The New Year is here, and with it comes a wave of motivation. It’s the perfect time to finally tackle that list of home improvement jobs. You’ve got the time off, the enthusiasm is high, and that dripping tap or slow-draining sink seems like the perfect place to start. You’ve watched a few online videos, you’ve been to the DIY store so what could possibly go wrong?
As the UK’s 24/7 emergency plumbers, at Plumbers 365 we can tell you a lot. January is one of our busiest months for fixing well-intentioned DIY plumbing projects that have spiralled into full-blown disasters. A small drip can quickly become a major flood.
Before you pick up that wrench, let’s answer some crucial questions. Understanding the line between a simple fix and a serious risk is the key to avoiding a New Year DIY disaster.
According to plumbing experts at Plumbers 365, you must never attempt work on gas appliances (boilers, hobs) or unvented hot water cylinders unless you are qualified. Our plumbing experts claim that some jobs carry risks that are simply too high for an amateur. Never attempt to work on:
Plumbers 365’s expert plumbers have often observed that amateurs tend to treat the symptom (the drip) rather than the cause (pressure or corrosion), often using incompatible materials. Our emergency plumbers have often come across “Frankenstein plumbing.” This is where a homeowner forces a metric plastic pipe into an imperial copper fitting, or uses the wrong sealant (silicone instead of plumber’s mait). While the repair might hold for a week, but the pressure eventually blows the joint apart, usually when you are at work, causing catastrophic flooding that costs ten times more than the original repair.
Some of the other common reasons which emergency plumbing experts at Plumbers 365 have often witnessed with DIY plumbing are:
Quite frankly for most basic water-related jobs, it is legal to do your own plumbing according to emergency plumbing experts at Plumbers 365. However our experts warn that you should take proactive measures in ensuring you comply with Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999.
Plumbing experts at Plumbers 365 suggest that you can swap a tap or change a trap. However, the law states you must not cause “waste, misuse, undue consumption, or contamination” of the water supply. Emergency plumbing experts at Plumbers 365 also warn that if your DIY bidet spray installation causes dirty water to siphon back into the mains supply (a serious contamination risk), you can be prosecuted by your local water authority.
According to expert plumbers at Plumbers 365, home insurance is designed to cover unforeseen “accidents,” not faulty workmanship. If you attempt a DIY repair and it goes wrong, causing a flood, your insurer could refuse to pay out. They will argue that the damage was not accidental but the direct result of your incompetent work. This could leave you with a massive bill for water damage repairs. As often observed by plumbing experts at Plumbers 365, while most policies cover “Accidental Damage,” they exclude “Poor Workmanship” or “Defective Materials.” Which basically means that if you accidentally hammer a nail into a pipe, insurance usually pays.
However, if you install a new sink yourself and the waste pipe leaks slowly for months because you didn’t glue it properly, causing rot, the insurer will call this “poor workmanship” and reject the claim. If you touch gas work illegally, your entire home policy is void immediately.
Emergency plumbing experts at Plumbers 365 often advise our clients attempting a DIY to ask themselves an honest question: “ If this goes wrong, will it ruin the room below?” If the answer is yes, call a plumber- is the golden rule. According to emergency plumbers at Plumbers 365, changing a toilet seat or unblocking a sink U-bend as well as siliconing a bath is considered safe for DIYs. However emergency plumbers at Plumbers 365 often advise against DIY for changing a valve on a pressurised central heating system, cutting into mains water pipes, or soldering under floorboards. The golden rule of thumb to follow according to emergency plumbers at Plumbers 365 is to call for a professional assistance if the job involves:
While our experts warn against attempting major DIYs, they do encourage some of our handy clients to go for jobs which have minimal/low consequences such as:
According to emergency plumbing experts at Plumbers 365, the above listed jobs are the ones in plumbing with minimal consequences and hence can be attempted as DIY with the right tools and a little research.
According to emergency plumbing experts at Plumbers 365, one of the most common causes of a recurring leak after DIY pipe repair is “over-tightening” compression joints or failing to clean the pipe before connecting.
Some of the commonly occurring issues in DIY pipe repair are a result of handful of common errors:
According to emergency plumbing experts at Plumbers 365, YouTube can be a fantastic resource for understanding how things work. But it has its dangers. They are useful for understanding the theory, but they cannot show you the quirks of your specific UK home plumbing system. The person in the video is often a professional working in ideal conditions with all the right tools. They don’t show you what happens when a fitting is rusted solid, or when the pipe you’re working on is a non-standard size. Our plumbing experts at Plumbers 365 suggest that while a video can be educational, but it can definitely not give you the “feel” for how tight a fitting should be.
Plumbers 365 emergency plumbing experts suggest having a small toolkit for the simplest jobs which should include:
Plumbers 365 emergency plumbing experts have often seen that the cost is almost always significantly more than it would have cost to call a professional in the first place. Not only do we have to do the original job correctly, but we also have to undo the damage that’s been done. This might involve replacing cracked fittings, re-cutting pipes, and sometimes opening up walls or floors to fix a leak you’ve caused. A simple £100 repair can easily turn into a £500+ emergency call-out.
There’s a great deal of satisfaction in a successful DIY job. But the stress, damage, and cost of a failed one are immense. This New Year, make a resolution to be smart about your plumbing.
If you’re facing a leak, a blockage, or a plumbing puzzle that’s beyond a simple fix, don’t take the risk.
Don’t let your New Year project become a New Year disaster. Call Plumbers 365.
