Read This BEFORE You Tackle That Plumbing Job Yourself!

With the rising cost of…well…everything, more and more homeowners are turning to do-it-yourself (DIY) projects for everything from growing their own produce to car repairs. DIY home improvement has always been popular, and there are benefits and drawbacks to undertaking these projects yourself.

When it comes to DIY home plumbing, there are thousands of plumbing resources available—books, videos, online resources, television shows, magazines, and more. DIY plumbing is attractive because it seems relatively easy and can save a significant amount of cash over hiring a contractor or professional plumber. But before you take on that plumbing project, consider the pros and cons of DIY plumbing.


DIY Plumbing Pros

One benefit of DIY plumbing is that you can usually trust who you’ve hired – as long as you trust yourself! Though asking for referrals from friends and family is a generally reliable way to find a good professional, many homeowners are wary of inviting contractors into their homes. When you know you can do the work yourself, you never have to worry about the skill or reputation of workers in your house.

Also in the pro column, many basic plumbing and drain repairs -- like unclogging a slow drain or plunging a stopped up toilet –- are relatively easy and quick. It may seem silly to call a professional plumber on these occasions, so knowing how to do them yourself can save a lot of hassle and a ton of cash...especially on weekends or holidays when plumbers’ rates jump drastically.


DIY Plumbing Cons

The main problem with DIY plumbing is that there are a lot of unknowns to contend with. Even simple projects like repairing a leaky faucet or changing a shower head can quickly become more complicated than the average weekend warrior can handle. And a plumbing mistake can be far more costly than messing up the paint job in your living room or installing a crooked chair rail in your dining room.

Another DIY plumbing con is that changing your home’s plumbing significantly, such as expanding your kitchen or adding on a bathroom, usually requires a permit from your local municipality. For plumbing amateurs, navigating this often complex process can be difficult and may cut into your project deadline and budget. Professional plumbers are adept at cutting through bureaucratic red tape in order to secure the proper permits, ensuring your plumbing job is completed on time and on budget.

If you carry homeowner’s insurance, your carrier may require that any significant plumbing work be conducted by a licensed professional. If this is the case and there is any damage done to your home during the course of the plumbing project, your insurer will only pay on a claim if the work has been performed by a qualified plumbing contractor; if you do the work yourself and a disaster occurs, you’ll have to foot the bill out of your own pocket.

Plumbing is often physically taxing work. Carrying pipes, knocking out walls, shimmying into tight spaces, and loosening tight or rusty pipe joints requires strength and stamina. Plumbing and drain jobs often require the use of chemical solvents, welding and soldering equipment, torches and other potentially harmful materials and tools. If you’re not up to the task physically, best to leave the work to a plumbing pro.


Bottom Line: Don’t Take Chances With Your Home's Plumbing

If you have some plumbing knowledge and are a natural handyman, many plumbing jobs can be done on a DIY basis. But let’s face it – in this day and age, most homeowners – male and female – aren’t very mechanically inclined. Plumbing is a complex skill that requires years of training. Letting an inexperienced person play with plumbing is like letting a child play with a loaded gun. Bad plumbing work today will lead to extensive and expensive plumbing repairs tomorrow. When in doubt, call the plumbing professionals at Horizon Services. You’ll get a quick, accurate diagnosis of your plumbing problem and effective, affordable plumbing solutions that you can trust.


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Plumbing DIYers...Take the Time To Do It Right!

If you do any of your own simple plumbing repairs, you know that tightening plumbing fittings is not always the easiest task on your to-do list. Taking your time and following these basic tips will help you turn a wrench like a pro without damaging your plumbing fixtures.

1. Hand Tight is Right. It seems to go against common sense, but plumbing fittings don’t have to be super tight in order to function properly. In fact, pipes should only be hand tight to help aid the flow of water throughout your home. The unique construction and configuration of pipes means they are made to be tightened just enough; making them super tight can actually prevent water from flowing properly. Over-tightening will also warp the rubber fittings inside the pipes over time, which can increase the risk of leaks. Turn a plumbing fitting only until you feel it tighten, then stop. Continuing to turn past that point can lead to trouble.
   


