Plumbing Repairs to Never Manage On Your Own
You don't need a plumber for every minor plumbing repair in the home; most homeowners can unclog a kitchen sink or toilet on their own without issue or even replace a washer in a dripping faucet just as easily. However, there are some plumbing repairs that no homeowner should try to manage on their own simply because they can be more complicated or dangerous than you realize. Note a few of those repairs here, so you know when and why to call a plumber in such cases.
Frozen pipes
Remember that water expands as it freezes, so a frozen pipe may be under a great deal of pressure. If the water should thaw even a little bit, this can cause it to start to flow through the pipe; if the pressure in the pipe causes that pipe to burst, either at the connectors or through a split in the pipe, the water could literally come shooting out of the pipe and cause injury. A cracked pipe could also burst open, causing cuts or other such injury to anyone near the pipe at the time. Rather than risk this and any potential flood from this burst pipe, have a plumber deal with a frozen pipe instead.
Raw sewage and sludge
If your bathtub or toilet has backed up so much that there is raw sewage or sludge of any type coming up through the drains, you don't want to address this problem on your own. This often means that there is pressure in the pipes behind the walls, pushing this waste toward the home. Trying to fix this problem can result in sewage literally spitting out at you; if you don't address the actual broken pipe or other problem properly, this can mean allowing that sludge or sewage to build up in the pipes. It's also very unhygienic and dangerous to work around raw sewage without proper protective gear, so leave this job to a professional.
Leaking faucet
If you want to change a faucet because it's leaking around the base or under the sink, you want to have a professional manage this for you. He or she will need to note why the faucet was leaking; this could be a worn base in the sink or damage to hoses that also need to be replaced. If you don't have these items fixed when you replace the faucet, your new one will likely leak just as quickly as the old.
For more information, contact local professionals like Sam's Local Plumbing.
Share
