Many homeowners often ignore plumbing issues unless they become dire emergencies. The problem with this approach is that it’s very common for seemingly tolerable problems to turn into full-blown disasters. You could have minimized your bill for the professional plumbing services had you dealt with the problem right away.

There are 2 basic ways to deal with plumbing issues. One is to deal with the minor problems yourself. At the very least, you need to know how to shut off the water from the faucet valves and from the main valves to minimize the damage. Then you can actually solve the problem if it’s minor enough and you have the DIY experience along with the right tools. To make sure you know what you’re doing, you may want to do some online research and watch relevant YouTube videos.

Of course, the DIY approach can be rather iffy, and it’s not uncommon for a problem to get much worse when you make a mistake. That’s why even some people with DIY experience simply call for professional assistance right away. The problem will be identified more quickly and the solution can be applied faster. The risk of increased damage to the home is also greatly minimized.

Here are some seemingly “tolerable” plumbing issues that you shouldn’t ignore:

Leaky Faucets

This may seem just mildly irritating, but over a few days it can lead to a lot of wasted water. For those with DIY experience, it’s an easy fix, as you simply need to replace the worn gasket or washer. But you can always contact a plumber, as it won’t be an expensive fix.

Leaky Showerhead

This is a bit more difficult to spot than a leaky faucet, because plenty of showerheads leak for a few moments after you’re done with your shower. You’ll only know for sure that it’s leaking when the problem is still there even after 15 minutes or so. You can solve this yourself by tightening the connection between the pipe stem and the showerhead, but that’s not a guaranteed fix. The surer solution is to just call a plumber.

Leaking Toilet

Many people fail to detect this problem. In fact, sometimes you’ll only find out about this when you have a plumber fix a leaky bathroom faucet and they also notice that your toilet is leaking too.

However, you can confirm this leak for yourself with a few drops of food coloring. Add some food coloring to the tank water, and if the coloring appears in the toilet bowl then you definitely have a leak. Usually, the problem is that the rubber valve or the flapper has become faulty, so you can just replace that if you’re confident of your DIY abilities. If you’re not, a plumber won’t have any trouble with it especially when you inform them of the problem before they arrive.

Clogged Toilet

This is not a fun problem at all, especially when you notice it right at the moment when you’re trying to flush the toilet. To fix this with a DIY solution, you need a plunger and a refresher course via YouTube videos. But that’s not a guaranteed fix, and you may be better off trying to find a professional plumber right at the start to deal with this problem.

Leaky Water Heater

This can cost you a lot of money, especially when it leads to home water damage. If you’re lucky, then the problem is a leak in the water heater valve, which you can just replace. But if the problem is having your water heater wall rusting through, you will have to replace the whole water heater.

Whether you go the DIY route or with a professional plumber, the point is that you don’t ignore any plumbing problem. If something’s wrong—fix it immediately!