Discussion with a plumber part 3 of 4

 

Hi gang.

 

Part 3 in a 4 part series on “discussions with a plumber”

A friend of mine, Tanner Mansfield, is the owner of Damascus Road Services, LLC

https://tannermansfield.com/

804-306-2706

 

I spent 45 minutes one evening talking to him about the issues that come up in home plumbing problems, that result in him being called.

Today, I am talking about what maintenance you should NOT do.

1.       Don’t change the elements or thermostats in your hot water heater. You can electrocute yourself or cause a gas explosion. Its really easy to have a major problem, and cause a fireball or burnt dog hair (oh.. sorry Venkman). Additionally, a water heater element, when not immersed will burn up very quickly. And that is really easy to do. I have done it. If you are lucky, that will be the only thing that goes wrong.

2.       ANYTHING with a gas line. Don’t do it. Learn how to turn off the gas line to your house at the meter. Gas goes from a nasty smell to blowing up the house VERY quickly. A cut off valve is nice, but its really easy to make a mistake, and when the gas hits a spark of any sort, the resulting fireball is impressive in its scariness.You should have a cut off wrench for your gas line made of a non-sparking material.

3.       Change a shut off valve. Those valves under the sink, and under the toilet and behind the wall in the shower.. Yeah. Replacing those is pretty tricky, and you can make quite the mess. And your homeowners insurance doesn’t cover you being stupid.

4.       Drain repairs. Those lines are very specific. The drain line angle is VERY important, and can be a problem. Too shallow or too steep the liquid can run off and leave the solid behind. That’s pretty shitty.

5.       Cut or replace any supply lines. Modern pipes are made of very specific types of PVC and related materials. If you use the wrong joint primer or sealer, it will not stay, and when you put it under pressure, it will blow. And spray water all over your house. And you will have to pay for that.

 

Jason

 

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