2. No Stripping. Plumbing fittings look like extra large bolts. Inside each bolt are threads that allow the fitting to screw onto the pipes to create a tight seal. If you tighten the fittings too much, you may strip the threads inside the fitting or on the outside of the pipe. As with any household screw, once the threads are stripped it’s nearly impossible to get the fitting to tighten on the pipe. This makes it more likely that a leak will develop, and it also increases the chance of a cracked or burst pipe in extreme weather or high water pressure.
   


3. Lefty Loosey, Righty Tighty. This isn’t just a playground rhyme; it really works. Turning a screw, opening a jar or bottle, operating a faucet, and adjusting a plumbing fitting all function on the same principle. Turning to the left loosens the plumbing fitting; turning to the right tightens it. Remembering this simple rhyme can prevent a bad seal and stripped fittings. It’s also handy in a pinch if you need to shut off the water supply quickly.
   


4. Plumber’s Tape is Your Friend. One of a plumber’s most trusted secret weapons is common plumber’s tape. It is usually made from silicone and helps create a stronger, waterproof seal on pipes and fittings. Using plumber’s tape around fittings while you tighten them will prevent over-tightening, protect against leaks, and ensure a good seal. Plumber’s tape is available at most home improvement or hardware stores in the plumbing section.
   


5. Keep Pipe Fittings Warm. If you’re working on exterior pipes located outside your home, it’s wise to keep plumbing fittings wrapped in magnetic insulation. Water that is allowed to leak or spray from loose fittings outside in cold weather increases the likelihood of freezing, cracking, and bursting—which means big trouble inside your home, too. Wrapping outdoor fittings to protect them from harsh weather will help maintain a constant temperature and ensure your pipes stay in good repair. You can also find pipe insulation at home improvement, hardware, or plumbing supply stores.
   

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Read This BEFORE You Try to Fix a Leaky Faucet On Your Own

Nothing is more annoying than the constant drip, drip, drip of a leaky faucet. If you’ve got the right tools, a leaky faucet in the kitchen or bathroom is one of the easiest DIY fixes around the house. However, keep in mind that all faucets are not alike. Here are some basic, leaky faucet tips and insight that do-it-yourselfers should know before they start taking things apart and trying to put them back together..


Types of Faucets

• Compression Faucets: Usually found in homes with older plumbing, the compression faucet is fairly common. There is a knob for hot water and another for cold water. When the knobs are turned open, the faucet opens and water flows through. Compression faucets leak when the washers on the knobs become worn or damaged. To fix a leaky compression faucet you generally only need to replace the washers.
  


• Washerless Faucets: Washerless faucets are another common type found in many homes; ball faucets, cartridge faucets, and disk faucets are all washerless fixtures. Despite their name, these faucets do have washers, along with many other components that allow them to operate properly. Any one of these components can fail and cause a leak, though washerless faucets are among the most reliable plumbing fixtures you can install in your home.
  


• Ball Faucets: They have a single handle that rotates on a ball, letting you move the handle left or right for hot and cold water. When the adjusting ring becomes loose, ball faucets can develop leaks. Other common causes of leaks in these types of faucets include failed cam washers, worn springs or worn valve seats.
  


• Disk Faucets: They come in single or double handle configurations. Both have a ceramic disk mechanism that opens and closes to allow water through. Disk faucets rarely fail, but the most common sources of leaks are worn seals, o-rings, and stems.
  


• Cartridge Faucets: They are usually single handle units with a cartridge assembly that allows water to flow. Cartridge faucets have a series of o-rings that can become warped or worn, causing leaks.
  

For Most Faucet Leaks, Consult a Plumber

Even if you think you can handle a simple leak repair on your own, it’s still a good idea to call a plumber for a second opinion. Most plumbers will be happy to talk you through a basic repair job over the phone, offering helping advice and educating you about the proper tools and parts you’ll need. If the repair turns out to be more difficult than you bargained for, a plumber will gladly make an appointment to complete the repair for you.

