If you own a home your plumbing costs can be some of the most expensive areas of your house. My plumbing is broke…..just tell me how much it’s going to cost! It is very hard to give plumbing costs estimates without all the facts that are to be considered. But if you are doing new installation and needed a figure to work from, the national average is about $4.50 plumbing cost per square foot of the size of your house. If you have the necessary skills to do this work you may save about half of these costs. But, remember that in most cases your work will have to pass inspection and there are plumbing codes you must follow. Typical plumbing repair costs are sometimes dictated by the amount of competition from other plumbers or if the work to be done is considered and emergency repair that will need to be done at night, on a holiday or weekend. The average cost to replace the exposed plumbing in a typical 1,500 square foot home with two bathrooms averages between $2,000 and $5,000.

By exposed plumbing we are referring to pumping repair or replacement that can be accessed without tearing down walls or removing floors. Prices can vary a great deal from house to house just by the amount of access space a plumber has to do their work. Is hiring a plumber a waste of your money? What determines your water bill? Tankless water heater installation cost Water heater installation cost Water heater repair cost Garbage disposal installation cost Water leak repair cost Cost to install a shower head Cost to repair a leaky faucet Cost to install a ice maker Cost to install a water treatment system Cost to have a septic tank pumped out Cost to unclog a toilet (at bottom of page) Cost to repair a toilet Cost of a burst pipe Cost to repair a slab leak Sewer Line Replacement Cost Low Water in Toilet Bowl Repair Cost 1. A running or leaking toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water a day.

That is over 6,000 gallons a month. You can ignore it now, but you pay at the end of the month when you receive your water bill. 2. Get three quotes on expensive repairs or installations. Be very concerned over prices quotes that are very low or very high. Most reputable plumbers will be fairly close in their quotes for the same work and quality. 3. It is usually less expensive if you pay a plumber by the job and not by the hour. 4. Are you always having to jiggle the handle on your toilet to stop it from running? Just go purchase a simple toilet flap valve from a hardware store. It will only cost about $5.00 and it is a very simple repair. If you call a plumber, except to pay around $100.00 for the repair and service call to your home. 5. Water is the single most common cause of damage done to homes and 62% of the time it is from the result of faulty plumbing. Plumbers use their own formulas to arrive at their prices such as, price of materials, amount of time required and the difficulty of the job.

Certain plumbers will offer you a flat fee for their services and others will work at a fixed rate per hour plus the cost of materials and other expenses.Discount Cal King Down Comforters Some states will allow a plumber to send their associates to do your repairs as they are allowed to work under the license of their employer. Tree Moving Service VancouverHowever, some states will require that a license plumber be on the job site to oversee the work of their employee.Cabin With Hot Tub North East If you have a preference on this, you need to ask before they begin making the repairs or installations. Make your wishes known upfront if you prefer the licensed plumber be the one to do your work. It is ok to ask. Below you will find the national average plumbing costs of having certain plumbing repairs and installations.

Remember, these are national averages and the costs in your area may be lower or higher. It will give you an idea of what to expect. It is a good idea to always know what the average plumbing cost per hour is in your area. You can find more plumbing cost information on our tips & tricks page.“5 things a plumber won’t tell you” Plumbing Costs National Averages are shown below: Repair a septic main line Install water Treatment System Install a new water main line Install new plumbing pipesEventually every bathtub is going to need some repairs and for some reason replacing the drain and popup seems to be one of the hardest jobs for people to accomplish. The problem many people have is when the drain gets corroded and they can’t get it unscrewed but I have seen some youtube videos of people going crazy on these things only to end up calling in a plumber. One guy actually moved away .. well he was moving out  anyway and maybe he was just trying to make everything work before he left.

Unfortunately the job was too big for him that was pretty funny to watch. The main thing about this job is understanding how the drain is removed. It really is not difficult you just have to remember that you turn Clockwise to Tighten and Counter Clockwise to Loosen the drain just like any bolt. The second hardest part is getting a tool that will let you tighten and loosen the drain without taring everything up. This is important if you have a fiberglass tub because you don’t want to slip with a ratchet and slam your tool into the side of the tub or you will be replacing it. Finally you need to make sure that the new drain is sealed so it won’t leak. You will need some plumbers putty that is not included with the drain and you may need to replace a large rubber washer that sits between the bottom of the tub and the drain pipe. This washer comes with the part but it is not used on top of the tub where the drain you are replacing comes into contact with the tub it is used below the tub to seal the pipe.

