Plumb Bad – When DIY Projects Go Wrong

By Billy Aldridge

In these trying economic times, I don’t blame the public for attempting to save money by doing it themselves.  The problem is that more often than you’d care to believe, someone gets it way over their heads in their zeal to save a buck.  When that happens, the results can be damage to the home or business, not to mention a huge repair bill.  So the first bit of advice I give to all you wannabe DIYers out there is: Know your limits.

As Seen on TV

The real culprit behind some questionable DIY attempts I suspect are those ubiquitous TV shows that demonstrate just how easy it is to do the job yourself.  Ever since Bob Vila first aired “This Old House” back in 1979, there has been a flood of home repair series that have made their hosts household names and big box hardware supply stores a ton of money.  Just remember that you can’t always believe everything you see on TV.  Plus you also need to realize that most home repair shows are hosted by experienced contractors who know what they are doing. 

Since everyone seems to respond to TV shows, I have put a few together a few YouTube examples myself.  These clips come from news organizations and consumers that show like an outtake reel designed to reveal what can happen when a DIY project goes wrong.  The first is a Fox News piece with Angie Hicks of Angie's list.

DIY Plumbing Disaster for Fun & Profit - In Australia they actually created a competition with a $3,000 first prize that encouraged people to share their DIY plumbing disasters.  I guess that was to cover the damage done.  Below is a clip that shows a running commentary from the judges with some of the more creative entries.  Who says that they don't have a sense of humor down under.

The next installment is a newsflash from a first time homeowner who hired an unlicensed plumber to fix her dishwasher. Not only wasn't the problem fixed. The "fixer" caused more than $17,000 in damage.  Yikes!

Last but not least, here is how not to unstop a drain.  Yuck!

The reason these videos are helpful is that they serve to illustrate some of the things that can go wrong if you try to bite off more than you can chew when it comes to tackling a number of common plumbing problems on your own.  That's not to say that there isn't a time and place for a little DIY.  You just don't want to wind up paying more to fix the fix than the original repair would have cost in the first place.  As my final installment, I offer up a DIY plumbing fix that literally anyone can handle.  

Billy Aldridge is one of the Doctors of Plumbology at Aldridge and Sons Plumbing in Jacksonville, Florida.  Visit their website at http://plumbers-jacksonville-fl.com for all you plumbing needs.