4) You will need to have on hand water quality tape, small gas torch, solder, flux, plumbing sandpaper, pipe cutter, gas tape (to seal gas line) and maybe some pipe glue. Ask the sales person at the hardware store for a more defined list.
Be cautious. If you've just become aware of a problem with water line repair in your home, there are a few steps you should take. First, if there's a lot of water (such as from flooding), you should turn off your electricity to avoid electrocution. Also, don't use your regular household appliances (such as a vacuum cleaner) to remove water. If the water is contaminated (such as from a sewage line), you and your family should leave the home so that you don't get sick. Finally, if the water is from a leak, try to locate the leak's source and turn off the water to prevent further damage.
You don't want to be paying your plumber to clear the area before they start work particularly if you are paying an hourly rate. Empty cupboards and make sure there is nothing that may cost the plumber time and you money gaining access to the job.
Blisters in asphalt or felt roofs only need to be treated if they contain water or have caused the roof covering to leak. Press the blister to check if moisture is expelled. If so, it must be sealed with a patch.
Here are some general cautions. Do not begin jobs on holidays, weekends, or at times when plumbers raise their rates or are difficult to reach. Do start early leaving plenty of daylight to call a plumber if something goes wrong. Study the situation carefully. Think about what might happen if something suddenly broke and what the effects would be. Old corroded copper tubing might break in the wall when you are wrenching an angle stop that supplies the water line repair to your toilet. A flood in the wall could be costly. If the angle stop, on the other hand, is new and shuts off easily and you have another toilet in the house then it might make sense to repair the toilet yourself. Be honest, too. Are you handy with tools? Did you do well in shop classes in school?
Turn the water off at the main shutoff valve at the street. You should be able to take a pair of pliers(or your bare hands) and turn the valve at the water meter to shut off the water to your home. Once you have shut off the water you can cut the pipe around the leak and make the repair.
Especially with older plumbing systems, a leaky pipe is like an alarm, signaling that other pipes may also be on the brink of failure. To get a grip on whether your plumbing system can last, a professional plumber may send a remote camera through your network. If any pipes are about to break, the camera will give you a heads up. If your entire plumbing system is outdated and weak, it may be best to simply replace the whole thing. Although this can be a costly enterprise, with a price tag of at least a couple of thousand dollars, the upside is that a new sewer line will reliably perform its duty for decades to come.