Whether you choose to repair a leaky faucet yourself or feel more comfortable hiring a professional plumber, the sooner you deal with the problem the better. Even minor faucet leaks have a nasty habit of compounding into major plumbing problems...and that can quickly add up to thousands of dollars in more serious plumbing repairs. A leaky faucet that goes ignored too long can cause substantial water damage, erode pipes, and compromise the water pressure in your entire house. Furthermore, a faucet that drips just twice per second wastes about 100 gallons of water each month, which can jack up your water bill significantly.

The plumbing professionals at Horizon Services can quickly diagnose the cause of your faucet leak or other plumbing problem and fix the problem inexpensively and reliably. Call Horizon today!



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The last thing any homeowner wants to deal with is a backed up main sewer line. But sewer line replacement is costly, and the repair process can be invasive. The key to avoiding a disaster is properly diagnosing the cause of your home’s drainage problems.

Slow-moving drains or a toilet that takes forever to flush are pretty good indications that something is not quite right with your home’s drainage system. Still, it’s important to figure out if the issue is simply a blockage at the fixture or a more serious problem.

Because toilets send such a large volume of water into the sewer line so suddenly, this is the most obvious place to start if you suspect your sewer line has been compromised. If your toilet is slow to flush or the bowl fills up upon flushing rather them emptying, try plunging the toilet with a handheld plunger. If that doesn’t seem to help, check the other drains throughout the house.

Does the kitchen sink fill with water when the tap is turned on? Does your shower or tub drain seem to back up when the water is running? Is there standing water in your dishwasher or washing machine following a cycle? Affirmative answers to any of these questions strongly suggest that your home’s sewer line is in need of repair.

If every drain in your house is slow to empty, you should consult a reputable sewer line repair and replacement service for further diagnostics. As long as there’s no waste or standing water build-up in your yard or around your septic tank, a sewer line specialist will likely examine pipe couplings inside your house to check for blockages in the pipes. By opening the drain line inside the house, the sewer line specialist can determine if the blockage is close to your home or further out into the sewer line. This can also help reveal how serious the blockage is—if water spills from the open coupling then it’s safe to say the problem is substantial, as standing water in the drain line nearest the house indicates that waste water has been backing up from the sewer or septic tank all the way into the home for some time.

Your sewer line specialist will also conduct a visual inspection of drain pipes inside your home, looking for evidence of leaks and overflowing water that likely indicate a sewer line blockage. In most cases, this will require a special sewer line camera that can be fed through the entire length of the sewer line.

Once it’s been determined that your sewer line is blocked or damaged, a sewer line professional can judge how far along the line the problem is. The sewer line technician will follow the piping and take into account the position of the septic tank or sewer to figure out the most likely spot of the damage.

If the issue is not in your home but further down the line toward the sewer or septic system, chances are root infiltration, aging pipes, a broken pipe, or some other physical damage has caused the line to malfunction. Repair or replacing may involve tearing up your lawn surrounding the pipe, replacing the damaged portion, reburying the site, and re-seeding the yard. Some sewer line specialists, like Horizon Services, employ a trenchless system which can repair or replace the sewer line without tearing your yard up.



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To Call a Plumber or Not to Call a Plumber. That is The Question!

Plumbing repair is certainly not for the faint of heart, but how do you know if that leaky faucet or other plumbing repair job is something you can fix yourself or if it requires the golden wrench of an experienced plumber? Here are some suggestions the plumbing technicians at Horizon Services recommend to help you make the decision whether to call a plumber or try to take on the plumbing job yourself.

If you have a damaged gas line, don’t even try to work on it yourself. You are putting yourself at a major risk for worsening the leak or even triggering an explosion. A professional plumber has the specialized tools needed to contend with serious issues like this.

If your house is severely flooded, you should have called a plumber an hour ago! If you didn’t, call a plumber NOW! If the water back-up is being caused by a clogged drain that you’ve tried unsuccessfully to dislodge, a plumber can access places in the pipe work you wouldn’t think to check and get to the root of the plumbing or drain problem.

If your plumbing issue lies in the water or sewer lines connected to your home, don’t go it alone. These systems are complicated and repairs require the work of a plumbing or water line/sewer line professional. A reputable plumbing or water line/service line contractor will know how to obtain the appropriate city or county permits that may be needed to tackle this kind of project.

