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Should I Attempt this Plumbing Fix Myself?

Posted on December 4, 2025 by Melbourne Plumber

There is an entire market built around do-it-yourself home repair. Lowe’s Home Depot, and Ace Hardware all offer basically anything and everything you need to repair or replace a malfunctioning or broken fixture in your home. While some jobs may be quick and easy, others tend to me much more complex.

DIY jobs can be very fulfilling. You identify the problem, purchase the repair kit or replacement parts, and install it yourself. Everything is back to normal, and you have a sense of accomplishment as an added bonus. But it almost never goes this smoothly.

You can make mistakes at every turn which will make the job that much more frustrating. You lose time and sometimes you lose money when you purchase the wrong piece or install it incorrectly. This is why it is important to know your limits. You may end up spending hundreds on the wrong part(s) and 5 hours before you throw your hands up and call a professional plumber in Melbourne, FL.

Some advice: If you have never attempted this type of repair before I suggest you spend 10 minutes on the internet looking at posts on sites like Reddit or other forums to get an idea how much expertise is needed. Watch a YouTube video or two as well. Then be honest with yourself. Can I really pull off this job?

If you have a friend who is a plumber or handyman give them a call as well. They will either let you know that you can do it or that you are in over your head. Heck, maybe they will even offer to help you with the job. It could be a great bonding experience.

Also, check out our plumbing blog. It is 10+ years of useful free plumbing repair information which you are welcome to use.

For the 80%-90% of household jobs which you are probably underqualified to handle, give a shout to your local plumber. At minimum you can glean information like how much they will charge to do the job. Perhaps if you let them know your budget, they can even work with you on that.

Would it make more sense for you to put in an extra few hours at work to cover the cost of a plumber vs. wasting an entire afternoon on your day off? Many times, the answer to this question is YES. You know what you are doing at work and you are good at it. If a novice tried to jump into your position at work and do your job they would struggle. That is the same frame of mind you need to have when it comes to plumbing jobs around the home.

Lost opportunity cost is the value of the benefits you forgo when choosing one option over another. It’s the potential gain you miss out on by making a particular decision and can be measured in monetary value or other factors like time and effort. This should be at forefront of your mind when making home repair decisions.