Calling in the Contractors

7 Tips for Saving Money on Plumbing Supplies

2 January 2018 by Frank Elliott

If you are doing a plumbing repair, you need to buy plumbing supplies. These supplies tend to be reasonably priced, but they can add up. To save money, check out the following tips.

1. Only Replace as Needed

When doing a plumbing repair, you can replace a small section of pipe, or you can opt to replace all the pipe in that area. If you want to keep costs low, just consider replacing the pipe that is causing issues. For instance, if you have a leak, just cut the part of the pipe that is leaking. Don't replace the whole thing.

2. Look at Salvage Shops

Salvage shops tend to have a range of different building supplies. They often have cabinets, toilets or other large items used in building and remodeling, but in some cases, you can also find smaller plumbing supplies such as offcuts of pipes. If you have time, take a look at one of these shops to see how much you could save.

3. Comparison Shop

Whether you go to salvage shops or not, consider devoting some time to comparison shopping. Look at different plumbing supply shops in your community as well as online suppliers. Don't necessarily buy the cheapest supplies you can find—look for a balance between quality and savings.

4. Get the Shop to Cut the Pipes

The staff at many hardware stores will cut pipe for you for free. If you don't have the right tools to cut pipes, this can be useful, and it can save you money because you don't have to buy as many tools. While at home, carefully measure the length of pipe you need. Then, ask the shop employees to cut the pipe for you.

5. Choose Plastic Over Metal

In most cases, it's cheaper to buy plastic pipes such as PEX or PVC pipes. Even if you currently have copper pipes, you can buy special attachments that make it possible to add lengths of plastic as needed.

6. Opt for Push Fit

If you already have plastic pipes, consider looking for new ones that have a push fit style. That simply needs to be pushed together, and you don't need any special tools until you decide to remove the pipes. In contrast, with crimp fit, you need to buy special tools so that you can crimp the pipes together.

7.  Buy the Right Size of Pipe Cement

Typically, you need to buy pipe cement to seal the pipes together. Unfortunately, pipe cement doesn't keep well. As a result, you shouldn't stock up on a big bucket. Instead, just buy the amount you need.

 

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