4 Plumbing Repairs You Shouldn’t DIY

Issues with a homeowner’s plumbing system is not always a cause for great concern, as some can easily be managed yourself. For example, if you have clogged drainage, you can use a plunger to help you unclog it—and most of the time, it works! It’s in times like these when even the least experienced person can feel like a superhero. 

While some plumbing issues can be addressed through DIY methods, this is not the case with all plumbing issues you may encounter. Otherwise, you risk doing more damage that may have a significant impact on your overall plumbing system! Before you take out your tools to address a plumbing issue all on your own, it’s best to assess whether you should let a professional plumbing service handle the job instead.

To give you a better idea of when you should leave it to your local plumber, here are some fixtures you simply shouldn’t touch: 

1. Anything That Has to Do with Gas

If you suspect you have a gas leak, never try to fix it on your own—or you might end up tampering with gas lines, which could lead to serious consequences! Any mistake can send people to the hospital with severe injuries and even cause your house to explode. 

It is for this reason that you must not even attempt to fix the issue yourself—your life literally depends on it. Therefore, if you suspect a gas leak, call a plumber immediately!

2. Clogged Drains or Sewer Lines

At first glance, drain cleaners and plungers are there to help you unclog your drains or sewer lines. Sure, a plunger will work sometimes—but drain cleaners are a different story! 

The thing with drain cleaners is that most of them contain aggressive and highly harmful chemicals that could unclog your pipes, but also damage them at the same time! Plunger and plumbing snakes are often effective for the short-term, but eventually, you’re going to need to call a plumber to fix it properly. Moreover, sewer lines are more complicated to fix, and it’s likely you don’t have access to the sewer lines!

As such, when faced with such instances, it’s best to call your plumber to handle these seemingly minor problems right away.

3. Water Damage or Flooding

Flooding inside your home is a hassle and, understandably, you want to fix it right away. However, the only fix you can do is clean up the mess, turn off all your taps, shut your main water line, and call a plumber to fix the issue. 

Usually, the common cause of any type of flooding is due to blockages in the pipes. More often than not, these blocks are far down the pipes—which means that it may be inaccessible to you! 

Attempting to reach it may potentially damage the pipes and cause more flooding and costly repairs. Also, tree roots that invade the pipes may be the cause of flooding—which is an area where an inexperienced homeowner shouldn’t touch at all. 

4. Standing Water

The only thing you can do with standing water is to get rid of it, and trying to eliminate it in your property should be left to the experts! 

Standing water is a plumbing issue when you find it frequently in your basement, yard, and other parts of the house. This can be caused by many things, such as a clogged sewer line, leaky pipes, or even foundation cracks. As such, if you don’t know anything about plumbing, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to identify what’s causing the standing water, which is why it’s best to call a plumber to handle the diagnosis.

The Bottom Line

It just goes to show that not every plumbing issue you encounter in your property can be fixed through DIY methods. Therefore, if you experience any of these issues, call a plumber immediately! Having it fixed as soon as possible helps you save more money and will help prevent significant damage from occurring entirely. 

Are you looking for a plumber in Byron Bay, Ballina, Banora Point and the surrounding areas to help you out with your plumbing problems? Here at Fantastic Plumbing, we have over 20 years of plumbing work experience—rest assured, we can handle all types of jobs from simple to complex projects! Get in touch with us and have the experts provide the amazing plumbing you need to get your home in order.