Helpful Plumbing Tips

5 Biggest DIY Plumbing Mistakes

Most people probably know how to take a wrench (if they have it) and tighten a leaky faucet or resolve other simple plumbing problems. However, without adequate knowledge they risk making some of the common DIY plumbing mistakes that can leave serious consequences to their system. That’s why plumbers from Norco have their plates full at all times. 

What are the most common DIY plumbing mistakes

What are the most common DIY plumbing mistakes?

If you want to attempt some home plumbing on your own, there’s more to it than just assembling the tools you have and having a go. You have to know how to perform even the simplest of repairs without making some of the most common mistakes listed here: 

Overtightened connections

This is, by far, the most prominent DIY plumbing mistake. People who want to fix the plumbing around their home often overtighten their toilet bolts, fittings, pipes, and supply tubes. If you go too hard at cranking black or galvanized elbow, pipe, tee, or coupling, you risk causing cracks that may become evident only under water pressure, which will cause large leaks. The same thing can happen with plastic piping and fittings. 

Using thread tape incorrectly / using the wrong type of tape

The PTFE tape, otherwise known as Teflon tape, has to wrap in the clockwise direction around the threads of the fitting if you want it to work correctly. However, wrapping the tape in the counterclockwise direction is very common, which causes the tape to unwind as you attempt to tighten your fittings. This entirely defeats the entire purpose of Teflon tape, as it can’t offer proper sealing if it’s not embedded correctly. 

Also, you have to pay attention to choose the right type of tape for your desired purpose: 

  • Use thick pink or thin white tape for those fittings that will carry water.
  • Choose yellow gas-rated thread tape for threaded gas lines. 
  • Don’s use thread tape for flare and compression fittings. 

Resorting to drain cleaners

There are many better ways to remove bath and kitchen clogs than to resort to drain cleaners. For example, you can use a barbed cleaning tool or a snake to remove any clogs without pouring liquid drain cleaner that can damage metal pipes and traps and absolutely destroy your rubber gasket. Also, if the cleaner doesn’t resolve the clog, it will remain in the trap arm which you then have to remove to get rid of the highly-corrosive liquid. 

Forgetting to turn off the water

This is also an extremely common occurrence among many DIY plumbers. There are people who think that they can replace a valve quickly without going through the hassle of actually shutting the water off. However, this never turns out well and always causes at least a bit of flooding in the best case scenario. Never forget to turn off the water, or choose not to do it on purpose. 

Being too harsh with the shut off valve

Toilet and sink shut-off valves can seize if you haven’t used them for a prolonged time period. If you try to turn the knob with your hand and fail, the solution is not always more muscle, as you risk breaking off the knob by applying too much force. Try using an adjustable wrench to slightly loosen the stem nut so you can attempt to turn the knob more easily. 

Who are the most reliable plumbers in Norco I should contact

Who are the most reliable plumbers in Norco I should contact?

Once you get an idea of all the plumbing mistakes you should avoid when attempting to resolve a problem on your own, why not also explore some of the most interesting plumbing facts and try to learn more about the biggest plumbing secrets you’ve never heard about before. 

Also, why not take a closer look at some tried-and-tested ways for saving money with your home plumbing. A lot of useful information about plumbing indeed. But what do you do if an emergency strikes? You have to know which plumbers from Norco to contact. Luckily, you can always depend on OneStop Plumbers to handle any plumbing issues you have. We are a reputable company with years of experience in the industry. Our plumbers have the experience and the know-how to handle a variety of problems. It doesn’t matter if your home is near Pikes Peak Park or somewhere else in Norco. We’re here to help you!

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