Dealing with household plumbing issues can be a major pain. As one of the most essential and sensible installations in any home, plumbing systems are inevitably prone to damage and tear over time, be it in the kitchen, bathroom, or basement. While you can perfectly go about replacing a faucet or installing a new showerhead by yourself, other serious problems, such as flooding and gas leaks, require the intervention of a qualified and licensed professional. If you decide to tackle such problems yourself, you might cause further damages to your system, which can be dangerous and induce further costs.

In that spirit, we’ve put together a guide with some common plumbing repairs that you should never attempt to do on your own.

Installing New Appliances

While the Internet is now a goldmine of DIY guides and tutorials that show you how to put up a new toilet or dishwasher, it’s best to have these home appliances installed by a plumbing expert. As a matter of fact, any installation that connects directly to your water supply should be undertaken with caution, as it can affect your water flow. Likewise, do not attempt to set up a new water heater since you’ll need to deal with electricity, and this can prove dangerous in many scenarios.

Unclogging Drains or Sewer Lines

Clogged drains are some of the most common plumbing issues. With that, many homeowners are somehow under the impression that they can fix the problem themselves, seeing as you can purchase a special cleaner or a plumbing snake to unblock your drains. However, that is a grave misconception. Treating your clogged drain as a DIY project, without the proper structural knowledge and specialized equipment, can result in sewage backups and take a toll on the reliability of your plumbing system.

Replacing Damaged Pipes

While it might not sound like an extraordinarily difficult job, repairing or replacing damaged water pipes in your house can be very tricky. People will often be tempted to apply quick fixes when they notice a leak somewhere, which is fine, but this only works as a temporary solution to a potentially disastrous problem. If you’re a homeowner in Lakewood, California, you should immediately call on a local plumbing technician whenever you notice any water-related problems at home. Not only will they properly assess the situation, but you can count on their expertise to provide the most optimal solutions.

Modifying Your Plumbing System

Unless you have proven experience and a record of success as a plumber, it’s never a good idea to modify your plumbing system from the inside by yourself. You may want to reroute a sewer line, or perhaps extend your hot water lines in case you’ve built a new bathroom; these operations can be delicate and shouldn’t be attempted by a non-expert. As such, relying on a certified plumber is your best chance of seeing your project throughout without compromising the integrity of your whole system.

Dealing with a Gas Leak

In general, gas leaks are a relatively rare occurrence inside households. Still, they do happen and can be a major health risk to occupants. At best, you would be able to detect a gas leak by picking up its distinctive rotten egg smell, which would give you and your family enough time to evacuate the premises and wait for an emergency plumber’s visit. Tampering with gas lines trying to locate the problem, on the other hand, should never be considered under any circumstances.

Foul Odors

Smelling a bad odor coming from your water system is often the sign of an underlying plumbing issue. Whenever we flush water down the sink or the toilet, substances in that water can cling around the pipes, causing bacteria to develop which will give off putrid smells. To deal with that common problem, your pipes will need to be taken apart for a thorough inspection and cleanup; needless to say, this isn’t within the reach of the average DIY-er.

Underground Repairs

Lastly, digging around underground plumbing installations is not something that can be done by homeowners themselves. Whichever the problem, be it a burst or frozen water supply pipe, many state legislations require that you hire a plumber to inspect and fix the issue.

All in all, many homeowners do not realize they might be experiencing problems with their plumbing system until it’s too late. More often than not, they’ll simply ignore them, apply quick fixes, or decide they’re up for the task of fixing it themselves. Regardless of the problem at hand, calling on the services of a plumbing professional is always the best guarantee for a safe and comfortable living environment.