You know how to replace a faucet’s washer like nobody’s business. You can stop a running toilet in its tracks. You can open up the drain under the bathroom sink with élan. In other words, when it comes to basic plumbing repair skills: you got this!
So now that you feel comfortable with a wrench, it’s time to move on to something a bit harder, a bit beyond basic: it’s time to advance to Plumbing Repair Skills 2.0.
Take a look below for two next-level plumbing repairs you probably can do on your own.
Don’t replace just the faucet washer; replace the whole faucet!
If your kitchen or bathroom faucet is more than 10 years old, you may have been daydreaming about updating it. If you’ve balked because you think the job would entail calling in a plumber, rest assured: so long as the new faucet will be using the same connection points as your old one, you got this.
Buy the faucet system you like and follow the step-by-step instructions (most come with installation instructions and if yours doesn’t, there’s always YouTube). You’ll need to turn off the cold and hot water valves first (they’re usually under the sink) and remove the old faucet. You also will want to make sure the new faucet system lines up with the holes on your sink or counter, otherwise, you’ll have to drill new ones.
Found a leaky pipe? Repair it yourself.
You’ll first want to shut off the valve that sends water to the pipe or the section of pipe that’s leaking. Then turn on faucets linked to the area that’s leaking so that remaining water drains out.
Allow the area on the pipe where the leak is to dry completely (you may have to wipe it dry).
Grab a putty knife, put some epoxy on it and apply the epoxy to the leaking area (again, make sure the area is dry). You then cover the leak with a rubber seal. Attach one or more small round clamps to the rubber and tighten them to make sure the rubber seal is on very tight. Let the clamps tighten around the rubber for about an hour.
After an hour, cover the rubber seal with water resistant tape.
Make sure there’s no more leak by turning the water back on.
If the leak is large, you may have to replace an entire section of the pipe. Depending on your comfort sauntering, you may need to call in a plumber.
If you feel your Dallas home’s plumbing problem is too large for your DIY plumbing skills, call on Plumbing Dynamics. Contact us at 214-929-3431.
By Ángelo González from Dodro, España (faucet drop) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
