DIY Fail: 5 Most Common Plumbing Mistakes New Home Owners Make

Many household plumbing problems can be easily fixed with a little time and research. Take a leaky sink, for example. Every 4,000 drips (which could easily happen during the course of a day, or a couple of days) equals a liter of wasted water.

But before you take on a DIY plumbing project of your own, you need to make sure you know what you’re doing.

Read over these 5 of the most common DIY plumbing mistakes that new homeowners make so you can avoid making the same:

Starting A DIY Plumbing Job Without Spare Parts

Save yourself an extra trip or two to the hardware store by getting all the parts you need upfront. When many DIYers take on a plumbing repair, they don’t realize that if one part is worn down, there’s a good chance that other plumbing pieces are also in need of repair. So before you take your faucet apart, check to make sure you know which parts you need to purchase and get them all in one trip.

Forgetting To Turn Off The Water

Whatever you do, don’t take on a plumbing job without turning off the water first. No matter how simple the fix or how quickly you think you can get the job done, you could have a flooded room and lots of water damage if you don’t turn off the water beforehand.

Save yourself thousands of dollars in possible damages by taking a couple of minutes to shut off your main water supply before your DIY plumbing project.

Working Without The Right Tools

When you take on DIY plumbing yourself, you have to make sure you have all the necessary tools before beginning. Things can go terribly wrong if you try to get by without them.

If you try to remove certain parts without the right wrench, for example, you can end up breaking a pipe and causing expensive damage.

Prevent unnecessary damage by buying a set of internal pipe wrenches. These wrenches can be used for a multitude of plumbing jobs. Whatever the job, make sure to research well ahead of time and be prepared before you get to work.

Going Straight For The Drain Cleaner

If you have a clog in your kitchen or bathroom sink, the first step should be using a barbed drain or snake cleaning tool to remove the clog.

Too often, DIYers go straight to the liquid drain cleaner and pour way too much product down the drain. Using too much drain cleaner can damage your pipes and metal traps, causing future leaks. It’s better to start with the snake tool to try to remove the clog and then go from there.

Tightening Connections Too Tightly

Homeowners who take on plumbing and heating jobs themselves have a habit of overtightening pipe fittings. When you twist too tightly, you run the risk of cracking pipes and fittings which can cause a leak or a flood. Overtightening plastic fittings on supply tubes or toilets is especially common which can cause the replacement pieces to break and leak.

Find Professional Help

In some situations, your best bet is to hire a professional plumber to do the job right the first time. Instead of a DIY plumbing project, find a highly rated plumber in your community by searching our website.

If you’re looking for other great tips for home repair, you’ll find lots of helpful information in our home repair archives as well. Be sure to check back regularly for fresh, new content to guide you as a new homeowner.