4 DIY Plumbing Projects You Can Handle (and Those Better Left for a Plumber)

By Terri Williams
May 21, 2018

Your home improvement skills may have helped you save a few hundred bucks in the past, but plumbing projects can be a whole different ballgame. Some plumbing predicaments you can handle with your own two hands, but you never want to end up with a botched DIY job, a deluge of water, and a mountain of regret that you should have called the pros.

Jarret Acevedo, a master plumber and owner of Jarret Acevedo Plumbing and Heating in Shirley, NY, says he has a lot of clients who keep him busy, but he also has no problem with his customers saving money by performing simple plumbing projects themselves. “Sometimes, customers doing a DIY project will send me a diagram, and I will help them over the phone,” he says.

He often refers people to DIY tutorials from reputable sources on YouTube. “However, if you’re watching a video and most of the instructions don’t make sense, that’s a clue that you might be in over your head,” he says.

So how do you know what projects to attempt on your own and when it’s time to slide into the passenger seat and let your plumber take the wheel? Our experts reveal the ones the average homeowner can DIY and the ones that require a licensed pro.

1. Switching a toilet seat

Changing a toilet seat is a relatively simple plumbing project that most people should be able to do themselves, according to Victor Cotoia II, owner of Cascade Plumbing in Surfside Beach, SC. The key is to make sure you purchase the right type of seat: regular or elongated. (Look it up). The toilet set comes with the bolts and nuts, and the hinges are preattached, so typically, a wrench is the only tool needed.

2. Replacing the toilet flapper

Both Cotoia and Acevedo believe that changing most toilet flappers—the underwater valves inside the tank—qualifies as a DIY plumbing project. “I’ve found that my customers have success with simple toilet repairs like that—and they can save $100,” Acevedo says. In addition to replacing the actual flapper, this job entails cutting off the water valve to the toilet, purchasing a new toilet flapper, and removing any unnecessary parts. You’ve got this!

3. Changing the faucets

“A lot of homeowners can change faucets, but if the project requires specialty tools, they almost certainly won’t have them,” Acevedo says. If it’s a brand new home, he says homeowners have a better chance of doing it themselves. However, if it’s an old house, he warns that everything is not going to come apart easily. “Some faucets just need a screwdriver, but when they need other tools and they need to get into a tight spot, DIYers might not be able to do it.”

4. Replacing the washing machine hose

The only tool necessary for changing a washing machine hose is a pair of pliers, and Cotoia says this should be a relatively simple and quick plumbing project. Many people replace the existing rubber hose with a metal one that will last longer. You’ll need to unplug the washing machine, cut off the hot and cold water valves, and make sure the hoses match the connections (for example, hot water hose to hot water connection).

5. Call the plumber for any other project

The four projects above are pretty much the only ones our experts thought homeowners should tackle themselves. Cotoia says, point-blank: “You need a plumber for everything else.”

Kirk Herzog, special project manager at Expert Plumbing & Rooter, Inc., in Van Nuys, CA, recommends hiring a professional in the following situations:

  • If the structure of your property is changing and/or a permit is needed
  • If you are dealing with gas or electricity
  • If you don’t understand the project/don’t have the skill set to complete the project

 

Certain projects are actually off-limits to those who are not certified professionals. “In the state of New York, you do not touch gas piping,” Acevedo says. “A licensed master plumber is required for those projects, for your safety and the safety of your neighbors.”

While DIY plumbing projects can help you save money, it’s also important to understand your limit. Your goal to save $100 can turn into a mistake that costs thousands of dollars. “I don’t mind if homeowners pick my brain, and I don’t mind if they watch me work—in fact, I’ll show them how to do things,” says Acevedo. “But that doesn’t make you a plumber.”