Reasonable to do yourself
- Replacing a toilet flapper or fill valve
- Cleaning an aerator or showerhead
- Clearing a sink trap
- Swapping a supply line to a faucet or toilet
- Resetting a jammed garbage disposal
Worth calling a professional
- Any gas line or gas appliance connection
- Sewage backups and main-line clogs
- Water heater repair or replacement
- Leaks inside walls, ceilings or under slabs
- Moving or adding fixtures, which usually needs a permit
A useful test
Ask what happens if it goes wrong. If the worst case is a trip back to the hardware store, try it. If the worst case is a flooded floor, a gas leak or a failed inspection when you sell the house, call someone.
Before you start
Know where the main water shutoff is and that it works. Most small jobs that turn into big ones do so because the water could not be turned off.