There are some homeowners out there who like to fix as many things themselves as they can. These DIY warriors sometimes learn a great many home repair skills just by watching a few YouTube videos or getting some advice from friends and family members.
It’s true that you can save money by taking care of some DIY projects yourself, but you also run the risk of making any problem worse if you don’t know what you’re doing. In the plumbing realm, that is certainly the case.
Maybe you’re looking at a plumbing disaster in your home, or perhaps you have a persistent issue that you don’t seem able to fix without help. Let’s look at some situations where calling a plumber is probably your best bet.
You’re Not Getting Any Hot Water
Let’s say you live in Detroit, and you’re hopping in the shower to wash yourself off before heading off to work one morning. You turn your hot water all the way up, but you get a shock when it comes out ice cold. That’s probably a time when you need to contact a Detroit plumber without any delays.
If you have several family members, and you know they’ve all taken long showers recently, it’s not abnormal to lack hot water for a while. However, it’s a different matter if you’re getting no hot water at all, no matter what’s going on in your house.
This issue might be caused by a serious problem with your water heater, and that’s not something you should attempt to correct on your own. An experienced plumber can figure out what is happening with a problem as fundamental as this one. They will likely need to look at your pipes, thermostats, heating elements, ignitors, fuses, and more.
You’re Not Getting Water at All
It’s also obvious something is seriously wrong when you turn on the water at one of your taps, and nothing comes out. No water coming out of your shower also means you’ve got a serious plumbing issue worth investigating.
You should always know where the water shutoff is in your house. Maybe it got turned off by accident. However, that’s something that you have to do manually, so this issue might be caused by something else entirely.
When you call a plumber to take a look at a situation where you’re getting no water, they might determine that there’s a backup or major leak somewhere. They may realize that your pipes have frozen. In the winter in cold climates there’s a much greater chance of that happening.
You should never delay if you’re not getting any water to come out of your taps at all because some of the causes associated with this problem can get costly in a hurry. For instance, if you have a significant leak somewhere, that can cause structural damage that can sometimes cost thousands of dollars.
Your Water Pressure Remains Low
If you have consistently low water pressure, that’s a headache. No one likes trying to take a shower when all that’s happening is you have a thin trickle of water coming out.
This problem is more than just annoying, though. It’s another situation that can quickly get costly if you don’t get a plumber there to figure out what’s happening.
Low water pressure usually indicates that there’s something going on with the internal workings of your home’s plumbing. Something like a clogged aerator might be the issue, or you might have a broken or cracked pipe in one of your walls. You might even have a foundation problem, and most homeowners know that can be a costly fix.
The longer you wait, though, the more money you’ll eventually have to pay to cover the damage. Any area with a leak will continue leaking any time you turn on the water. Low pressure that’s impacting more than a single fixture is always ample reason to call in the cavalry.
You Have an Overflowing Toilet
The longer you live in any house, the more likely you’ll have an overflowing toilet at one time or another. You can try to DIY the issue with a plumbing snake or a plunger, but that’s not always enough to do the job.
Overflowing toilets are reason enough to call a plumber, especially if you keep having this problem again and again. Toilets that start overflowing after you flush them probably mean there’s a blockage. If a plunger can’t dislodge whatever is stuck, you might need the more powerful tools that a plumber will have in their truck.
The plumber might also figure out that there’s a clog in the sewer line or the main drainpipe. You won’t be able to do something about that, but a professional plumber can.
Your Home has a Persistent Sewage Smell
Nothing is worse than returning home to a house that smells like sewage. That’s not normal, and calling a plumber can be the first step toward fixing the issue.
A sewage smell might be caused by a clog or backup somewhere in the system. You might also have a drainpipe that’s not being properly ventilated. If you smell sewage after a big storm, that could mean there’s been damage to your pumps or sewage system. Only a professional can determine whether that’s the case.
You might also have a clog in your pipes or toilet that is out of reach of a snake or plunger. If you can’t get to the clog and you allow it to linger there, it can fester. The smell will probably get worse instead of better, so don’t hesitate to act.
Plumbing disasters are usually best left up to the pros. If you can fix the problem with a simple plunger job or a snake, you can certainly give that a try. If that does not produce the effect you want, though, there is no shame in calling in someone who is an expert in all plumbing matters.