The 3 Most Expensive DIY Plumbing Mistakes We See in Atlanta Homes
There are many household projects that can be handled with a do-it-yourself approach. When it comes to plumbing, however, most things should be left to professionals. DIY plumbing mistakes can wreak havoc on a home, leading to expensive repairs and a lot of headaches. The plumbing experts at Ridgeway Mechanical are called in often to remedy these mistakes, so take it from us. To help you avoid such frustration and expense, we want to share with you three of the most expensive DIY plumbing mistakes that we’ve witnessed in Atlanta homes.
Why DIY Plumbing Mistakes Can Be So Costly
The water lines in your home, as well as the fixtures that use them, are important to maintain. When an issue arises – especially one that seems particularly simple to fix – doing it yourself could be very appealing. After all, who likes spending more money than they have to by calling in the professionals? If you do everything right, you could save yourself a pretty penny. But if you get it wrong, you’re likely to spend more money on expensive repairs.
Forgetting to Turn Off the Water
If an urgent problem has made itself known, you might not think of one important thing in your rush to make a repair: turning off the water. Before any plumbing repair or replacement, it is essential to turn off the water before you begin. If you fail to do this, there are several ways that it can cost you more money:
Water can be wasted, causing your water bill to skyrocket.
Water damage and flooding can affect not only your floors but also electrical fixtures if they are in the affected area. This is not only expensive to fix, but also quite dangerous.
Inevitably, you will have to recruit the help of professionals to address the damage caused.
Out of all of the DIY plumbing mistakes, we see this is easily the most avoidable.
Using Too Much Drain Cleaner
Drain cleaning products are a powerful and efficient way to address occasional clogs in your pipes. But there’s a downside: These products can be very damaging to pipes. The harsh chemical composition of these drain cleaners can cause a tremendous amount of damage if you use too much – or if you use them too often. Damaged pipes lead to leaks and other critical failures along your water lines.
Drain cleaners are also quite expensive to buy, especially if you do so often. You can save money by using more natural and safer solutions, like baking soda and vinegar or getting your hands on a plumber’s snake.
Improperly Venting Drain Traps
Drain traps serve the purpose of keeping your home and your plumbing system separated. They prevent methane gas from getting into your home, keep away rodents and other vermin that might be in your pipes, and generally keep your home a healthier place to be. We see many Atlanta homeowners use two traps that are formed into a singular trap, known as an S trap. However, S traps aren’t properly vented. A proper drain trap to use is a P trap, which will not cause the water in the drain trap to become siphoned out.
Call the Professionals to Save Money
Even the most experienced DIY plumbers can make a mistake. To avoid expensive DIY plumbing mistakes, it may be in your best interest to reach out to the professionals at Ridgeway Mechanical. While nobody jumps for joy at the thought of hiring a plumber, you can save yourself a lot of money and quite a few headaches by getting the experts on the job instead.
