8 Home-Plumbing Mistakes To Avoid

8 Home-Plumbing Mistakes To Avoid Besides your mortgage being upside down, there is little else that can frustrate you as a homeowner more than bad plumbing. Plumbing issues are the modern day housing plague that ravages through every single home devoid of favoritism nor discrimination of any kind. It is the ultimate equal opportunity aggrevator. It is no wonder then that most of us often opt to go it alone instead of calling out a plumber every time the sink decides it needs a leaky break. But simply being handy with a wrench does not a plumber make. 

SEE ALSO: 3 Simple Mistakes That Could Get Your Home Burglarized

We often do more damage than good at the end of it all. But this does not mean we will stop trying to replace that rusty pipe ourselves. Since we are so bent on doing it all on our own, there are some basic mistakes that we should learn to avoid if we are to maintain our sanity. Here are the 8 Home-Plumbing Mistakes To Avoid.

Image Credit: acostaplumbinghvac

1. Always be Wary of the Pipes

We all have little nifty home improvement projects that always seem to involve a lot of nails. This is all very well and good, after all, a handsome home is every mans dream. But when you are pounding away at that wall trying to erect that porch extension, be wary of the water pipes that run through your house. Puncturing one of them will be the beginning of your plumbing nightmare. Your best bet is to buy a stud sensor while you are down at the hardware store getting your home improvement tools. These sensors can detect pipes and electrical wiring. 

If you are not one for modern technology, then simply go up to your attic and try to see where the wires and pipes are laid. Better yet, if your home improvement involves covering up a wall, you can always cut into the wall to get a feel of where everything is. The point is that you should be careful when putting holes in your house, you don't want to puncture your copper or plastic pipes anymore than you want to drive a nail into your electrical circuits.

2. Buy the Right Parts

This is where professional plumbers are so much better at the job than your average Joe. A plumber will take one look at your toilet water soaked home and know what parts you need. You on the other hand might decide to 'wing it' and buy what looks like it might be right. Do a little research, try and find the root cause of the problem and then seek professional advice on what parts to get. You could cut a portion of the already damaged pipes and take it with you to the hardware store. The attendant should be able to tell you which parts would fit well with whatever you are holding. When it comes to fittings, you need the right measurements or your watery diner, breakfast and life has just begun.

3. Use a Sealant

The simple life saving credo to live by here is this: unless it is soldered or glued tight, it needs a sealant! Any repairs you make on any joints need you to apply a sealant of one type or another. It is that simple. There are many different types of sealant. For the average Joe, your everyday sealant for water connections can be found at your local hardware store; it is the tape in a blue spool. Professionals use many other different types including specialized sealants that are borderline industrial grade. It is in your best interest to carry out the necessary research and use the proper sealant. In todays poorly produced valves, fixtures and average plumbing material, you need all the help you can get.

4. Be Familiar With a Bit of Plumbing

Plumbing, like any other technical skill, has codes and very much its own language. You need to be at the very least, familiar with some of the code. There are some jobs that are too big even for a professional plumber and might require a team. Being able to read regulations and most of the language that goes to telling you what size pipe is needed, how far from your gas line the replacement should be and so on could very well save your life. This is information that can readily be found online today.

5. Know that Galvanized Steel is Tricky Business

Most houses have copper pipes connected to galvanized steel. As a 'semi-pro' plumber, you may think this is easy work. Using the wrong connector could cause the connection to rust almost as soon as you have it in place. To make sure that your connection stays active for at the very least, as long as it takes a professional to get to your home, you need to use something called a dielectric union. It basically keeps the parts separate by connecting each side with its own kind and using isolation bushings to keep them apart.

6. Know Your Connectors

The above point brings us to this point, you need to use the right connectors for the right jobs. Your gas line is part of your plumbing. Instead of trying to force a connector between the iron pipe that brings you your gas and the flexible fitting on the end of your connector, simply buy a connection kit that is universal. This way, you will have a wider variety and are more likely to find the connector that works wonders.

7. Tighter isn't Always Better

With the use of the right sealant and the right parts, simply making the connection tight enough is good. Trying to make it tighter by turning the wrench further than you are comfortable taking it will cause breakage or a different form of damage to the connection. Remember, we have more poor quality supplies than the good old days.

8. Run a Leak Test

This should be the first lesson in amateur plumber class, always run a test to see if your handy work is leak free. This means you need to run both hot and cold water through the pipes or valves that you just tinkered with. Run high and low pressure water and see if your work holds any water...literally. Do the same for your drains. You can only move on to bigger problems like selling off your neighbor's noisy dog once you are sure that your pipes aren't leaking any more.

We are all handy, or at least most of us wish we were. When trying to look good for the wife by not calling a professional plumber, you should at the very least know a little bit of what you are doing. These 8 Home-Plumbing Mistakes To Avoid should help you along that path.

Derek Fraser

About the Author:

Derek Fraser is a Blogger. He likes to write about various articles related to Home Improvement, Gardening, Internet Marketing, Business Tips and Eco Friendly Measures.