The kitchen is pretty much the heart of a home. Undoubtedly, you can only have one heart, for that matter. That’s where the food is made, and that’s where we should always focus on being highly sanitary. So, it’s obvious why we need to pay extra attention to keep the plumbing system at its peak. If there are any problems with the plumbing system there, your peace of mind will be gone through the window. DIY kitchen plumbing is one of the most popular interests we tend to focus on. Having plumbing problems in our kitchen would obviously make us want to solve them as soon as possible. Since plumbing bills can be pricey at times, it’s highly possible that we’ll turn to DIY plumbing in these cases.
DIY plumbing isn’t a bad thing if done properly. However, in the eyes of inexperience, anything can turn into a potentially dangerous plumbing disaster in a matter of moments. So, that’s why you need to be prepared before attempting any DIY plumbing work. But there’s no need to worry; we’ve got your back. There is a list of common plumbing mistakes you need to be aware of if you’re planning to deal with your kitchen plumbing problems all on your own. In this article, we’ll explain the five most common kitchen plumbing mistakes, how they can ruin your plumbing, and how to avoid these mistakes. Keep reading!
5 Kitchen Plumbing Mistakes to Stay Away From
There are a whole lot of plumbing mistakes you can make in your kitchen. Some can lead to serious damage, and some can cause you a severe headache. It’s preferable to avoid both big and small plumbing mistakes in your kitchen, but we can’t list everything in one list. That’s why we’ll discuss 5 of the most common kitchen plumbing mistakes in your kitchen you can stay away from and avoid expensive plumbing costs.
1. Not Focusing On the Water Main
The first rule of any plumbing decision is to turn off the water supply in your home. You may think it won’t take much of your time to just swap out a valve and replace it. That’s nowhere near the case, and you’ll regret it if you think like that. It’s an expensive and stressful mistake that you should avoid. Always make sure you turn off the water supply line before attempting your plumbing efforts. You’ll find yourself flooded with pressurized water if you fail to shut down the water line. Even a small flood from your water line can cause some serious water damage to your floor as well as your home appliances. A significant amount of water can even damage electrical appliances. Besides, the flow of water can also raise your water bill in the process. You can understand how costly that kind of mistake can turn out to be. So, ensure your water main is turned off if you want to try some DIY plumbing in your kitchen.
2. Improper Plumbing Equipment
Another common mistake you can make is not using the proper plumbing equipment while trying to fix your kitchen plumbing issue all on your own. Professional plumbers are efficient and highly trained with their plumbing tools. One of the important reasons why they make plumbing work look so easy is because they always use the proper plumbing equipment suited for the job. With their years of training with this equipment, they can solve a plumbing issue in a clean and effective manner.
If you’re using the wrong tools for your plumbing problems, things can get out of hand in a matter of moments. The plumbing problems can range from small cracks in your plumbing lines to massive damage, costing you a bunch of money in the process. These damages aren’t limited to plumbing systems most of the time. They can damage the walls that the plumbing lines run through, and so on. The nature of the damage caused by your plumbing mistake can be frustrating and expensive, and you should not attempt it.
3. Forcing Your Way In
There are a lot of times in your life when you have to be tough. But that’s a different matter when you’re trying to solve your own kitchen plumbing problems. Maybe you’re looking at a faucet knob that just keeps dripping. Now if you forcibly try to tighten the knob, maybe it’ll fix the problem. Or maybe, like most cases, it’ll make things worse than ever. Now, some water leaks or drips can be fixed without needing any forcing. Simple plumbing skills can take care of them with no issues. But no matter how small or big a plumbing problem is, forcing your way on the equipment will most likely cause some disastrous outcomes. Forcefully working on your plumbing equipment will always have a higher risk of causing severe plumbing damage, and it’ll be expensive.
4. Not Documenting Your Plumbing Efforts
Unless you’re an experienced plumber, you’ll need to take pictures of your entire DIY plumbing project. And that’s more important when you know the reason. Taking your plumbing materials apart is easy. However, putting everything back the way it was will be significantly more difficult. If you’re a trained plumber, you’ll have no such problems. But as a DIY plumber, you’ll need these pictures after you’ve managed to fix some things. Take a bunch of pictures of the situation at every step. Don’t forget to take the same pictures from different angles as well. Taking these pictures will make things much easier, and you’ll be thanking yourself for this decision.
5. Not Asking For Professional Plumbing Help
It’s pretty common for homeowners to DIY their way into simple kitchen plumbing problems. But it’s even more common that some homeowners will have a beginner enthusiasm only to lose it halfway through. The enthusiasm isn’t the problem. And if you’re a homeowner who just figured out that the plumbing problem you tried to solve is not within your skills, there still are some mistakes you can make. For example, refusing to call a professional plumber even though you might have messed up your DIY kitchen plumbing project. Continuing your plumbing projects, even if you’ve realized it’s way outside of your expertise, is bound to cause you some expensive mistakes. So, don’t hesitate to ask for professional help from plumbing experts.
Bottom Line
You are bound to make mistakes even if you’re an expert in something. But knowing what mistakes to avoid can help you a lot. By avoiding the common kitchen plumbing mistakes and their effects, you, too, can save a bunch of money and time.
