When you’re pressed for time and a plumbing problem occurs, it isn’t unusual to make your first approach one that includes a little bit of DIY work. However, unless you have all of the tools needed to correctly handle the situation and the know-how, you could wind up with a disaster bigger than what you started with.
If you plan on choosing to DIY the next time your plumbing starts to act up, do the following first:
Find your shut-off valves: You’ve probably heard it before (we know we’ve definitely said it!), but knowing where your shut-off valves are is critical to avoid water from taking over your home. More importantly, it’s important to know what each of them controls so that you can be sure you’re cutting off the water supply at the right places if need be. But if it came down to it and you have trouble finding each individual valve, just make sure you at least know where the main shut-off valve is – usually somewhere near where your water line meets your home.
Understand how your home works: Even when you just have a minor leak to deal with, you definitely want to know how your plumbing system works as a whole. For example, where do all of your pipes lead to? Which walls have pipes in them? By knowing the layout of your home and having a clear understanding of how your pipes are connected, it can be much easier to figure out where you need to work.
Update your tool box: You can never have too many tools! In fact, this tip can help with just about any home-related project, but for the purpose of your plumbing, we encourage you to make sure that your tool box is completely up-to-date with all of the latest products. We bet you wouldn’t like to have water spewing out at you only to realize you don’t have the proper tools to make it stop!
For more information about DIY plumbing, check out this article from Popular Mechanics.
Though you may feel confident in your ability to solve a plumbing problem on your own, we at Barker and Sons Plumbing & Rooter always recommend calling a professional instead! After all, they know best! If you’re located in the Orange County, California area, we hope you’ll contact us when your plumbing starts to go awry. To request service, just dial 714.630.8766 – remember, we’re available 24 hours a day!
