Pliers can easily cause a bigger problem if you are not careful.
There are times you may be able to take care of some of the easier problems on your own without calling a professional. Some jobs like a leaky faucet or changing a shower head may not warrant a call to us. If you are brave enough to tackle these easier problems, be careful to not cause another problem while fixing the one you started with. At some point you are going to have to put a pair of pliers on a pipe, faucet or other fixture that you are not going to want to scratch or destroy. Whenever you put pliers onto metal, you risk scratching the surface. When you are done, you want your work to look good, so be careful when using the pliers on a fixture that exposed for people to see. There are a few options.
Use a heavy rag. Take a heavy rag and wrap it around the pipe you are using the pliers on. With the rag there, you avoid metal on metal contact and reduce the risk of scratching the pipe. Make sure the rag is strong and it is folded so the teeth of the pliers don’t work their way through the rag and scratch the pipe or fixture.
Use an old heavy leather work glove. If you have an old leather work glove that you don’t need, cut 2 fingers off the glove and place one over each of the sides of the pliers.
Get some duct tape or electrical tape and wrap a few layers around the teeth of the pliers. You will be able to hold that fixture or pipe in place without the metal to metal contact.
Even with these options, you should be careful whenever you are using the pliers. If you do not have a good grip on item you trying to hold in place, you could scratch the surface even through the rag, leather or tape.
Being able to make minor repairs not only feels good to get done, but it could save you money. However, if you are not confident that you could fix these things without destroying the aesthetic or you think you will just wind up causing more problems for yourself, then call BBC and we will help you out.
Comments