A lot of people say that you should never do your own plumbing work and you should always rely on a professional. In some cases, that’s true. You shouldn’t go messing around with the boiler too much and if you’ve got a serious leak, you need an expert to make sure that it’s all patched up properly. But there are plenty of smaller plumbing jobs that you can absolutely do on your own, as long as you’re careful. If you make any mistakes, they could be disastrous. But as long as you follow these rules, you can safely do your own plumbing work.
Check Plumbing Regulations
Some work needs to be signed off by a professional plumber, especially anything to do with the boiler. If you just do that work for yourself and something goes wrong, you won’t be able to make an insurance claim. In some cases, you might even end up getting fined for having unsafe work in the house. Before you do anything, check the regulations to make sure that you can legally do the work for yourself. If not, you’ll have to get a professional in.
Get The Right Plumbing Pipes
When you’re buying materials for the job, the pipes are one of the most important parts. If you’re getting cheap pipes, you’re just more likely to get a leak in the future. You’ll need to choose either plastic pipes or copper pipes, depending on what is already in the rest of the house. Make sure that you’re going to a reputable supplier and you’re not just buying the cheapest pipes.
Get The Right Plumbing Fixings
There’s no point spending time choosing good quality pipes if you pair them with cheap fixings. If the fixings between the pipes aren’t sturdy, you’re way more likely to get a leak. Stainless steel threaded pipe fittings are the best so, if you can, go for those. But if you’re using plastic pipe, you’ll need plastic couplings. Again, make sure that you’re going to a proper plumbing supplier and not always going for the cheap option.
Plumbing Thread Tape
When you’re using threaded fixings, you need to seal that thread so it’s completely watertight. There are a lot of thread sealing compounds out there but they don’t give the best results and they’re a bit of a pain to use. It’s a lot easier and far more successful if you just use thread tape instead.
Here’s a great thread tape option for you.
Turn Off The Water
This is a pretty obvious one but it’s worth going over again. Before you do anything, even if it’s only a small job and you’re not doing anything with the pipes, always turn the water off. The stopcock is usually underneath the sink but if it isn’t, you’ll need to work out where in the house it is. There’s always the chance that you’ll make a mistake and if that happens, you don’t want water leaking out everywhere.
If you stick to these rules, you should be able to work on your plumbing without any massive disasters.
If you’re looking for some plumbing tools, check out some popular choices here.
