6 Plumbing Problems You Shouldn’t Fix Yourself

One habit of people who are wise with their money is taking on DIY tasks. It saves money on hiring professionals and helps you build useful skills for around the home. However, there are some plumbing problems you shouldn’t try to fix yourself. It could lead to greater expenses down the road, or putting yourself in harm’s way.

Even if you know quite a bit about plumbing, we still highly recommend that you hire a professional plumber for the following jobs. We’ll do all the hard work for you, and ensure it’s a long-lasting solution.

1) Frozen Pipes

If there’s one thing we know about well in Canada, it’s how cold it gets in the winter. Many homes, especially in rural areas, are susceptible to pipes freezing overnight. This can prevent water from flowing through, and lead to cracks in the pipes. If pipes freeze and re-thaw day after day then their structure will weaken, making the pipes more likely to burst when you’re least expecting it.

If you find a leak in your pipes following a deep freeze, notify a local plumbing service. Especially coming out of winter it’s important to have fully sealed, fully functional pipes so that leaks aren’t a problem in springtime.

The quality, pressure and safety of your water depend on your waterline being in perfect condition. The waterline of your home is a complicated system and is too extensive for a DIY-er to investigate. You could inadvertently make an issue worse, or cause whole new problems.

Damage in one area of your waterline could compromise the entire network of pipes, so it’s important to have a professional address the situation as soon as it comes to light. If you find your water pressure is low, water is coming out of your taps discoloured, or water is coming out in odd bursts, these are sure signs that a plumber’s attention is needed.

3) Heater Replacements

It’s recommended to change your water heater every 8 to 12 years for optimum function and value for money. Installing a new water heater is definitely not a DIY job though. A water heater emits huge amounts of electricity, which can lead to serious injury or fatality is mishandled.

Not only is installing a new electric or gas water heater yourself dangerous, but it can compromise its performance for the future. Without knowing quite what you’re doing, gas heaters can release gas leaks that damage your home and drain your wallet. It’s important to have a professional plumber install a new water heater for your personal safety first and foremost, and also so that every dollar you spend to heat your home goes to the right place.

4) Water Pressure Issues

Water pressure might seem like a simple issue to fix, but it’s not. There are many factors that could be leading to not enough water pressure, and it’s a professional’s job to discern the cause. Trying to find out the root of the problem requires skilled diagnostic work and specialized tools that can give the plumber a thorough idea of what’s happening. Taking on the task of finding out just what issue of the many hundreds of possibilities is causing low water pressure could lead to lots of time wasted, and new issues created while trying to fix the old one.

5) Roots In Pipes

Getting to the root cause, you may find that roots are in fact the cause. Roots oftentimes grow into pipes embedded into the ground and can cause them to burst, or interfere with proper water flow. There are special techniques a plumber can use to either remove the root or dissolve the part of the root that’s in the pipe. It requires advanced knowledge of what the best solution will be, given the depth of the pipe, how much of it is blocked by the root, whether other trees are nearby and what kind of residential area your house is in. By trying to tackle this issue DIY you could accidentally affect water supply to the neighbourhood. Needless to say, it’s best to leave this to the professionals.

6) Extensive Home Renovations

It’s exciting to remodel your home once in a while. All the aspirational ideas you’ve been saving up you can try out on your own place, making it feel like you’re living in a brand new home. While there is plenty you can do DIY in this scenario, extensive plumbing updates are not included. It’s better for your overall renovation budget of time and energy to let a professional handle your plumbing needs.

There’s a lot that can go wrong with plumbing repairs. At best it’s an inconvenience, and at worst it’s very dangerous. Challenging yourself to take on DIY tasks is an amazing life habit, but there are times when you’re better of calling in a professional. You’ll make much better use of your time and money by getting it done right the first time, and you won’t be putting yourself in harm’s way. A professional plumber can get in and get out, leaving you with perfectly working plumbing in your home.

Looking for the best plumbers in Toronto to help you tackle those difficult projects? Brother’s Plumbing offers Toronto’s top plumbing services at competitive prices. Call us at 800-741-8471, or contact us here.