No matter how big or small your house is, as your property ages, its usefulness and utility is also tested by time. And just like its owner, it may soon break down under the pressure of usage and age. One of the most common parts of the house that sends an early SOS signal is the plumbing system. These are the network of pipes serving as conduits for water and gas or as housing for the electrical or telecom wires.
Early Warning Signal
The early signal is just a tiny drip which at first you did not accord notice. It is until your face towel fall accidentally on the floor and when you picked it up it was wet that you started to be alarmed. Now the dripping has flooded your entire bathroom floor! And you remember there’s a similar pool of water forming underneath your kitchen counter. You have ignored this for a while until something caused by some sudden splashing of water while you were washing your hands. It is now continually wetting your slippers every time you step close to the baseboard.
Of course, shouldn’t you have been jolted to action much earlier when you got the signal? You see, we are good at sidestepping important issues until they become urgent. We love to assume that the little thing will automatically disappear. But since it does not, you now ask yourself: Shall I do it myself or should I call the plumber?
Before setting your foot down on which action to take, check your bathroom first and inspect the tubing line underneath the lavatory. You need to stop this flooding, first and foremost. The best way to stop it is to disconnect the water running into the tub or sink. If you are lucky, you may find that your piping connections underneath the wash tub are cleanly exposed for easy access when repair is needed. Locate the gate valve and close it.
Having done that, go to your kitchen and do the same. In most cases, your piping connections are concealed behind a cabinet enclosure with your sink sitting atop your kitchen counter. Open the cabinet and locate the water gate valve. Turning this off will stop the water from flowing and prevent a possible flooding in your kitchen.
DIY or Commercial Plumbing Services
Now, back to your question: Shall I do the repair myself or should I call the plumber?
This dilemma you are in presupposes one thing: that you can do it yourself and you have the time to do it. In recent times, DIY programs have intensified online especially on repairs that need to be done at home. These programs are complete with step-by-step visual guides on what to do, what tools to use and what parts to secure, complete with pictures. It would seem very easy indeed even by just watching the video. If you are confident enough with your skill, then why not do it yourself? Confidence anyway comes from knowledge. This knowledge is borne of a professional or practical training or a personal aptitude for home works. If you seem familiar with the tools and you have the edge of a DIY, then there’s no need to call a plumber at all. If not or even if you are capable but you have no time to do it, it’s best to call in the experts and let them do the job.
Benefits of a Professional Plumbing Choice
What is it for you if you forego your DIY curiosity and go for the licensed commercial plumbing services?
- You can do things or activities of greater value than the house repair. If you are a practicing professional at another line such as a writer or a doctor or a manager, your time spent on these occupations would equate to a higher value.
- You forego the risks of committing a mistake in your repair. A single mistake can lead to a bigger problem. It has been observed that most instances of repairs that turned out worst were repairs done by inexperienced workmen. Commercial plumbers have the training and the expertise that they can employ just in case a deeper problem is discovered while repairing a water leak, for example.
- You may be able to fix your plumbing problem in a much shorter time by utilizing a commercial plumbing service to do the work. For example, if you can finish the repair work in four hours, it is more likely that the job can be completed by an experienced plumber within just two hours or less. In a way, your comparative labour costs would be your four hours at your rate as a manager against the two hours at the plumber’s rate.
- Engaging a professional plumber ensures the correctness and the quality of the parts to be purchased. It’s because the licensed plumbers are familiar with part sizes, brands and make.
- Plumbing systems have to be tested for their system integrity. For instance, water and electricity must not come together. The professional plumber knows this from his training. He will make sure that such principles are observed and not compromised for convenience.
- Plumbing repair is a messy work. If you will go for DIY, you do not only mess up yourself, you’ll also make some mess in the area where the repair is being done. So, you have to clean the whole place after everything is done. With guys from a commercial plumbing service, you just watch them do the repair and clean their mess as they go.
It is not to say that a plumber must be summoned every time there is a dysfunction in the plumbing system. There are truly minor repairs you can do by yourself, such as replacing the screw on the faucet head or the gasket inside the faucet and probably replacing the faucet itself. But for all other major repairs that will require special plumbing tools, it would be a wise decision to call in the plumber and just play your manager’s role.
Pick the Expert’s Mind
While the licensed plumber is working on your first engagement, make sure to enrich yourself with tips and ideas on how to better manage the plumbing line of your house. Ask him where the main water line is located and how it can be shut off. You, as the owner of the house, need to know this. That way, it will be easy for you to operate it just in case a certain problem arises.