DIY Plumbing-What is Legal.

Plumbing Projects You Can Tackle Legally

Do you know that almost all the municipalities now require a plumbing COC (Certificate of Compliance) before they will approve the sale of any house in their area? The question is what DIY plumbing work can you do yourself that is legal and will not affect your COC?

Plumbing affects our lives more than many of us realize. We need the water supply (so we can drink, wash and clean ourselves, our homes, and our belongings); to get rid of waste and sewage; and we need to be able to channel water away from the house and in addition to making use of water in the garden.

While plumbing in our homes and other buildings must be installed by a qualified and registered plumber, there are plumbing projects that you can do yourself. Most of these tasks relate to maintenance, and by taking the DIY plumbing route, you can save yourself a lot of money. But you do need to know how to do the job correctly and be sure that you are not contravening the law.

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Examples of DIY Plumbing You Can Do

Once the plumbing system has been installed, with a little savvy any homeowner will be able to keep it going and make minor upgrades like changing tap (or faucet) washers, flushing out blocked drains, and even changing tap valves and tap parts.

Seemingly more complicated plumbing-related projects will entail installing new showers and shower sets; removing old sinks or basins and fitting new ones; possibly even replacing an old bath in the bathroom.

You may also want to replace shower mixers and shower heads in the bathroom, or tap mixers in the bathroom or kitchen. If you buy good quality products from companies like Cobra or Delta, they will usually include DIY instructions.

Plumbing You Cannot Legally Do

First of all, for both health and safety reasons, nobody without a plumbing qualification may install a plumbing system. It is also essential that only qualified and registered plumbers install hot water cylinders.

Burst pipes

Drips and Leaks

Taps and pipes do develop leaks over time. Even if you are not able to do permanent repairs, take immediate action. Since washers, and seals are cheap, keep spares on hand.

Taps drip for various reasons, but usually because they need new washers. To change a washer, turn off the water supply to the tap (probably the stopcock which controls the water, coming into the house); turn the tap on and allow all excess water to drain from it.

Loosen the tap head and all covers which protect the head. Use an adjustable spanner to unscrew the head from the body of the tap. If the O-ring in the head is damaged it will also need to be replaced.

Unscrew the brass nut on the washerplate and replace the washer, ensuring that the smooth side of the washer is on top. Tighten the brass retaining nut.

Screw the head back to the body of the tap, making sure that the tap is still in the fully open position before you tighten it with a spanner. Close the tap before turning the water supply back on.

Replacing the washers on mixers is similar to replacing them on ordinary pillar taps, even though they have two mechanisms per unit.

Pipes will drip when they are cracked or rusted. Unless the pipe needs to be replaced, you will probably be able to seal the leak with two-part epoxy putty.

Turn off the water supply and turn on all taps connected to the damaged pipe before repairing it with putty.

If you do not have the equipment or know how to repair copper pipe, a temporary solution is to slit a short piece of hosepipe and wrap it around the damaged section, securing it with hose clips.

Do not be tempted to live with this for too long as it will not last!