4 Top DIY Plumbing Mistakes to Avoid

May 13, 2021 Admin 1286 view(s)

Experiencing plumbing issues in the house is a common thing today. Most of these issues can fix them without hiring a plumbing expert, such as simple repairs and updating plumbing fixtures. To do this, you need to have special tools recommended for plumbing work. 

Plumbing work isn't tricky when you have the basic skills. You should know the different types of solders, glue, fittings, and pipe. That's an area you can mess up with your DIY plumbing projects. Instead of creating more problems with your house plumbing system, hire plumber eastern suburbs. 

If you would like to know some of the common DIY plumbing mistakes you can make, read on. 

1. Over tightening Connections

Something to avoid when handling your plumbing issues is to over tighten the fittings, pipes, toilet bolts, and tubes. For example, cracking too hard on the galvanized pipe, elbow, coupling, or tee may risk cracking the fitting. 

You may not see the crack at that moment. Later, after weeks or months, the fitting may break, causing flooding in your house. 

Avoid over tightening plastic fittings and faucets in your toilet. It doesn't require much torque to seal the supply tube. Tightening the hex nuts more than required causes them to break and leak eventually. 

2. Fixing Plumbing Problems Without Spare Parts

When DIY plumbing projects, it's common that you may want to repair but without needed spare parts. For example, for a faucet repair, you probably buy a washer or cartridge. However, if the cartridge and washer are worn out, the high chance is that the other parts of the faucet are worn. 

Other parts you may have to replace are the O-rings, stem seal, and gasket to avoid ending with a leaky faucet. And it would mean you have to make another trip to the store. 

These peripheral parts are cheaper, and it's better to rebuild the faucet when you have them in advance. 

3. Forgetting to Turn Off the Water 

Don't think that you can leave water flowing because it's a matter of seconds to swap the new valve. It rarely turns out well. 

Avoiding turning off the water may lead to flooding in the house, especially with full water pressure. Water will drop down towards the lower floors, which could damage your carpets and therefore a significant DIY plumbing problem. 

You don't have to risks having thousands of damages, yet it only requires you a few minutes. Experienced plumbers have to shut off the water. Remember to do so. 

4. Wrapping With Wrong Thread Tape or Backward 

The commonly used type of thread is the PTFE thread tape which is referred to as Teflon tape. When wrapping, you have to do it clockwise to make it work effectively. 

Unfortunately, you will find most DIYers tend to wrap it backwards. This will unwind the tape while tightening their fitting. So, the process will defeat the reason for using a thread tape. 

The Final Word

These are some of the few plumbing mistakes you can make on your do it yourself projects. Some of these mistakes lead to significant problems in the future that damage your things. Avoid causing more problems by hiring the right plumbing company.