You will need the following tools and parts to replace your bathtub drain A replacement Drain (same kind or maybe upgrade) A pair of vice grips. A pair of linesman’s pliers A Bathtub Drain Wrench if you cant use pliers A small drain snake or piece of wire The first thing that you want to do when you are thinking about replacing your bathtub drain is inspect the popup and see if you can remove it by hand. Standard popups screw into place and can be removed by turning them counter clockwise. If the popup is frozen then you will need to use a small vice grip to remove it. Be careful with the vice grip and wrapping the vice grip with a bath towel is not a bad idea when wrenching it out so you do not slip and damage the bathtub surface. Once you get the popup out you can look into the drain and see if the cross bars that the popup screws into are in tact. Because soap and cleaners are caustic over time they will corroded the metal.  If the crossbars are corroded then you will need to purchase a special wrench at the supply store that can grip the walls of the drain.

If they are mostly in tact then you can try to use a pair of linesmans pliers to remove it. Insert the linesman’s pliers into the crossbars of the drain. Even if a portion of the crossbars are missing from corrosion the pliers will normally catch on what is remaining. Using both hands on the pliers you want to twist the drain out in a counter clockwise motion. Getting the drain started can be pretty difficult and you may find yourself kneeling in the bathtub using as much strength as you can to brake it free but it will brake free if you turn COUNTER CLOCKWISES meaning the opposite way the hands on your clock turn. heheh Like i said before i saw someone tightening a drain as hard as they possibly could wondering why it would not come out.. they are lucky they didn’t really damage their plumbing and tub. After you get the drain free you want to carefully pull the remaining plumbers putty back from the opening so it doesn’t fall in. Its not extremely important that none of it gets in your drain its just not a good thing because it could cause restrictions.

Inspect the rubber washer that sits between the bottom of the tub and the drain pipe. If it is in good condition you can use it again. Replacing this rubber washer can be difficult so it is best to reuse it if you do not see damage. If you must replace the rubber washer you can insert the handle end of a small screwdriver into the pipe and push down VERY LIGHTLY  to give you enough room to pull the washer out and then insert the new one. Using the screwdriver while replacing it you can slip the washer over the screwdriver that way it won’t get free from you and get lost in the void under the tub. Remember that you do not want to push hard or much because the pipe you are pushing on is attached to your overflow pipe and if you damage it then you will end up cutting a hole in the wall behind the tub or in the floor to repair it. This is really not fun. Now that the drain is out and the rubber washer has been checked and the opening around the drain has been cleaned from old plumbers putty you can prepare the new drain for insertion.

Grab a piece of plumbers putty and work it in your hand until it becomes flexible. You will need to squeeze the putty until the warmth of your hands make it flexible and the oils in the putty are distributed evenly and it is not crumbling in your hand. Now roll the putty into a snake shape about 6 inches long and apply it to the bottom of the new drain around its lip. Do not get plumbers putty on the threads of the drain. It is not needed for sealing and it will only cause you problems on inserting it and later if you ever need to remove it the threads could be locked pretty tight. I like to flatten out the snake shape so this is easier to do. You want an even 1/8th to 1/4 inch thickness so the putty will take up any variations on the tub base and provide a good seal. Once the putty is evenly applied around the lip of the drain you can insert your fingers into the drain and twist it into the pipe.  Do this finger tight and then complete the job by inserting your linesman’s pliers into the drain and twisting the new drain in tight.

You want to see the plumbers putty squeeze out between the tub and the drain flange. DO NOT CRANK THE DRAIN IN AS HARD AS YOU CAN… Remember this is a Steel drain popup that is being inserted into a Plastic Pipe and if you turn too hard you will strip the threads and you could also damage the tub. Checking how tight the drain is… You want to put some pressure on the floor of the tub and make sure that the drain is in tight enough that standing in the tub near the drain won’t cause it to move or make noise. If you hear your drain making noise when you stand in the shower it means it is too loose and you need to tighten it probably a half turn more. Now that the drain is in place you can insert the popup. After the popup has been screwed into place and you have cleaned the tub of remaining plumbers putty and any other debris you should close the drain and make sure there is a tight seal by filling the tub with a few inches of water. Changing your drain and popup is not the most difficult thing in the world to do but it does take a little muscle.