4 plumbing tasks best left to the pros

Avoid disaster and potentially catastrophic expenses by leaving these four plumbing tasks to trained professionals.

What homeowner isn't looking to save a few pennies on household maintenance and repair jobs? While certain tasks are within the domain of handy homeowners, others are best left to the professionals. This holds particularly true when it comes to your home's plumbing. Avoid disaster and potentially catastrophic expenses by leaving these four plumbing tasks to trained professionals.

While a layperson may not be well-versed in all the latest local and national regulations, keeping up with these is a plumber's job. If you're remodelling your kitchen or running a gas line through your backyard for a new grill, a plumber can help you navigate the permit world without incurring extra time or costs.

Your pipes are frozen — time to break out the hair dryer? Not if you want to avoid turning a small problem into a major one. If thawed too quickly or in the wrong way, pipes can crack or burst. A plumber understands the best methods for thawing frozen pipes, so step away from that hairdryer and pick up the phone instead.

While you may be tempted to consult the web, grab a wrench and get to work, you're playing with fire, or water as the case may be. There's no one simple issue that leads to low water pressure. Potential causes are many, and trying to troubleshoot the issue without access to the right information can be tedious and unproductive.

This also applies to situations when you suddenly run out of hot water. While a leaking tank can tip you off to the source of the problem, many times there's no evidence of the cause, leaving uneducated homeowners taking potentially dangerous shots in the dark.

There's perhaps no feeling worse than when your toilet starts backing up into your bathtub, sink or shower. Improperly draining sewer lines also fall into this category. Attempting to fix the problem yourself can lead to even more damage, particularly when the average homeowner doesn't have access to the equipment and tools necessary to get the job done. While it's costly to call in a professional for a main line replacement, it's less expensive than dealing with the cost of fixing a job gone wrong.

When the economy is tight, many homeowners tighten their purse strings by taking on DIY projects. While this may work for simple, quick fixes, it can have disastrous consequences when it comes to certain plumbing projects. Instead of taking the risk, pick up the telephone and save yourself a giant headache.