Do’s and Don’ts of Do it Yourself Plumbing - Wisler Plumbing & Air

I’m a handy person who grew up in the technical trade. I know plumbing inside and out, so I’m quite confident with my skill level. I wouldn’t hire anybody else to do my plumbing as long as I have the capability of doing it myself. Even though I’m skilled with this particular field, there are other closely related skills like electrical, heating and air conditioning.

One day, I heard that it would be very helpful for my electric bill if I installed a programmable thermostat. I got a unit that was very inexpensive at around $100. I took it home and thought to myself, “How hard can this really be?”

I changed out the thermostat and everything seemed to be well. Fast forward to a month later when I receive my power bill. It was $780. Keep in mind, my regular power bill is usually around $150. It’s an understatement to say it was larger than what I had expected.

So what went wrong? I crossed one small wire when I was hooking it up. As a result, the heating coil was running at the same time as the air conditioning during this hot summer month. I was none the wiser until I got the bill.

Of course, the HVAC professional came out and resolved my problem with relative ease.

The lesson from my story is, don’t try to save money if you don’t know what you’re doing. Believe me, it doesn’t pay off. I’ve had many wives tell me that their husband has no reason to be doing a certain do it yourself job. It makes perfect sense from an outside perspective, but if you’re the one trying to do something, it’s easy to be stubborn.

There’s an old saying that goes, “You cannot beat a man at his own trade.” That is so true—there’s a cost to making even the smallest mistake. It could be money out of your pocket, damage to your home, or just time wasted. You have to decide whether you’re willing to pay that cost if you venture outside of your own skill level.

The scary thing about plumbing is that it carries water everywhere. Water lines are pressurized. There’s water in the toilets, sinks, and the water heater. A mistake could potentially cause a flood or serious damage to your home.

I’ve seen it many times. It doesn’t seem like a do it yourself plumbing job is complicated at all. It’s just a pipe that sends water from one place to another, right? Not so simple. When a pressurized line blows apart or starts to leak, the cost can be immense. It’s almost funny when you do something with the intent of saving money and it ends up costing you more in the long run.

So should you do a job yourself? I would draw the line at maintenance unless you’re skilled at that particular trade. (I talked about some do it yourself maintenance in a previous post.) If you have some sort of training, education, or on-the-job experience, you’ll feel comfortable about making that decision.

You don’t even have to hire Wisler Plumbing—I just highly encourage people to leave repairs, installations, or replacements to a skilled professional. Believe me, there will be a lot less headaches for everyone.

If you do want to place your trust in the professionals here at Wisler Plumbing, contact us online or give us a call at (540) 483-9382.