Not all plumbing jobs require a professional, and some of you DIY’ers probably like to dive in yourself. Contrary to what some plumbing companies may tell you, it WON”T actually cost you more money to start a job yourself, and call in the pros if you get in over your head. This week we’re talking about some common plumbing repairs you can probably tackle, without calling your plumber.
Caulking your Tub
A lot of times if you notice you have a leak in or around the tub, you may be able to attribute it to the caulk. Caulking also ages and becomes less effective, and certainly more unattractive, over time. If you want to caulk your tub, remove all traces of the original caulk first. You can use painters tape to keep your caulk line tidy. You can use a caulking gun, followed up with your finger, to remove any excess caulk. This is one of the easier bathroom DIYs that most anyone can handle.
Changing out the Showerhead
Most showerheads can be removed without channel locks, so a steady hand and a little elbow grease is usually enough pressure to take off the old showerhead. You may want to inspect your showerhead when you notice a change in water pressure that is specific to that one fixture. Soaking the showerhead in a solution of equal parts water and vinegar can remove any guild up or residue that may be restricting water. You might also have a faulty aerator, something that is also a simple DIY fix. If you have reduced water pressure at more than one fixture, your issue is not your showerhead.
Installing a Garbage Disposer
This job is not as complicated as it sounds — it’s more awkward than anything else. The position of your body, as you hold a 15 pound disposer and attempt to tighten fittings…that’s usually the issue. The other thing we see quite often is a home owner who didn’t handle the air gap installation correctly. If you miss this step, you’ll definitely notice when you run your dishwasher. Having said that, reading the directions before your install should keep you on track. With a hand from a helper (hi kids!) you can pretty easily get a new disposer installed without having the call a pro.
You can listen in more detail to this week’s episode of You Got This! here -> https://easyasabt.com/show/September-17-2021.mp3 and every Friday on KNCO Grass Valley, at 9am.