system.

Clogged Sink and Shower Drains

Besides a clogged toilet, another common plumbing issue you can fix is a clogged sink or shower drain. You can try some simple solutions first by pouring boiling water down the clogged drain.

Boiling water effectively breaks soap scum, dirt, and hair build-up. If it’s still slowly draining after boiling water, try repairing it with a snake or pushing down on it with a plunger.

Replace an Old Showerhead

If it’s time to replace an old showerhead, then removing and replacing it with a new one doesn’t require a plumber’s help. In most cases, you’ll only need a screwdriver to unscrew the nuts and replace them with the new showerhead.

You can use the old nuts to screw in the new showerhead. If it comes with new nuts and screws, though, then we recommend using the new ones to install the new showerhead.

Running Toilet

Not only is a running toilet annoyingly loud, but it also increases your water bill enormously. In fact, a running toilet can use up to 75-110 litres of water each day. This water loss can put an extra $50-$100 on your monthly bill.

Luckily, you can fix a running toilet on your own by lifting the float located in the tank. However, if the toilet continues to run, we recommend contacting a professional plumber to fix it.

When should you call plumbers in North York?

It feels good to fix some plumbing issues on your own because you save time and money. However, there are some cases where you might find yourself attempting a DIY solution, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you could make the plumbing issue even worse than before.

So, when should you call a plumber? Here are common plumbing issues where it’s safer and more cost-effective to call licensed plumbers in North York:

Low Water Pressure

Let’s say that you turn on the kitchen or bathroom faucet and you experience low-pressure water flow. What do you do? Besides being frustrated, this isn’t the time to take out your tools and fiddle with the faucets.

If your faucets are older models, the tap aerators decrease water flow over time due to natural wear and tear and holes that develop within.

Once the tap aerators get damaged with holes, debris gets stuck in them and causes minimal water flow and low water pressure. We don’t recommend DIY solutions for low water pressure, so be sure to contact professional plumbers in North York to take a look.

No Hot Water

The last thing you want is to turn on the faucet and feel only cold water streaming out. Having no hot water is usually caused by faulty connections to the water heater, or the fuses in the circuit breaker box may have malfunctioned, causing a loss of hot water.

Resetting your water heater entails a professional plumber to reset it properly.

Leaking or Burst Pipes

Leaking or burst pipes can happen anywhere in your home, such as under the kitchen sink, toilet, or walls.

Similar to a clogged toilet, once a leaking or burst pipe takes control of your home, the wasted water could potentially cause a flood and damage your floors and other parts of your house.

The main cause of leaking or burst pipes is commonly due to a build-up of debris, dirt, soap, hair, and food particles getting stuck in the pipes. Since replacing pipes is a big job, it’s best to contact professional plumbers in North York to handle this kind of job.

Contact Brothers Plumbing

If you would like a free quote on our plumbers in North York, our team at Brothers Plumbing is here to help to fix common plumbing issues in your home. You can call us at 800-741-8471 or contact us here.