Plumbers101 helps you fix it yourself — with step-by-step repairs, honest buying guides, and brand-specific troubleshooting. This page explains the standards behind our repair guides: how they are researched, which sources we verify against, how we date them, and where safety stops a DIY job and a licensed professional has to take over.
How a repair guide is built
Each repair guide is written to a consistent worksheet structure rather than a loose blog post: the likely causes ranked from most to least common, the tools and parts you actually need, numbered fix steps, real cost context for doing it yourself versus calling a pro, and a clear safety line for when to stop. Before publishing something new we check the existing library so a guide adds a genuinely distinct answer instead of duplicating a page we already have.
Sources we verify against
Repair steps and specifications are checked against primary sources: manufacturer documentation for the fixture or appliance (installation and service instructions, part numbers, torque and pressure figures), and plumbing code and established trade practice for anything involving pressure, venting, gas, or water supply. We do not lift a procedure from a competing article and reword it; where a spec matters — a PRV set around 50 psi, a water heater’s T&P behavior, a trap or vent requirement — it is confirmed against the manufacturer or the code, not from memory.
Verification and dating
Every repair guide is reviewed against manufacturer specs and plumbing code and dated when verified, and older guides are spot-checked over time for broken links and outdated facts. A visible “updated” date tells you how current a guide is; when a fact or a linked source changes, the guide changes with it.
Where DIY stops — a safety standard
Plumbers101 is an information resource, not a substitute for a licensed plumber. Our guides are explicit about the point where a job stops being a safe DIY repair: for gas lines, major or active leaks, sewage backups, anything behind a permit, or anything you’re unsure about, we tell you to stop and call a professional rather than pushing you through a step that could cause injury, flooding, or code violations.
Corrections
If a step is wrong, a spec is out of date, or a link is broken, let us know through our Contact page. We review reader feedback and fix confirmed errors, updating the guide and its date.
How AI is used
Newer guides are produced with AI assistance and then verified by a person against manufacturer specifications and current plumbing code before publishing. AI helps draft and structure a guide to the worksheet format above; it never sets a spec, a torque figure, or a safety call on its own — those are checked against primary sources first.