Will DIY Plumbing Affect The Insurance Cover Of Your Home?

Before attempting to do plumbing repairs and installations yourself, it would help to know that DIY plumbing may have a negative impact on your home’s insurance cover.

DIY upgrades are very popular, especially due to the increasing number of TV shows and internet videos that guide homeowners on how to do DIY renovation. However, most homeowners overlook the adverse effects that DIY home renovation may have on the insurance cover of their homes.

It goes without saying that most homeowners prefer going the DIY way rather than hiring experts in specific home improvement jobs. For instance, DIY appears to be a cheaper method of fixing most things around the home. 

Many people also assume that DIY is time-saving. However, DIY is not always cheap or time-saving. The fact is that most TV shows and internet videos are time-lapse footages of the original DIY videos. 

While DIY might be safe, cheap, and time-saving for smaller projects, it’s not ideal for bigger home upgrades. It’s advisable to first learn whether your insurance covers plumbing leaks and other issues before starting any major plumbing work.

DIY Plumbing Jobs That Can Affect Your Home’s Insurance Benefits

Here’re some DIY plumbing jobs that can have major effects on your home’s insurance plan:

Unclogging Drain Lines

Dirt, grease, and hair are a major cause of drain clogs. Once a drain line clogs, most homeowners rush to use drain unclogging chemicals. These chemicals are easily available in hardware stores. While these chemicals are popular among most homeowners, experts don’t recommend using them. 

Their use is discouraged since they emit strong fumes that may linger around the home for several days. In the event that the chemicals spill or leak for one reason or another, they may pose a health hazard to kids and pets. 

Moreover, pipe linings wear out with time. Thus, whenever harsh chemicals are used to unclog the drain, they’ll worsen the problem and lead to leakage. 

Fixing the Water Heater

Fixing a malfunctioning water heater might appear like an easy task. Doing little research about the functioning of a heater tends to fool some people into assuming that it’s something they can fix by themselves. For instance, the issue might be sediment and you may want to remove it yourself. 

However, it’s extremely dangerous to work on water heaters without the required skills. Breaking or opening the heater pipes may lead to gas leakage in case you’re working on a gas water heater. 

You might also get electrocuted when working on an electric water heater. Moreover, you might interfere with water pipes and cause major flooding.

Repairing Sink Pipes

Repairing sink pipes that are visible within the sink cupboard appears like a simple task. However, it’s often challenging to locate the exact pipe section having a problem. 

You may have to break the pipes apart, and this would be a risky affair. While some homeowners may attempt to do such repairs by themselves, it’s advisable to seek assistance from a professional plumber.

Repairing the Toilet

The toilet is one major plumbing fixture that most homeowners attempt to repair themselves. While it’s stressful to have a malfunctioning toilet, fixing it on your own may worsen the existing problem.

In case you’re thinking that you’ll save money by doing it yourself rather than hiring a professional plumber, you should rethink about your choice. For instance, a broken toilet may require repair by fixing its supply or drain pipes. 

Doing such repair by yourself may only worsen the problem. You might even damage the plumbing system beyond that of your property.

Fixing Poor Water Pressure

Poor water pressure may be fixed by detaching and cleaning the water tap aerator. However, the aerator may not be the only issue. 

Maybe there’s a more serious problem than the aerator. For instance, fractured and broken pipes can also lead to poor water pressure.

Why hire a professional plumber for the job?

Home insurers generally investigate the root cause of a plumbing problem as a protocol. Supposing they discover that a plumbing issue was worsened by DIY repair attempts, and you never sought the assistance of an expert, then your insurance claim may be denied.

It’s best leaving plumbing work to the experts. Attempting to do plumbing repairs yourself may end up interfering with your water supply and that of your neighborhood. Avoid such costly mistakes by hiring a licensed plumber.