Burst pipes can be disastrous to your property if left unattended. Assume that you have an overhead tank in your home that supplies water to your washrooms and is above your ceiling. If one of the connected pipes bursts, your entire ceiling will likely be destroyed. Eventually, causing a significant loss. And this can be devastating if the leakage begins at night or while you’re away from home.
However, when you notice a burst pipe in your home, you should immediately repair it before it worsens or destroys your property. In this case, you may choose between two options: do-it-yourself (DIY) or get a professional plumber from a reputable company. For instance, you can visit this page on the Fergusons Plumbing site to learn some services plumbing companies offer beyond leaking pipes. As such, you need to brainstorm which of the two options gives you the best returns on investment. It could be in terms of price or response time.
If you’re wondering whether you should DIY your burst pipe or call a professional plumber, first read the pros and cons of each:
Doing-It-Yourself (DIY)
A DIY is a commendable thing in some situations. Assume that you’re a plumber yourself. In this case, you can repair your burst pipe instead of hiring someone else to do the work for you. In addition, some bursts are small and manageable. As such, even a non-specialist can repair the burst. However, this option has its pros and cons as well.
Advantages Of DIY
Here are the possible advantages of DIYing a burst pipe. They include and are not limited to the following:
- It’s Cheap: Repairing your burst pipe is the cheapest option. What you might need is to buy the materials required for replacement. Then, you can correct the burst yourself. In this case, you save finances that you’d have paid someone as labor costs even if you were to buy the materials to be used. In addition, you save on any future maintenance cost if any leakage results shortly.
- Quick Response: Since you’re the one attending to the burst pipe, you can repair it immediately. As a result, the leakage from the pipe might not end up destroying your property or raising your water or gas usage bills.
Disadvantage Of DIY
The only cons associated with DIYing a burst pipe is:
- Might waste time: In situations where the work is beyond your capacity, you may try doing it and fail. Thus, it wastes time, which might also result in property destruction because of the leaking pipe.
Hiring A Professional Plumber
Plumbing is work that requires expertise and skill. Thus, if you’ve no idea what you should do to your burst pipe, wisdom should lead you to hire a professional plumber. Many established companies with reputable services can sort out your plumbing issues within the shortest time possible.
Advantages Of Hiring A Professional Plumber
You can get several advantages by hiring a professional plumbing company. And they include:
- Offers You Expertise: If you have a significant burst on your pipe, it’s better to get an experienced person to handle your problem. Plus, bursts, such as pipes carrying flammable gases or liquids, can be dangerous if they’re not appropriately fixed. Thus, to avoid immediate and life-threatening leakages, consider hiring plumbing professionals. In this case, you’re assured of quality service.
- Can Handle Big Projects: Plumbing is a venture that can take lots of labor hours, especially in a building project. Thus, to ensure that a burst that has affected your entire plumbing system is well handled, you may need people who have done such kind of work before. And professional plumbers will be your best companion in this case.
- Offers After Repair Support: As a way to retain customers, many plumbing companies assure their customers of continued support in case there is a recurring leakage after the repair. For your information, this should be part of the bargain if leakage occurs within a specified period. And the company should be willing to completely seal the leakage without asking for more money.
Disadvantage Of Hiring A Professional Plumber
Even with the stated advantages, hiring professional plumbers has associated disadvantages, such as:
- It’s Expensive: Hiring an expert, especially from an established company, can be expensive. The company has to pay its workers and cater to other operating costs. In summary, getting a professional plumber’s services differs from hiring a layperson to do the work for you. Therefore, if you’re thinking of going in this direction, have a reasonable budget.
Final Thoughts
Choosing between DIYing your burst pipe and hiring a professional plumber can be determined by the nature and extent of the burst. Hopefully, this article conclusively gives you factors to consider before deciding to DIY or repair your burst pipe using a professional.