DIY or Call a Plumber? A Practical Line

Reasonable to try yourself

• Plunging one clogged sink, tub or toilet.
• Pulling hair and debris out of a sink or tub stopper.
• Turning off a fixture's supply valve when it leaks or runs.
• Testing your sump pump by pouring water into the pit and watching it switch on.
• Finding and labelling your main water shutoff.

Leave these to a plumber

• Anything involving gas piping or a gas water heater.
• Water heater replacement, which involves water, gas or electrical connections and venting.
• Main sewer stoppages, and any drain that backs up into another fixture.
• The buried water service line, and anything dug in the yard or right-of-way.
• Work that needs a permit. We pull required plumbing and excavation permits when a job requires them.

• Permits & codes

Signs a DIY fix is covering up something bigger

A recurring or multi-fixture clog usually points to the main line rather than the fixture. A camera inspection shows what's going on inside the line, so we can tell whether cleaning will clear it or the pipe needs repair.

• The same drain clogs again within a short time.
• Water comes up in a tub or floor drain when you run the washer or flush a toilet.
• More than one fixture is slow at once.
• You smell sewer gas, or there are wet spots in the yard.

If you've used a chemical drain opener

If you've already poured a chemical drain opener into a stopped drain, tell us before we start. It changes how we handle the fixture safely.