For most homeowners who are contemplating bathroom renovations, nothing strikes the fear of God into them more than the thought of having to tackle a plumbing job. Whether you want to do plumbing repair or just regular plumbing maintenance in you bathroom, before you attempt any plumbing project, you must first understand the basic plumbing principles. Next you must familiarize yourself with your own homes plumbing system, mainly the supply system and the drain-waste vent system, pipes and fitting how they work and how they are laid out. The good news is unless you plan on changing the location of your bathroom fixtures more than likely you will never have to touch a plumbing tool when renovating.
It’s important to remember that if you plan on doing the work yourself, all your new plumbing work including your drainage and venting piping will have to meet with the approval of your local plumbing inspector and local building codes so it’s always a good idea to get in contact with one before you begin your plumbing project. This gives you the heads up as to what can and can’t be done when planning your plumbing design in your bathroom. Depending upon what you plan of doing, you may even have to get a building permit and arrange for an inspection. And while on the surface plumbing appears to be difficult and dirty, the principles themselves are straight forward once you have learned the basics. And just think of the money you will have saved if you do the plumbing yourself.
Of course the best time to install new plumbing is before you cover your walls but if you are doing a full bathroom renovation, removing the drywall so you can access the pipes underneath is just part of the process. Running pipes through walls and floors, connecting new pipes to old pipes and working with different materials such as plastic PVC pipes or copper pipes are a few of the challenges you will face when working with plumbing in your bath. Planning and safety are paramount to get the job done right. It’s also a good idea to practice putting your pipes and fitting together first before you start on the real pipes in your bathroom so you get a feel of the pipe’s material and what it takes to make sure the joints are water tight when sealed. Plumbing supply stores are great for advice and remember if it all seems too daunting you can always call a plumber to layout the ground work and you can put it all together after. You won’t save as much if you were to do it all yourself but you will at least have the peace of mind that your lines will be laid out right.
