When it comes to carrying out home improvements, there are many reasons that may mean you would like to do yourself, and this can be as much for personal pride and achievement as it is for the money you would save. There are many people who will try and do everything themselves first before hiring a tradesman, while others will prefer to get a professional to do the work however simple the task that they need to complete. When it comes to plumbing work, as it does often require dealing with running water it can be more intimidating to do yourself, but with a little bit of research and an examination of your own system, here are a few jobs that you could complete for yourself.
Only Complete Work You Are Comfortable Doing
Naturally, it is very important to only do any jobs that you are comfortable doing, and it is also vital that you do check that the equipment that you have is suitable for the work that you are thinking of completing. Wherever you are unsure, it is always best to hire a contractor, as you don’t want to make any issues worse with these jobs. In the majority of cases, you will find more detailed step by step guides and YouTube videos giving you a visual representation of these jobs online.
Repairing A Dripping Faucet
One of the most common issues that can be really annoying to deal with is when you have a dripping faucet in your home, and while the pooling of water is one problem, it is usually the noise that is most infuriating. While it can be a part of the faucet itself that needs replacing, it will often be just replacing the washers and O-rings that is needed. However, the most important step of all is making sure you switch off the water flow before you start this job!
Stopping Running Toilets
This is a problem that can be amazingly frustrating, as the sound of flowing water is one that can disrupt sleep and annoy everyone living in the property. There are several reasons this could happen, including a leaky flapper, a damaged or broken fill valve and an overflow pipe that is set at the wrong height. Again with this job make sure the water is switched off, although in some models there will be a way to do this just for the toilet rather than switching off the water to the whole property.
Improving Toilet Flush Power
Having a slow water flush or a flush that doesn’t deliver enough water can be frustrating and also mean needing multiple flushes to clear the toilet. There are several reasons that this can happen, from a build up of debris and minerals in the system through to issues within the cistern of the toilet. Fixing this can require some trial and error, but it is a job that most people will be able to complete.
Unclogging Slow Draining Bathtubs
Having a bath that is draining slowly can actually cause issues in the bathtub itself, as grease and other materials can accumulate in the bathtub making it more slippery. While there are professional products you can use to fix this, a home remedy including baking soda and white vinegar is actually recommended by many professionals as well as DIY websites. There are several different steps that you can try to get the water draining freely again.
Clearing A Clogged Toilet
One of the more common and more unpleasant issues that homeowners can find from time to time is a clogged toilet, and in many cases the first sign of this will be the toilet bowl filling up with water and the material not flushing. When dealing with this make sure you are wearing gloves and have suitable equipment to take your tools outdoors for cleaning once the job is done. In some cases, you may also feel it worth buying a plumber’s snake before actually calling out a plumber, as this tool can be especially good at sorting a clogged toilet.
Finding A Plumber For More Complicated Work
Where your attempts to resolve a plumbing issue have failed, or it is a job that you are worried about then help is just a phone call away, and your local plumber will be happy to help. When you are trying to find a trustworthy local tradesman, word of mouth from friends and family can be useful, but it is also worth having a look at review sites such as Google Reviews which will give you an indication of what their customers think about them. For an urgent job you may take the first available tradesman, but if it is work that can wait for a little while or a bigger job, you may want to get a few quotes first.