The Perils of DIY

Let’s not kid ourselves.  Owning a home in Sydney is not necessarily cheap.  House prices are averaging over $1 million, monthly repayments are creeping up (despite the current low interest rates), and the cost of living is generally not for the feint hearted.  So we often have a go at fixing things in our home by ourselves.  The team at STS strongly recommends that DIY plumbing is not an area for do-it-yourself practice.

Did you know it takes five years of TAFE study and six years of on-the-job training before you can call yourself a qualified plumber?  That’s the same training as a resident doctor – we’re your resident house doctor (with just as many tricky orifices to navigate!).

Most of us take our plumbing for granted and we don’t pay it a second thought until something goes wrong – a dripping tap that keeps us up at night, a strange smell in the bathroom, a freezing shower on a cold winter’s morning, a mouldy damp spot on the ceiling.  It’s tempting have a crack at these scenarios after watching a 3 minute You Tube tutorial.  But most people simply don’t have the proper tools or the skills to confidently tackle plumbing problems.  What may seem like a saving in time and money becomes counterproductive when things go wrong and you need to call in the professionals.

We don’t want to scare you, but messing up a plumbing problem in your home – from a leaking tap, or a blocked drain, or a burst pipe – can lead to expensive long term damage.  Gas leaks in the home can expose you and your family to a potentially dangerous situation.

All told, there are too many risks for the budding DIYer when it comes to plumbing.  Leave it to the professionals who handle these things for a living and have the training and experience to sort out your plumbing maintenance and repairs.