Plumbing Repairs Central MA: Do It Yourself or Call a Pro?

The faucet is dripping, the toilet won’t stop running, and there’s a smell coming from the kitchen sink drain that’ll knock you out. As an Central Mass homeowner, you’ve got a choice: can you do these plumbing repairs on your own, or is it time to call in a professional?  It’s not an idle question.  If you’ve got decent do-it-yourselfer skills, you can save yourself a good chunk of change handling some basic home plumbing repairs.  However, some jobs aren’t as easy as they might appear to be.  Bite off more than you can chew, and expensive mistakes can be the result. How do you make the call?

The first step may not be what you think. 

Before you start running for your screwdrivers and plumber’s putty, step back and ask yourself three questions.  Are you a handy person? The homeowner who has already mastered some basic fix it skills can confidently tackle some home plumbing repairs, but if you’re a total novice, having some help might be a good idea. Do you have the tools it will take to do the job? Your Central MA plumber already owns all the tools of the trade – but unless you have your own wrenches, pliers, pipe cutters and more, you’ll have to buy them.  This can be quite an expense – particularly if you’re not planning on doing plumbing repairs on a regular basis. Finally, is doing this plumbing repair yourself the best use of your time? Paying a plumber $50 to fix a dripping faucet may seem excessive – until you realize that you’ve spent six hours of your precious weekend stuck under the sink, staring up at a tangle of pipes.

If you’re confident in your home repair skills, equipped with the right tools, and at peace with spending your time fixing the plumbing, the next step is to look at the particular plumbing problem you have and determine if you’re ready to take it on.  The four most common home plumbing complaints are dripping faucets, leaky pipes, clogged or overflowing toilets, and stinky drains. The typical homeowner can address some of these issues while others require calling in a plumber.

The constant drip, drip, drip coming from a bathroom or kitchen faucet is a noise all too many (ANYTOWN) homeowners are familiar with. Do you need a plumber to fix a leaky faucet?  The answer is typically no – depending on the type of leak we’re talking about.  Stopping a dripping faucet may require nothing more than replacing the washer.  Leaks that appear at the base of the faucet often mean that the rubber o-ring has worn out. Once you’ve obtained the right replacement parts, it’s a relatively easy repair.

Leaking pipes, on the other hand, generally mean it’s time to call in the pros. The problem with leaking pipes is that often the leak goes undetected for a long time.  Water can damage walls, floors – even your home’s support structures – if the leak’s not stopped.  In addition to fixing the leaky pipe, you have to address the water damage. Leaks at the pipe’s joints may be addressed by tightening the joints or applying a sealant. Splits, holes, and cracks in the body of the pipe generally require replacing the pipe and that means calling in your Worcester area plumber.

Overflowing toilets are impossible to ignore! Obstructions in the sewer pipe can create a homeowner’s worse nightmare. Grease, hair, and foreign objects – including the toys and clothing toddlers love to send down the toilet – can lodge in the pipes, preventing your system from functioning properly.  If the plunger’s not fixing the problem, you need a plumber.  Clearing sewer systems requires specialized equipment. This is a job that can be done much faster by the professional than the homeowner.

The kitchen and bathroom sinks are the sight of the next common plumbing problem.  So much more than water goes down our drains – from food scraps, grease, and dish soap throughout shampoo, hair, and other cosmetics and toiletries – that clogs are almost inevitable.  These clogs trap water in your home’s drain system, and the result is a foul odor and drains that don’t let water out quickly – if at all.  Don’t be fooled by the claims of discount-store drain cleaners: while these chemicals can address relatively minor problems, really solving the issue means calling in your Central MA plumber.  Having your drains cleaned annually can completely eliminate this issue for most homeowners, saving you time and money in the long run!