Plenty of homeowners have problems with plumbing at some point, but most cannot fix the issues on their own. Before you decide whether to hire someone else or figure it out on your own, find out the signs that you should hire a plumber.
If you find yourself with an issue that involves the toilet,
sink, or really any part of your kitchen or bathroom that requires pipes, you might not be sure what to do. In some cases, you can fix the issue yourself. However, sometimes only a plumber will do, so be sure to know what those problems are first.
Obviously, a toilet that seems stopped up can usually be resolved with a plunger. You may need to spend some time plunging or getting the blockage out of the way, but it is typically a fast, free fix. A leaky faucet may be the same, as sometimes you can figure out what needs to be tightened and do it yourself. But most repairs that go beyond these easy fixes require a professional.
If you suddenly have a flooded basement or bottom floor, it may be that your pipes have cracked. If you live in a cold area, they may have frozen and burst, or there could be any number of reasons for them to break.
However, do not attempt to fix them yourself, since plumbers use special tools to do the job. In this case, it is likely cheaper and less time-consuming to call in the professionals than try to solve this issue.
If you have a septic tank, you may experience many problems that you cannot fix without some serious tools or knowledge of plumbing. This is especially true if the sewer lines extend into the street or public property rather than just your own.
Call an experienced plumber to take care of this problem fast. You will likely regret trying to find the issue on your own, as it can be messy, take time, and carry the risk of you getting hurt or damaging the area more.
Plumbers are specially trained and carry their own heavy-duty tools. Most average homeowners should not be dealing with their home's plumbing problems unless they can be fixed using a plunger or a screwdriver.
Often, learning how to do it on your own, and then buying the correct equipment, can cost more than just hiring a plumber, especially if you take days off work to do the job.
Before you decide whether you should attempt a repair on your own or not, you need to consider the complexity of the problem, as well as how much time you have to put into the project. Most issues are better off being fixed by the professionals.
