There’s no two ways about it– owning a home can be expensive and time consuming, and part of juggling the different responsibilities of home ownership and making sure everything gets done is finding ways to save on time and money. For some homeowners, plumbing is the place where they choose to make these cuts. There’s a wealth of knowledge available on the internet today, and the “how hard can it be?” attitude leads many people to try taking things into their own hands.
However, this can be a serious risk for your family’s health and safety, and it could cause greater expenses and other problems down the line! DIY plumbing repairs can be very dangerous, often in ways that you didn’t initially expect. Here are some of the reasons that you should leave your plumbing repairs to the experts!
Water Damage
The most obvious potential hazard of a DIY plumbing job gone wrong is water damage. All it takes is one misused tool or a bit too much pressure applied in the wrong spot for you to be dealing with water on your floor, walls, or ceiling. Not only will this force you to spend more time and money on fixing the problem after the fact, but it could lead to mildew and mold growth, bad things for the living conditions in your home.
Electrical Hazards
Where there’s plumbing, there’s water, and where there’s water, there’s a chance for electrical hazards. Professional plumbers are trained on recognizing how pipes and electrical systems often interact within the structure of a house, and they know how to avoid electrocuting or injuring themselves. However, a DIYer doesn’t have this knowledge, and you could be at a serious risk of hurting yourself and damaging the electrical systems in your home.
Health Hazards
Wastewater and sewage are not something you want to mess with when you aren’t 100% sure of what you’re doing. A botched repair or worsened problem in a pipe that handles one of these substances can lead to backups and clogs, bringing harmful bacteria and pathogens into your house and into contact with you and your family, something you definitely want to avoid. Similarly, a gas water heater repair done by an amateur could cause gas leaks in the home, another major danger to you and your loved ones.
Building Code Noncompliance
Part of being a plumber is knowing how to navigate codes and regulations. These rules are put in place for the safety of everyone who lives in an area, so plumbers are careful to know them and stick to them. A DIYer, however, doesn’t have that same knowledge, and one of your home plumbing repairs could end up being noncompliant with building codes or other regulations. This could lead to fines, penalties, and possibly even legal action, all things that you’ll definitely want to avoid.
Insurance Coverage
Homeowners insurance is something that you’ll probably rely on in the case of an unforeseen problem in the plumbing of your home, like flooding or water damage. However, you might not be aware that many insurance policies explicitly require that complex jobs like plumbing repairs are done by professionals. Your DIY job might not be covered, and you could end up being left to foot the bill for expensive damage to your home!
With all of these potential blowbacks from DIY plumbing jobs, it’s simply not worth the risk. Instead, call in the professionals whenever something in your home plumbing system isn’t working quite right! The team at Schuler Service is always happy to help– no repair is too big or too small. You can contact us here to ask any further questions.
