2020 Fall Home Improvement

Page 14 2020 FALL HOME IMPROVEMENT Lincoln Daily News September 24, 2020 Call the plumber!!! By Jim Youngquist P lastic and PVC piping were invented for one important reason: so homeowners could do their own plumbing and avoid the cost and hassle of calling a plumber! But despite the wide availability of plastic piping, valves and tools, plumbers persist and continue to be a necessary commodity. Every homeowner should minimally know how to turn the water off to their fixtures when a major leak happens. Every homeowner should minimally have a small pipe wrench, a roll of teflon tape, a plunger, a drain eel, and the phone number of a licensed plumber in their contact list on their phone. Substituting the help of a handy neighbor or friend can often make problems worse or more costly than calling the licensed plumber in the first place. There are three reasons to call a licensed plumber rather than attempt a plumbing job yourself. 1) The plumber knows what he/she is doing. 2) The plumber knows how to do a job according to code and the health standards of your community. 3) The plumber knows how to complete the job so there are no immediate or future emergencies that might require boots and a pump. Continued n