Plumbing · Lesson 12 of 13Beginner5 min read

Doing Your Own Work

A lot of plumbing is within reach: clearing a clog, fixing a running toilet, cleaning an aerator, finding a leak. Some of it isn’t, by law or by risk. This lesson helps you tell the difference and build skill one rung at a time.

A starter tool kit

  • A flashlight or headlamp, rags, a bucket and old towels
  • A cup plunger for sinks and tubs, and a flange plunger for toilets
  • A hand drain snake (auger)
  • Two adjustable wrenches and a pair of tongue-and-groove pliers
  • A basin wrench, for nuts under a sink
  • Thread-sealing tape and a small tube of pipe joint compound
  • A water pressure gauge that threads onto a hose bibb
  • A kitchen thermometer, to check hot water temperature as CPSC suggests
  • Food coloring or dye tablets, for the toilet dye test
  • Safety glasses and gloves

Shut off the water first

Before you take anything apart, stop the water. Close the fixture’s own shutoff valve if it has one, or the main shutoff, then open a faucet to let out the leftover pressure. Have a bucket and towels ready for the water still in the pipes. If a valve is stuck or won’t close all the way, stop; forcing an old valve can break it. Shut Off Your Home’s Water shows how.

For anything on the water heater, turn off its power at the breaker or set a gas heater to its pilot or off setting as the manual describes, and let the water cool. Hot water burns quickly (Lesson 5).

Permits, inspections and licenses

Plumbing rules are set by states and local governments. A permit is the building department’s way of making sure work meets the code, and an inspection is how it checks, usually before walls are closed up. Replacing a faucet or a toilet often needs no permit; adding a bathroom, moving drains, replacing a water heater or working on gas lines often does. Some places let homeowners do permitted work on their own home; others require a licensed plumber for more of it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that most states and some localities require plumbers to be licensed, and some require a special license for gas line work.

When in doubt, call your building department and ask. It’s free, and it saves money and trouble later, when you sell the house or file an insurance claim.

Plancheck thelocal codeAskis a permitneeded?Do the workyourself onlyif allowedInspectionbefore wallsare closedApprovalkeep thepaperworkRules differ by state and town. Some work must be done by a licensed plumber.
A general picture. Your building department or the authority having jurisdiction has the real rules for your address.

The skill ladder

Climb one rung at a time. Do each new job with an experienced helper the first time, with the manufacturer’s instructions open. The fourth rung isn’t a challenge to work up to: those jobs need a license, special training, a permit or equipment.

  1. First jobs

    No tools beyond a plunger, a flashlight and food coloring.

  2. Next steps

    Basic hand tools, the manufacturer’s instructions, and an experienced helper the first time.

    • Clear a clog with a hand drain snake
    • Replace a showerhead, using thread tape
    • Replace a toilet fill valve
    • Replace a faucet washer or cartridge (match the old part)
    • Check your water pressure with a gauge
    • Insulate exposed pipes in cold spaces
    • Add a hose-bibb vacuum breaker

  3. Intermediate jobs

    More tools, a mentor, and a check on whether your town needs a permit. Mistakes here can flood a house.

    • Replace a faucet
    • Replace a toilet
    • Replace a sink trap or a fixture supply line
    • Replace a fixture shutoff valve
    • Install a washing machine or dishwasher hookup
    • Flush a water heater, following its manual

  4. Leave these to licensed pros

    They need a license, a permit, special training or equipment.

    • Gas piping, gas connectors and gas appliance hookups (CPSC: only a qualified professional)
    • Installing or replacing a water heater, and its venting and T&P discharge piping
    • The water service line, meter and curb valve, and any lead service line
    • Moving or adding drains, vents and supply lines inside walls
    • Main sewer line repairs, and septic system service
    • Pressure-reducing valves and backflow assemblies where your code requires a licensed installer
    • Soldering and any work with an open flame in walls

NoteWhen a job grows

Plumbing jobs have a way of growing: a stuck valve, a corroded nut, a rotten subfloor. It’s fine to stop, close the water off, and call a plumber. Leaving a job half-done with the water off is better than forcing it.

Check yourself

Tap an answer to check it, or open “Show the answer.”

  1. What’s the first step before taking apart any plumbing fixture?

    Show the answer

    Shut off its water and open a faucet to relieve the pressure. Stop the water first, then relieve the pressure.

  2. Which job belongs on the “leave it to licensed pros” rung?

    Show the answer

    Running or repairing gas piping. Gas piping needs a licensed professional, and often a permit.

  3. Why do inspections usually happen before walls are closed?

    Show the answer

    So the inspector can see the pipes and test them. Once the walls are closed, the work can’t be seen or easily fixed.

  4. A shutoff valve won’t turn. What should you do?

    Show the answer

    Stop and call a plumber; forcing an old valve can break it. Old valves can snap; then you have a flood instead of a stuck valve.

Go deeper

Sources

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A free course from Teddy Rook Book. It explains how plumbing works in general and follows U.S. sources; your local plumbing code, the authority having jurisdiction and manufacturers’ instructions are the final word.

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