Before attempting any DIY project, no matter how trivial it might seem, you need a plan. Plan it out on paper, and then visually inspect your plan in person, looking for faults and problems. I had to learn this the hard way with some serious problems, but you can learn from my mistakes in plumbing to become a better DIY repairperson.
The Problem
The drain in my only full bathroom had been a minor problem since I moved in, but with classes, projects, and hobbies to attend to, I reasoned that slow drains weren’t a priority for me, and that I would just cope. Amazingly, I managed on a slow drain for 8 months. Over time, the drain got slower and slower, but I still had things to do, and I took absolutely no action.
Already, we can see the mistake brewing. As time goes on, a minor clog accumulates material by preventing it from flowing easily through the pipes. I was growing a mega-clog in my drain, but I was too lazy to take easy action with drain openers when I had the chance.
This all reached critical mass in the middle of a cold Pittsburgh winter, with snow on the streets and more falling. One day, I stepped into my shower and found the remnants of yesterday’s shower, now thoroughly gross, still sitting in the tub. Slow was no longer a good description. Now it was taking 20 hours to drain, and something had to be done.
My Faulty Preparations
“How hard can plumbing be?” I reasoned incorrectly. It was, after all, just a clogged drain. I didn’t survey the problem at all.
I hopped across the street to the local convenience store and returned with “Brand A” drain opener (I’ll spare all ineffective brands from being represented here.). The bottle proudly proclaimed that it was “2x more effective than brand B”, and I was looking for something effective. I poured it in and waited. Four hours later, the snow was falling faster, and now the drain in my bathtub was truly and completely stopped.
Brand B time I thought. Brand B was labeled as being “3x as effective as Brand A”, and as a mathematician, I realized that the only way they could make those competing claims was in a reality in which both had an effectiveness of 0. And so it was. Brand B only filled my tub with more toxic slime, and I was no closer to the warm shower that I was hoping for.
Back across the street, I decided to try a “foaming pipe snake” formula, and I discovered it to be as useless as the others. It made a foamy mess, but no draining was taking place.
Know When to Throw In the Towel
At this point, I should have called a plumber. Alas, I was not that guy. Instead of looking into the pipes behind the tub, I boldly ran out to the nearest hardware store and returned brandishing a coiled pipe snake. That took 3 hours to do, since I had to walk in the snow and ice to the hardware store, but I was feeling good. I felt ready.
I was, of course, not ready. Had I opened up the back of the bathtub, I would have seen that the pipes from a few sources converged just behind the tub, and it would be a miracle for the pipe snake to take the right path through that winding course. The pipe snake would go 8 inches into the pipe, then inevitable travel into the wrong place, emerging from my sink or worse. Certainly, a professional with better, automatic equipment could have managed the trial and error of getting into the right pipe, but I was already 13 hours invested into this project, and I was unwilling to claim defeat.
Back out into the cold I went, and I bought the largest pipe wrench I could find. I reasoned that if I couldn’t open up the pipes, I could at least bludgeon them with the wrench until I had released all the pent up rage I had accumulated. The walk to the hardware store was cold and wet, and I fell twice. I was in no mood for failure.
Watch For the Condition of your Pipes
The first torque on the rusty pipes in the wall had a surprising result. The pipe just broke. Apparently, it was quite rotted at that point. Had I looked at this ahead of time, I would have known that. I also would have realized that the newly uncorked tub would drain straight into my closet. Another oversight.
Covered in muck, and knowing that I would need to call the plumber now, I bravely stuck my snake into the hole left in the pipe and retrieved a full 10 inches of hair and muck. Given that the drain was clogged when I moved in, some of it was at least 10 months old. I shuddered as I slogged the limp, black mess into a ready bucket, and declared the clog dead, as my minor victory. The broken pipe meant that now my sink would not drain, but that would wait. For now, I could take a shower, and shower I did. I showered for a full 3 hours, and as I emerged from the hot shower wrinkled, warm, and slightly guilty for the waste, I called the plumber for the sink.
Things to Take Away
First of all, little problems are far easier to treat than big ones. Don’t ignore clogging drains, rusty pipes, or anything of the sort.
Second, remember to call in a professional once you are over your head. DIY is great, as long as you really can DIY. If you aren’t sure, call the pro and watch how they do it. If it was easy for them, maybe you can do it yourself the next time.
Finally, remember that you can do more harm than good. This is especially true with plumbing and electrical work, but it can be said of almost anything. be prepared to own up to your mistakes as well if you do ruin something.