When it comes to home plumbing, gasfitting and drainage, don’t be tempted to DIY! There’s very little you can legally do yourself.

DIY gone wrong can also result in expensive mistakes and possible fines, invalidate your home insurance—and put your family’s health and safety at risk.

We’ve put together a guide to when to make a good call and get a Master Plumber, Gasfitter or Drainlayer to sort your plumbing problem.

Make sure you also read our blog on what to do in a plumbing emergency.

Urgent issues

Get a professional involved right away if you experience any of the following:

• no hot water
• low water pressure throughout your home
• extremely hot water
• ceiling leaks
• soggy patch on a wall
• blocked or overflowing drains
• sewerage smells
• burst pipes
• frozen pipes
• seriously leaky or overflowing guttering
• gas smells
• a faulty gas appliance

Here are a few tips for the smaller jobs you are able to try yourself.

Sink blockages

You could give a plunger ago before calling a plumber and use this helpful a step-by-step guide. However, if it’s still draining slowly after trying the plunger, you could add a bit of drain unclogging chemical cleaner to help clear out the gunk. If nothing happens, it’s time to call a Master Plumber but be sure to tell your plumber what you have used in the attempt to clear the drain as chemical cleaners may cause a health and safety risk to a plumber attempting to clear the drain.

Toilet troubles

It’s really important you address toilet issues fast as you don’t want any wastewater leakage—very unsafe!

If it’s clogged, you can try plunging first, as above. The only difference is you need a flange plunger, which is purposely designed for toilets. 

If you find the toilet is running constantly after each flush, take off the cistern lid to access the tank and lift up the float to see if this stops it. Also look to see if the issue is a sticky flush button. Try pressing or jiggling it gently. 

If neither of these makes a difference, it’s time to call the plumber.

Frozen pipes

Sometimes pipes freeze in very cold temperatures. When this happens, they are prone to split as the water inside them expands. Inspect your frozen pipe for damage first. If you notice splits or cracks, you should call the plumber sharpish.

 If you live in an area prone to severe frost or extremely cold temperatures, be proactive and call in a plumber to have the pipes insulated.

Gas hobs

A common problem can be difficulty lighting hob burners, this often occurs after a spill or cleaning. The spark from the igniters can short with excessive moisture and burner caps/tops that are not positioned correctly.

To correct these issues, carefully clean and dry away moisture from the spark igniters and ensure the burner tops are correctly positioned.

It’s easy to find a local Master Plumber, Gasfitter or Drainlayer who knows what they’re doing and can back their work with a solid guarantee. Just use the search tool on this website.