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With the increasing popularity of the HGTV channel, it seems the idea of Do-It-Yourself projects at home has grown astronomically in the last few years. People all across America are now attempting to renovate their entire houses, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, backyards, porches, etc. Why pay for someone else to do a job you could do for cheaper, especially when you have the exact vision for it, right? Whether it be YouTube videos, blog articles, or full websites devoted to it, you can pretty much figure out how to do any job with a few tools and an open schedule. However, unless you’re well versed in construction projects, you can pretty much count on mistakes happening from time to time, even if they’re small. When it comes to DIY plumbing, small mistakes can turn into huge problems due to the water involved. Unless you know plumbing well, it may be best to avoid doing it yourself. But if you are brave and decide to take on the project, consider this recent Washington Post article by Tim Carter (Tim ‘the Tool Man’ Carter?) about how to avoid DIY plumbing mistakes.
First, Tim says, “It’s a bad plumbing practice to have a hard 90-degree bend in a horizontal drain line that’s buried in a slab or otherwise hidden. If you have to make a 90-degree bend, use two 45-degree fittings and put a small piece of straight pipe between the fittings, if possible.” However, it is okay to have a larger-radius (sweep) 90-degree bend at the base of a vertical drain pipe where the water begins to travel horizontally. Another important aspect is the pipe slope. He says, “Use gravity’s magic force to get solid and liquid waste out of your home. All drain lines should have a minimum fall of an eighth of an inch per foot of horizontal run.” However, if you slope it more than a quarter-inch per foot, it may cause clogs. He says, “Avoid the temptation to create lots of fall in your horizontal drain piping.”
These are just a couple of things to know before starting a do-it-yourself plumbing project in your home. However, sometimes there are jobs you simply cannot do yourself such as underground plumbing like sewer repairs. No matter how good you are with your hands, replacing your sewer or water line by yourself is just not feasible. Cutting pipe and replacing it with new pipe at the bottom of a 12-foot hole in the middle of the street isn’t exactly a candidate for a home project. That’s where Apex comes in! We have over 30 years of experience in sewer line repair, water line replacement, pipe installation and much more, performed all over the Denver Metro area. If you need underground plumbing done, don’t DIY, call Apex!
For more information on the process of a job, check out our ‘What To Expect‘ page.
