Here's a DIY: leave your plumbing to the professionals

Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects have taken the internet by storm, and you probably see videos everyday with tips and tricks like how to redo a home kitchen, unclog a drain on your own, or how to fix a leaky faucet. These videos can seem handy, and it’s nice to find a quick solution to something that’s been bugging you, but when you take your plumbing into your own hands you’re messing with a much larger system. Here’s why it’s more cost efficient, time saving, and just plain safer to leave your plumbing to professionals rather than a "quick" DIY!

TIP: If you live in Monroe County, PA we recommend adding our business line to your phone contacts in case you ever need a helping hand!

Plumbing Codes Exist for a Reason

Your plumbing executes two main functions - bringing clean water in, and taking not so clean water out. There are protocols and procedures that plumbing professionals follow strictly for the health and safety of everyone in your home. When you start to tamper with your own plumbing, what seems like a simple function of clean water in and dirty water out can easily become skewed. Your water could potentially become contaminated, putting you and your family at serious risk. 

The most common plumbing code violations DIY-ers make are:

• Using the wrong pipes in the wrong place
• Incorrectly installing kitchen or bathroom sink traps
• Incorrect slope for drainage
• Pressure relief valves on water heaters improperly installed or plugged

Tools of the Trade

When you attempt to work on your own plumbing, you might have a general understanding of what to do. But knowing what to do and doing them are completely different. Without a complete understanding of how your plumbing is connected, and the complexity of the system at hand, you can cause more problems than ever intended. Plus, without the right physical tools the job can be more difficult, and if you try and buy them the DIY price tag just keeps rising. 

Risky Business

Plumbing emergencies like frozen pipes, sewage pump issues, or having a broken water heater on your hands happen. Especially when living in Pennsylvania, the winter months can be ruthless. However, by racing to fix these emergencies after a quick google search could mean putting your life at risk. 

The list can go on, but we shouldn't have to keep going. Spending money on incorrect materials, installing them incorrectly, and then having to deal with a plumbing code violation, or even risking your life, does not seem like a quick solution was ever achieved. 

To get a speedy fix for your plumbing issues, call us at Edwards Plumbing and let our 20 years of experience take over to keep you and your family happy and healthy!