5 Plumbing problems you should never fix yourself

With most of us feeling the pinch financially, it’s not unusual for home owners to try and tackle some of their home maintenance problems themselves. After all, you can save a hundreds of dollars by not calling a tradesperson, and this is true in the plumbing industry too.

The problem is that there are some plumbing repairs that should only be fixed by a qualified plumber. This is because you can create even more damage, which will cost you even more money to fix when you eventually give in and call the plumber. You can also spend days messing around with pipes or digging around outside and still not locate the cause of the problem.

The easiest and most cost-effective solution is to call a qualified plumber for all of your plumbing problems, but it’s really important that you make the call for the following five issues, rather than trying to fix them yourself.

1. Water Heater Repairs or Installation

Electric and gas water heaters must be installed by a qualified plumber or you can invalidate your warranty. When problems do occur – your water is too cold or too hot, the tank is leaking or you run out of hot water too soon – fixing a water heater isn’t the best way to practice your DIY skills. Always call a qualified plumber to deal with your hot water servicing and maintenance issues.

2. Gas Leaks

It goes without saying that if you have a gas leak, you need to call in the experts immediately. This is an extremely dangerous situation and should be considered an emergency, because the gas can ignite very quickly. Don’t waste time trying to isolate the problem or repair it yourself. Instead, evacuate everyone from the building and away from the gas leak, and call a gas-plumber ASAP.

3. Stormwater Drainage Problems

If you think that you have a leak or blockage in your stormwater system, you might end up taking days to locate it and digging up half your backyard in the process. This is a waste of your time and energy, particularly when a plumber can use their CCTV to quickly locate the problem and fix it in no time at all.

4. Sewage System Issues

If you want to fix your sewage problems – more power to you! This is another problem where you need to locate a leak or blockage hidden underground. You might spend days digging your yard to find the problem only to realise that it is on council land! A plumber will quickly know whether the issue is on your property or not, and what course of action needs to be taken.

Normally it is up to the local water provider (such as South East Water, City West Water, Yarra Valley Water) to rectify things. They are responsible for the supply of water and sewerage services and the maintenance of these systems up to the point of connection to your property. They are also responsible for maintenance of the water meter and the property service pipe which connects the water main with the water meter.

So if you have sewage system issues, either call your plumber of your local water provider.

5. Low Water Pressure

This is one of the most infuriating problems for home owners, because when the water pressure in the shower is too low, everyone whinges and moans. The problem is that there are more than a few causes for low water pressure, from faulty valves to underground leaks and partially blocked pipes. You can spend forever trying to locate the problem, whilst your trusty plumber will put their finger right on the cause and fix it just a quickly.