You can do many plumbing repairs by yourself. You notice that the water pressure is low, so you take a look at your water meter valve, clean your showerhead or try a few other easy repairs. If there’s a leak coming from the trap under the kitchen or bathroom sink, you can tighten it or buy a new one since they’re quite cheap.
But don’t fool yourself into believing that you can do everything by yourself and you’ll never need to call a plumber. Maybe you can fix some simple issues, but what do you do when you don’t even know where the water is coming from?
Plumbing expenses are usually unexpected, and they seldom crop up at a good time. But trying to fix the issue yourself when you don’t know what you’re doing can make a bad situation worse and a lot more expensive. Here are three situations when it’s better to call a plumber.
Rapid Water Supply Line Leak
A water line in your house bursts, which leads to a serious flooding issue. Luckily this doesn’t happen very often, but it can happen, and in that case, this would be a classic situation that requires calling a plumber.
First, you’ll want to look for an intermediary water supply cut-off valve near the area of the leak. If you can’t find one, it’s best to locate the main water shut-off valve and turn the water off in your entire house to stop the flooding.
After this, you’ll want to find a plumber than can come as soon as possible. Thanks to the internet, this is easier than ever before. You can just google based on your location, for example, plumber in winter park fl. Then you can read the reviews and call them.
Rapid Drainage Line Leak
Most people can fix simple trap leaks under the kitchen or bathroom sink. You turn off the water and tighten or replace the trap. If the issue is in the kitchen, the leak may also come from the garbage disposal, which means you’ll have to fix or replace it.
The problem is that drainage lines extend to areas that are not easily accessible, like the walls and under the floor. In that case, you’ll need to call a plumber as soon as possible to prevent damage to the floor and walls.
Sewer Line Leak
If your home’s sewer line is broken or clogged, you may notice pools of murky, smelly water in your yard. It can also cause your toilet to fill up whenever you run the sink, or your bathtub will fill up with wastewater. Because your sewer line is responsible for carrying out the wastewater from your toilets, sinks, bathtubs and/or showers, washing machine, and dishwasher, you cannot function without it.
This is something you won’t be able to sort out with an easy DIY repair. You’ll need to call a plumber who will run a video line through your waste pipes to see what’s causing the problem. In case of clogged pipes, they can fix it with a motorized drain snake. However, if the line is broken, it will have to be dug up and replaced.