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Fix it yourself

Plumber repairs you can do yourself

Most plumbing calls start with something you can check in ten minutes: a flapper, a trap, a shut-off valve. The line is anything that needs the wall opened or the main line worked on.

You can do
16
Pro-only
2
Typical time
10 min – 2 h
  1. 01

    Clogged drain

    Remove the stopper or strainer and pull out anything you can see with the plastic zip tool.

    easy 15–45 min· $5–30 for a zip tool, plunger or auger

  2. 02

    Dripping faucet

    Close the shut-off valves under the sink and open the tap to release pressure; plug the drain so small parts cannot fall in.

    moderate 30–60 min· $10–45 for a cartridge or washer kit

  3. 03

    Frozen pipes

    Open the affected tap so melting water and pressure have somewhere to go, then find the frozen section — often where a pipe runs along an outside wall, in a crawl space, or under a sink.

    moderate 1–2 h· $5–20 for pipe insulation

  4. 04

    Garbage disposal humming but not spinning

    Switch the disposal off and unplug it under the sink or switch off its breaker — never put a hand in with power on.

    easy 10–30 min· $0–8 for a hex key

  5. 05

    Gas leak near appliance

    Do not switch anything on or off — no lights, no phones indoors, no doorbells; a spark is the danger.

    Don't do this yourself

  6. 06

    Hot water runs out quickly

    Check the thermostat setting first; on electric tanks there are two, behind the upper and lower access panels, and both should match.

    moderate 30–90 min· $0–35 for a hose, an element or a dip tube

  7. 07

    Leaking pipe

    Close the nearest shut-off valve, or the main valve where the supply enters the house, and open a tap below the leak to drain the line.

    moderate 30–90 min· $10–35 in tape, clamp or putty

  8. 08

    Low water pressure

    Check whether the problem is one fixture or the whole house — run the kitchen tap, a bathroom tap and an outdoor tap and compare.

    easy 20–60 min· $0–30 for vinegar, an aerator or a gauge

  9. 09

    No hot water

    Electric heater: check the breaker in the panel — a tripped double breaker sits between on and off; switch it fully off, then on.

    easy 15–45 min· $0–40 for a thermostat or element if you are comfortable with electrical work

  10. 10

    Running toilet

    Lift the tank lid and watch one flush: if water keeps flowing into the bowl, the flapper is leaking; if water spills into the overflow tube, the float is set too high.

    easy 15–45 min· $8–25 for a flapper or fill valve

  11. 11

    Sewage smell in the bathroom

    Run water into every drain in the room for a minute, including the floor drain and any unused shower — a dried-out trap lets sewer gas straight in.

    easy 15–45 min· $5–25 for cleaning supplies or a wax ring

  12. 12

    Sewer backup

    Stop using water everywhere in the house — every flush and shower is more sewage coming up the lowest drain.

    Don't do this yourself

  13. 13

    Slow bathtub drain

    Remove the overflow plate (two screws) and the drain stopper — many lift out or unscrew anticlockwise.

    easy 15–40 min· $5–15 for a snake and a hair catcher

  14. 14

    Toilet overflowing

    Stop the water: lift the tank lid and push the flapper down, or close the shut-off valve behind the toilet.

    easy 10–40 min· $10–35 for a plunger or auger

  15. 15

    Water bubble forming on the ceiling

    Put a bucket under the bulge and move furniture and electronics out of the way.

    easy 10–30 min· $0 — the fix is upstream; patching later costs $20–50 in materials

  16. 16

    Water Heater Leaking

    Find where the water starts: dry everything, lay paper towels, and watch — the top fittings, the relief valve pipe, the drain valve, or the seam at the bottom of the tank.

    moderate 20–60 min· $0–20 for tape and a hose cap; $15–30 for a relief valve

  17. 17

    Water heater making popping or rumbling noise

    The popping is water boiling under a layer of sediment; it is a maintenance signal, not an emergency.

    moderate 45–90 min· $0–15 for a hose

  18. 18

    Water heater pilot light out

    Read the relighting label on the tank — the sequence differs between models and matters.

    easy 10–30 min· $0

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