Good points here, especially about the sediment buildup. Had something similar happen in one of my rentals—tenant called saying the faucet was sputtering and pressure was all over the place. I figured it was just air, tightened a few connections, but nope... turned out the pipes were full of mineral deposits. Had to flush the lines and install a filter eventually.
Honestly, DIY is great for minor fixes, but plumbing can escalate pretty fast. If you're confident and have the tools, checking under the sink or swapping washers is usually straightforward. But once you start dealing with weird pressure issues or sputtering faucets, it can be a gamble. I've learned that sometimes it's cheaper in the long run to call a plumber early rather than after you've accidentally turned your kitchen into a water park.
Had a similar issue at a client's place last year. Faucet was sputtering like crazy, and I thought it was just the aerator clogged up—easy fix, right? Nope, turned out the shut-off valve under the sink had corroded internally and was sending bits of debris into the line. Ended up replacing the valve and flushing everything out. DIY is fine for simple stuff, but once you start chasing mystery problems, it can spiral pretty quick... learned that one the hard way.
"DIY is fine for simple stuff, but once you start chasing mystery problems, it can spiral pretty quick... learned that one the hard way."
True, but sometimes those mystery problems are half the fun. Had a similar valve issue myself—thought I'd nailed it after replacing the aerator and valve, but nope... turned out there was sediment buildup further down the line. Took me a weekend and some colorful language, but hey, saved a plumber's fee and earned bragging rights at dinner. Guess it depends how much patience (and spare time) you've got!
"True, but sometimes those mystery problems are half the fun."
Haha, fun might be stretching it... but I get your point. Ever run into a DIY fix that ended up costing you more in tools and parts than calling a plumber would've? I've been there more times than I'd like to admit...
Haha, yeah, I learned that lesson the hard way when I decided to "quickly" fix a leaky faucet. Ended up buying three different wrenches, replacement parts that didn't fit, and spent an entire weekend under the sink cursing quietly. By Sunday afternoon, I finally caved and called a plumber—who fixed it in about 20 minutes flat. Sometimes DIY feels like saving money until you tally up the receipts...
