Chose between fixing a leaky pipe myself or calling a plumber at 2am

Last Sunday my kitchen sink pipe burst at 2am and water was spraying everywhere. I had to decide fast between trying to fix it myself with stuff from the hardware store or calling a 24 hour plumber. The plumber quoted me $450 just to show up plus parts. I grabbed a bucket, shut off the water, and drove to the Walmart on Highway 17 for a $12 pipe repair kit. Spent the next hour watching YouTube and patching the leak with some PVC glue and a coupling. It held for a day but started dripping again Tuesday morning. Ended up costing me $85 in parts and 3 trips to the store before I finally called a guy who fixed it in 20 minutes for $200. Was being cheap the smart move or did I just waste a full day? Anyone else been in this spot where saving money cost you more in the end?

2 comments

2 Comments

jason7529d ago

Man, I gotta push back on this a little. You saved $250 bucks even after the plumber visit, plus you learned something useful along the way. That first fix buying you 36 hours is a win in my book, not a waste. I did the same thing when my water heater pilot light went out at 1am, spent two hours fiddling with it before calling someone the next morning. Would have cost me a service call fee just for them to hit the reset button. You made the right call, sometimes the cheap route is just buying yourself time to make the smart choice later.

brian_coleman9d ago

My buddy Tom tried the same thing with his garbage disposal last year. He spent like 4 hours watching YouTube videos and finally got it running again. Called it a win until it blew up 3 days later and flooded his whole kitchen. Cost him way more than just calling a plumber from the start.