Are you inspired by plumbing technicians to do a DIY experiment? Well, you can fix simple home plumbing repairs or rectify fixtures with specific types of toolkits and greasing oil. The work can be challenging for those ignorant of pipes, fittings, soldering, etc.
Rather than calling in the best plumber from your local area, you may be desperate to try things on your own. Very often, DIYers mess things up by doing things wrong while trying to fix plumbing issues. Let us sum up 5 common plumbing errors you should avoid.
- Tightening too much – Overtightening connections is not going to work. If you tighten pipe fittings, coupling, tee joint, or elbow a bit too much, then you risk cracking or breaking the fitting. The break may not happen at that moment, but excess force can slowly crack the fitting even after weeks. Similarly, many DIYers also overtighten plastic fittings on the toilet and other faucet tubes leading to cracks. Eventually, all overtight connections may break and leak.
- Wrapping tape incorrectly – Teflon tape has to be wrapped clockwise so that it works properly. DIYers are known to wrap it all wrongly by winding it backward. Using thread tape in this way will not work as it doesn’t seal properly if it is not embedded along the threads. You can research online or observe a professional residential plumber learn the right wrapping method.
- Use of chemical drain cleaners – Using a barbed drainage tool or a snake is the best way to clear clogged kitchen or bath sinks. You can even take out the P-trap to remove the clogged debris and particles. But you may reach for the chemical liquid drain cleaner that can create additional problems. A chemical liquid cleaner is not an effective clog cleaner. A chemical drain cleaner can damage your plumbing system, corrode metal pipes and cause leaks. When you call a professional plumber, he will manually remove the trap arm and he may find corrosive drain cleaner residues in it.
- Starting without spare parts – As a DIY enthusiast, you may buy just a few necessary things meant for a plumbing repair like a washer or a cartridge. But, there are chances when you open a faucet, that many other parts are also worn out. You may have to replace a few other things as well such as O-rings or the stem seal. You could be making several trips to the hardware store. As these parts are cheap, you can rebuild the entire faucet with new parts instead of replacing only one part.
- Spares for Drain – You can apply the same rule for drain pipes. You need to assemble rubber gaskets and poly washers to replace old ones when you are working on a PVC trap and arms. You will have many spares in case you have cracked poly washers. Avoid using drain cleaners that can destroy the style couplings found in rubber gaskets. Liquid chemical cleaners can cause the start of leakages in the future.
Copper Pipes & Fittings
Taking on the expert work of a residential plumber is not an easy task. There are many other points that you have to consider before jumping the bandwagon of DIY home plumbing. Do you know that copper pipes and related fittings need to be fully dry before the procedure of sweating? Otherwise, the joints may leak and create jets of water spray shooting from the joint area. And the whole operation may have to be redone. You can do a simple trick, which is to plug the copper pipe with a capsule-shaped plug, white bread, or a similar-shaped tool before pressing the joint with a torch.
Turn Off The Water For Valve Fittings
If you think you can about changing an old valve with a new one without turning off the water, you cannot be more wrong. It will never fix the issue and you will have to deal with flooded rooms and water dripping into the lower rooms. Always shut off the main water unit to do this kind of work.
If you do not know about plumbing procedures and the tools needed for every fitting, you can buy a plumbing guidebook. You can even touch base with South East Queensland’s best plumber from Platt’s Plumbing Services to inspect your home plumbing issues before going ahead and buying the parts.