Plumbers are expensive, there’s no doubt about it! It is justified, though. Most people would want to be well compensated to be in that line of work! However, a plumber may not always be necessary for every little leak or drip that comes up. In many cases, a little diy know-how is enough to do the trick. Read through our list of common plumbing problems with simple solutions you can try before you call a plumber.

Dripping Faucet:
Is it the sound of the endlessly repetitive dripping water that is keeping you awake all night, or the thought of having to call a plumber to fix it? The most common reason a faucet drips is a loose screw inside the tap. Simply pop out the little cover on the top of each tap to reveal a screw inside. Give it a good tighten with a screwdriver and pop the tabs back in. Turn on the tap and then turn it off again and see if it still drips. Nine times out of ten, this simple fix is all it takes.

Leaking pipes:
If you’ve ever tried to seal a leaking pipe, you’ve probably realized pretty quickly that nothing will stick or dry as long as that pipe is wet. And if it’s leaking, it’s wet. There is an ingenious invention that seals any material even when wet. Silicone self sealing tape sticks to itself, and when stretched and wrapped repeatedly around a leaking pipe it creates a water tight seal that can last for years. That’s not to say this should be used as an indefinite solution, leaking pipes should be dealt with by a professional. This solution will buy you quite a bit of time and allow you to budget and get competitive quotes before actually having to bring in a professional.

Smells emanating from your drains:
If your sink is smelly, check your trap! That funny squiggle u bend under your sink isn’t just there in case you drop your ring down the drain, it’s there to trap odours. Water fills the u part of the bend and a small amount stays there, creating a seal that prevents odours from traveling back up the pipe and out through your drain. If you haven’t used the sink in a while, run some water down the drain to fill the trap in case it has evaporated. If you use the sink regularly, check underneath for leaks. If the u bend is leaking, see above for some advice on sealing leaking pipes.

A shower head that sprays at the connectors:
If water is spraying from the wrong parts of your showerhead, there’s a simple fix. First, pick up some thread sealing tape. Make sure the water is turned off tightly and remove the showerhead by unscrewing it. If it’s a hand held on a hose, you’ll need to unscrew the head from the hose, and the hose from the wall mount. You might find some plastic bits around the threading of each connection. This is old thread tape. Pick that off and carefully wrap the new tape around the threaded end of the connector, then screw it back the way it was. That little bit of light silky tape seals the threads so water can’t escape between the spaces of the threads, spraying and dripping around the connections.

So next time you encounter one of the problems listed above, try DIY!