There are few areas of home service that more people think they can handle on their own than plumbing. “Plumbing’s not that hard!” they think as they look over all the plumbing wrenches and other tools for sale at hardware and home improvement stores. Even for people who would rather not do the plumbing work themselves often believe hiring non-professionals is just fine—and they’ll save money.
But plumbing isn’t easy. It requires licensed professionals to handle most jobs more difficult than changing the washers in a faucet. Below are five reasons to call for pro plumbers before calling an amateur or picking up the wrench yourself.
The sump pump is a staple in the basements of many homes around the country. They help prevent water damage due to flooding, going to work automatically as they gather excess water in a pit (the sump) and then pump it out into either the wastewater system or a well.
No, it’s not a magical item from a fantasy story—although that would be a neat weapon. Water hammer is the name for the loud thumping sound that may suddenly come from your home’s pipes. Water hammer is a common occurrence—in fact, in early plumbing systems, water hammer was what often caused people to believe their houses were haunted!