If you need to replace a pipe in your Beckley, WV, house, it may be tempting to just do it yourself instead of having to pay a plumber. Some plumbing tasks, like fixing a toilet that won’t stop running or replacing a faucet, are simple and possibly something you could do on your own. When it comes to replacing a water line or drainpipe, this is something you should always leave to a professional for several reasons.
Plumbing Permits
If you need to replace any pipes or are looking at repiping your entire house, the first thing you should be aware of is that you may need to have a plumbing permit to perform the work. A permit isn’t always required for minor work, such as if you have a leaky pipe and just need to replace the damaged section. If you need to replace your drainpipes or the main plumbing stack, you’ll almost certainly need a permit. The same is true when performing any type of work on your main sewer line or when moving any of your existing pipes to a different location since this is generally considered a renovation. Many locations even require a permit just to replace a water heater. If the work requires a permit, you’re also required to have everything inspected once the project is complete.
Some places allow homeowners to apply for the necessary permit themselves, while others only allow a licensed master plumber to get the permit. In either case, the inspector will check that a licensed, insured contractor did the work. If you don’t get the required permit and try to do the work yourself, you could end up facing major issues. For starters, performing the work without the required permit can result in a costly fine. You may also be forced to have everything you did torn out and redone by a licensed plumber, which will obviously end up costing you more than if you’d just hired a plumber in the first place.
Code Requirements
Another thing to be aware of is that any plumbing work must meet all of the necessary code requirements. If you’re having major work done like repiping or replacing the entire vertical plumbing stack, you’re usually also required to update all your plumbing so that it meets the current plumbing codes. If you were to perform the work yourself and it doesn’t conform to code, you can end up facing major headaches in the future. The next time you need to have major work done that requires a permit or inspection, the inspector may require you to have the work you performed redone so that it’s up to code.
You’ll also likely encounter serious hassles if you try to sell your home in the future. Almost every prospective buyer or their real estate agent will insist on hiring their own inspector to check everything in the home. If the inspector notices that your plumbing isn’t up to code, it gives the prospective buyer a huge bargaining chip. That means that they’ll typically either want you to fix any code violations before they close on your house or negotiate to get the cost of the necessary repairs and updates taken out of the final price.
Insurance Considerations
Another reason why you should always hire a licensed plumber is that any licensed company is required to be insured. This insurance protects you in case the work isn’t performed correctly and results in a leak that causes water damage inside your house. You’re also protected in case the plumber performing the work causes any type of damage to the rest of your plumbing or any other part of your house. Should any damage occur, you can then file a lawsuit against the company you hired if they refuse to pay for the necessary repairs.
Homeowners insurance companies also dissuade people from doing any work on their plumbing themselves. Your insurance company obviously won’t have any real way of knowing if you replaced a pipe yourself. However, a major issue will arise should you not do the work properly, and the pipe ends up leaking and causing major water damage. Most insurance companies will cover water damage that results from plumbing issues. The problem is that an insurance adjuster will often be able to tell that the leaky pipe was recently replaced. In this case, you can be certain that your insurance company will want to know the name of the company that performed the work.
If the work was done by a licensed plumbing company, your insurance will be able to file a claim with the plumbing company’s insurance to pay for the cost of the necessary repairs. If you performed the work yourself, your insurance company will likely deny your claim or raise your rates. There is also a chance the company could drop you. In this case, you’ll have a more difficult time finding a new insurance company and typically must pay higher rates than you were.
If you’re trying to replace a copper water line and you don’t solder the pipe joints properly, there’s a high chance that a joint will eventually come loose and cause the pipe to burst. Most of the supply lines that run to your plumbing fixtures like faucets, toilets, and showers are 1/2-inch diameter. If a pipe this size bursts, it can result in nearly 50 gallons of water flowing out per minute and create massive flooding issues. If you had a pipe burst or come loose overnight or when you weren’t home to notice the issue, the water could easily cause well over $10,000 in damage that you’d likely have to pay to repair yourself.
Safety Issues
Unlike electrical work, plumbing work like replacing a pipe or even repiping a house generally isn’t dangerous. When it does become dangerous is if the work isn’t done properly. You end up with a leak that leads to water meeting your electrical system. This can result in an extremely dangerous ground fault, which is when the electrical current leaks out of the circuit. If you were to touch an outlet that has a ground fault or anything plugged into the outlet, the current can then travel through you since your body offers it the path of least resistance to the ground. Ground faults can result in severe shock or even fatal electrocution. They also often result in electrical fires occurring, which could end up destroying your home.
If you need to replace a pipe, repair a leak, or are looking to repipe your house, you can count on the experts at Childers Air Plumbing & Electric to get the job done correctly. We’ve been serving Beckley and the surrounding areas since 1951 and are the area’s most trusted plumbing company. We also offer reliable electrical, heating, and air conditioning services. We back up all of the work we perform with a full satisfaction guarantee. To learn more about what makes Childers Air Plumbing & Electric the best choice for pipe replacement in Beckley, contact us today.