If you think your pipes have frozen or that you have a leak caused by a cracked pipe, call a plumber immediately. Cold weather is one of the biggest threats to your home’s plumbing system and can cause serious damage; a plumbing professional will be able to thaw frozen pipes and seal or repair cracks before things get worse.

If you have raw sewage backed up into your yard or basement, you need professional help. Septic leaks can contaminate ground water and wells, not to mention cause embarrassing and messy spills. The area around the septic tank may have to be excavated to find the source of the problem and repair it. This is not something you want to have anything to do with.

If you suspect a problem with your water pump, call a licensed plumber. You might need replacement parts or a whole new pump; the average weekend warrior doesn’t have the right tools for this kind of job. And pump system replacement requires a specialized set of plumbing skills that can only come from years experience and training.

If your water heater is not functioning properly and you’ve tried simple fixes like adjusting the thermostat and checking the pilot light, hire a plumbing professional. You could have a bigger problem like tank corrosion or electrical system malfunction, neither of which you want to try to fix on your own.

If you have any doubts about your ability to fix even the simplest plumbing problem, don’t hesitate to call in a plumber. You could end up causing even more damage to your home and plumbing system by pushing ahead with the plumbing repair yourself.

Bottom Line: Do-it yourself plumbing can be a real crap-shoot. Home-gamers need to ask themselves if the reward of saving some bucks is worth the risk of making the plumbing problem worse and costlier down the line. These days, we all need to watch every penny, but when it comes to your home’s plumbing, spending a little more now can save so much more in the long run.



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Seven Plumbing Supplies, You Absolutely, Positively Must Have on Hand At All Times!

• A Plumbing Repair Kit: Most home improvement, hardware stores, and plumbing supply retailers carry especially designed plumbing repair kits that will provide the tools and equipment you need to fix many common plumbing problems. Toilet and sink repair kits include all the basic parts and materials required to repair most simple issues. Having these on hand will leave you much better prepared to deal with a dripping faucet, a running toilet, water that won’t shut off and many other common plumbing problems.



• Plumber’s Putty: This substance is a temporary cure-all for a variety of common household plumbing problems. Though it’s not meant to provide a permanent solution, plumber’s putty is perfect for sealing minor leaks and minimizing water damage until you can get a plumber to take a look at the problem, or perform more permanent plumbing repairs yourself. Plumber’s putty is sold at most hardware and home improvement stores.



• Pipe Epoxy: Similar to putty, pipe epoxy will temporarily plug holes in pipes and hoses until a more permanent plumbing repair can be done. The difference between putty and epoxy is that the latter can generally be used on wet or dry surfaces, and the bond it forms is more secure. Epoxy can be difficult to remove, though, so it should be used sparingly and with care.



• Pipe Wrench: Sometimes a leaky faucet is caused by something as simple as a loosened nut or bolt. A pipe wrench lets you get at hard-to-reach places, and is long enough to reach and hold those distant pipes located at the back of your cabinets or walls.



• Nuts, Bolts, and Washers: Perhaps the most inexpensive piece of plumbing equipment ever, it’s almost insane not to have extra fasteners on hand for plumbing and household emergencies. Small and easy to store, nuts, bolts, and washers are plumbing essentials that you can never have too many of.



• A Drain Snake: Clogged drains and plugged toilets can bring a household to a stand-still. A drain snake is the quickest and most effective way to eliminate clogs without the use of harsh chemicals or dissolving agents. Untreated clogs can lead to more serious drain and plumbing problems, which can cost thousands to repair. A decent snake won’t cost you more than $20 or so; compact packaging means you can keep the snake wrapped up and tucked away until you need it.



• A Fully-Equipped Toolbox: Having all your plumbing supplies in one place can save tons of hassle when you need to repair a leaky toilet in the middle of the night. Be sure to have the basic tools, too. Screwdrivers, both Phillips head and flat, wrenches of varying sizes, screws, hammers, a level, tape measure, etc. Keeping everything together in a toolbox will ensure you have the right plumbing tool handy when you need it most.

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