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As with many things, it can be difficult to determine if you have a small or major plumbing problem. Trying to fix it on your own may or may not be a good idea.

The idea of "do it yourself" has a lot of appeal to homeowners. The reasons for this are many. It is possible to save the labor costs when you do the work yourself. There is a sense of pride and accomplishment. There are times when this is the right course of action, but there are times when it is not. When it comes to a plumbing issue it is important to have a good understanding of just what the problem is and the consequences of failure before you attempt any repair. One good idea is to have a good working relationship with a professional plumber. This relationship is good to establish before you need it.

If you are going to attempt to repair a plumbing problem on your own make sure you have a good idea of what you are capable of doing, and what you are not capable of doing. It is possible to do some research on most issues. The internet contains much advice and information. If you have established a good relationship with a plumber, it is also possible to contact him for some advice on how to proceed. The most critical issues will involve safety. This is especially true when the repair involves electricity or gas.

Understanding the consequences of failure involves knowing the impact on your household and the costs of fixing your mistake as well as the original problem. It is also important to understand the state and local codes that may apply to a repair project. These codes exist for a good reason, and mostly involve safety issues. Once again, your professional plumber could be a good source of information concerning code requirements. One last consideration is the availability of the proper tools. You should insure you have the right tools before the project is started. When you are half way through is a bad time to discover that you do not have the tools necessary to complete the job.

If you are going to do it yourself, troubleshooting involves the isolation of the problem based on physical clues. It may be the presence of water stains, or clogged up drains in sinks or toilets. The physical clues are often different from the true problem. Dealing merely with the external clue is akin to turning off a smoke detector without understanding why it is alarming and doing something about that. A plumbing trouble shooting guide can easily guide you through a list of clues and problems and give you suggested solutions.

Troubleshooting a plumbing problem is not unlike any other type of problem such as electrical or mechanical. It involves an evaluation of various clues, and a bit of trial and error. Yet it is always that essential first step in any repair process. Once you have a pretty good idea of just what the problem actually is, you can make the right decision. That decision might be to attempt the work yourself, or to call a professional plumber.

Fred Linson is with PlumbingStop.com - providing basic plumbing information and more resources.

Striker DJ Campbell, last seasons FA cup hero with non-league Yeading, dumped premiership strugglers Sunderland out of the FA cup to secure Brentfords spot in the last 16 for the second time in as many years.

The 5,000 summer signing opened the scoring after 57 minutes only for Argentinean midfielder Julio Arca to equalise for Sunderland. However, Campbell became the hero in the 89 minute, netting the winning goal to set up a memorable win for the 11/4 Bees.

Bolton Wanderers extended Arsenals away day blues with a 1-0 win at the reebok stadium. The bookmakers priced this match according to Arsenals reputation, rather than their performances this season. Bolton were as large as 2/1 before kick-off, an insult considering they beat the Gunners 2-0 in league duty back in December. Greek international Stelios scored the decisive goal with six minutes remaining.

Shortest price of the day unsurprisingly was Chelsea at 1/2 but they will have spoiled a few betting coupons after a 1-1 draw at Everton. The Toffees, priced up as 11/2 before kick-off, took the lead through James McFadden but a 73 minute equaliser from Frank Lampard took the tie to a replay at Stamford Bridge.

League One high flyers Colchester united sent another Championship side packing in Derby county. Colchester were 11/8 favourites and found themselves 3-0 up through Neil Danns and Richard Garcia. A penalty from Tommy smith 11 minutes from time was the Rams only reply.

Leyton Orient will have had their supporters at 10/1 to beat Charlton Athletic. Jon Fortune gave the Addicks an early lead but the League Two side hit back through veteran Lee Steele. Charlton, 2/7 jollies before kick off, needed a stoppage time winner from jay Bothroyd to spare their blushes.

The scent of an upset hung in the air before the lunch-time clash between League Two side Cheltenham Town and Newcastle united. Despite their efforts, Newcastle scored two goals in as many minutes just before half-time through Michael Chopra and Scott Parker to justify their odds of 8/15.

rank outsiders on the day, 14/1 Port Vale, gave Aston Villa a scare with five minutes remaining to claw the score back to 2-1, although highly-rated midfielder ensured there would be no upset with a third goal in the 90 minute to please the big hitters who waded in at 1/4.

Better finishing could have earned Coventry City a shock 5/2 win over Middlesbrough but the tie ended all square at 1-1, extending Coventrys unbeaten run at the Ricoh arena to eight matches.

On sunday, Manchester united were shorter still at 4/9 but did not disappoint against Wolves, brushing aside the Championship team 3-0 at Molineux. Two goals from Kieron Richardson and another from a resurgent Louis Saha inflicted Glenn Hoddles heaviest defeat as Wolves manager.

Liverpool were also short at 8/15 to win away at Portsmouth and they didnt disappoint with two first half goals from Steven Gerrard and John Arne Riise. Sean Davis pulled a goal back for Portsmouth nine minutes into the second half but the Reds held firm.