DIY Plumbing Disasters
When a tap fails to produce water most of us would call a plumber. There is a small percentage of the population (made up 99% of dad’s) who think they have the skills necessary to fix the problem and take the lesser travelled DIY path. “No need to call a plumber, I can fix this,” are the famous last words. Our emergency plumbers are equipped to handle their fair share of DIY plumbing disasters.
If it’s anything more than changing a washer, the safe option is to call out a licensed tradie. Still not convinced? Here are some of the worst DIY shocker we’ve experienced. Don’t let this be you!
Forgetting the U-Bend
This is a classic. If you aren’t a plumber then you probably don’t recognise the importance of the u-bend or p-trap. A trap is there to “trap” noxious gases from making their way up the pipe and into your home. Without a u-bend you’re going to notice pretty quickly when the resultant gases make your kitchen, bathroom or entire home stink to high heaven; think sewerage. The trap invention which we all use today actually reduced the number of deaths from poisonous gases, simplicity at its finest.
Leaving the water on
You know you’re dealing with a serious DIY rookie when you arrive at an emergency job to find a flooded room and a very embarrassed looking do it yourselfer. If you don’t turn off the water at the mains before your DIY endeavor you’re going to have a bad time. Better yet, don’t do it yourself at all. Just get your Northern Beaches emergency plumbing service, Tai Irwin to fix it up before it becomes an emergency.
DIY Disasters
Using rubber bands, plastic bottles or “repurposing” items
Just like the use of rubber bands above, DIY projects often involve items that aren’t being used for their intended purpose. If your Mr. Fix-it has decided that using sticky tape, homemade piping or a coke bottle is a good idea to fix your plumbing problem, it’s about time you called out our Northern Beaches emergency plumbing service. Sticky tape is not plumber’s tape and does not serve the same purpose, if sticky tape is involved you’re probably going to need us.
Over tightening a joint
You’re probably thinking “but a joint has to be tight to stop leaks?” This is true, however there is a fine line between fastening a joint properly and fastening it too tightly. Many plumbing fittings have rubber seals inside them. Fastening them too tightly can warp the seals resulting in big leaks.
Connecting different types of metals
This is another no-no. A certified plumber knows that if you’re using different types of metal in a pipe you’ll need to use a special dielectric union or plastic spool to separate the metals. Most DIY aficionados don’t know this. Without using proper coupling in the pipe you won’t have an immediate problem but over time corrosion will build up, block the pipe and you’ll need to call out your Northern Beaches emergency plumbing service, Tai Irwin.
So the next time you find yourself asking “What could possibly go wrong?” Stop! Call us at Tai Irwin Plumbers we will get it right the first time and save you and your home from DIY plumbing disasters. There’s a big difference between replacing a washer and replacing a pipe. Leave it to the professionals.
