When You Don’t Need a Plumber: Fixes to Try First

Here’s something most plumbing companies won’t put on their website: you don’t always need us. Some of the most common calls we get turn out to be a quick fix the homeowner could’ve handled without paying anybody. We’d rather tell you that up front. So before you book a plumber, ours included, run through these six checks. Most of them cost nothing and take a few minutes.

The toilet that won’t stop running

Lift the tank lid and look at the flapper, the rubber seal at the bottom that lifts when you flush. If it’s warped, crusty, or won’t sit flat, it isn’t sealing, and that’s what keeps the water cycling. A new flapper is a few dollars at any hardware store and takes about ten minutes, no tools needed. Shut off the little valve behind the toilet, flush to empty the tank, unclip the old flapper, and clip the new one on.

So when is it worth calling? If you’ve swapped the flapper and it still runs, or the fill valve keeps hissing and won’t shut off, that’s a fair time to book someone. We charge $100–$200 to replace a flapper, and almost nobody has us do it. Most people handle this one themselves, and they should.

A garbage disposal that just hums or does nothing

Two buttons save most disposal calls. First, look under the sink at the bottom of the unit for a small red reset button. Press it. If the disposal was dead-silent, a tripped reset is usually why. Second, if it hums but won’t spin, something’s jammed. Kill the power at the wall switch, then find the little hex wrench (the allen key that came with the disposal, often clipped to the underside). Fit it into the socket on the very bottom of the unit and turn it back and forth to free the jam. Never put your hand down the drain.

Call us when the reset won’t stay in, the hex crank won’t budge, or it’s leaking from the body. Unjamming a disposal runs $100–$200, and a new half-horsepower unit installed is $600–$700. The garbage disposal is one of the most common small calls we get, and a good share of them get solved by the exact red button and hex wrench we just walked through. Try those before you pay anybody.

No hot water, and the breaker keeps tripping

If you’ve got an electric water heater and no hot water, check the breaker panel first. If the water-heater breaker has flipped, reset it once. Sometimes it’s a one-time nuisance trip and you’re back in business.

Here’s the part that matters. If it trips again right away, stop. Don’t keep flipping it back on. A breaker that won’t hold is telling you something’s wrong, usually a failed heating element or a shorted thermostat, and forcing it over and over is how you cook wiring or start a bigger problem. That’s a diagnostic call, our standard $89, and we put it toward the repair if you move forward. Got a gas water heater that won’t stay lit? Same rule. Don’t keep relighting it.

Low water pressure at one faucet

If the weak pressure is at just one faucet and the rest of the house is fine, it’s almost never a big deal. Unscrew the aerator, the little screen tip on the end of the spout, and you’ll probably find it packed with white mineral crud. Louisville water runs on the hard side, so that buildup is common around here. Soak the screen in vinegar for a bit, rinse it, screw it back on. Usually the pressure comes right back.

When it’s worth a call: if low pressure hits the whole house at once, or it dropped suddenly across every fixture, that’s a different animal. Could be the pressure regulator, a partly closed valve, or a supply issue, and that one’s worth having somebody look at.

A clogged drain, before you buy a snake

Reach for the plunger first, and use it right. For a sink, block the overflow hole (or the second basin) with a wet rag so you build real suction instead of leaking air. Run enough water to cover the plunger cup, then give it firm, straight pumps. For a toilet, a good flange-style plunger clears most soft clogs if you commit to it.

When to stop: if plunging does nothing, if more than one drain is slow at the same time, or if running one fixture backs water up into another (you flush the toilet and the tub gurgles), that’s a main-line problem and a plunger won’t touch it. Clearing a toilet blockage is $100–$200, and a main line cleared with our machine runs $300–$400. One more thing: please don’t pour in a bottle of chemical drain cleaner and then a second one when it doesn’t work. It rarely clears a real clog, and it makes the drain more hazardous for whoever opens it next.

Know where your main shutoff is, before you need it

This isn’t a repair. It’s the one thing that turns a burst-pipe disaster into a mess you can mop up. Find your main water shutoff now, while nothing’s wrong. In most Louisville homes it’s near where the water line enters the house, often in the basement, a crawlspace, or close to the water heater. Turn the handle so you know which way is off, then make sure everyone in the house knows where it is too.

If you don’t have a working main shutoff, or the valve is seized and won’t turn, get that fixed on a calm afternoon, not in the middle of an emergency. A new main shutoff valve runs $500–$600. That’s cheap insurance against a line letting go at 2 a.m.

Common questions we get

Reviewed by Spencer Gardner, Owner · William Riley, KY Master Plumber, Lic. #6590. Prices last verified July 23, 2026.