The Complete Guide to Home Plumbing (Black & Decker Home Improvement Library) by The Editors of Creative Publishing international

Living Mind
Home Improvement

Plumbing & Household Automation Book

The Complete Guide to Home Plumbing (Black & Decker Home Improvement Library)
by The Editors of Creative Publishing international

Paperback: 288 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.58 x 10.80 x 8.24
Publisher: Creative Publishing International; (April 1, 2001)
ISBN: 0865734283

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Book Description: This complete volume shows beginning, amateur and advanced to-it-yourselfers everything they need to know about home plumbing. It includes complete how-to information on basic skills, major renovation, and the installation of all-new plumbing systems - the only consumer book to cover the subject matter this comprehensively. DIY plumbing offers the best cost-savings of any home improvement project. Homeowners who perform their own plumbing repairs and installation using this book can easily save hundreds or even thousands of dollars on major projects.

As a major revision of America's best-selling plumbing book, this edition has been updated to comply with the most recent code changes; and has added material on servicing well pumps, installing water filters, fixing water softeners, and installing drip irrigation.

Here's why you owe it to yourself to buy this book:
• Suitable for do-it-yourselfers of all levels - beginning to advanced - with more than 650 color photos that make all directions easy to understand.
• It's updated from the previous edition to meet the requirements of the latest Uniform Plumbing Code and to show the latest styles from major manufacturers of sinks, faucets, and plumbing materials.
• Includes complete sections on replacing an outdated plumbing system entirely.

About the Author: Bryan Trandem, Executive Editor for Cpi's Home Improvement & Gardenting division, has written more than a dozen books, including Home Plumbing Repairs & Projects, and Advanced Home Plumbing. He has edited another forty titles for Cpi.

Customer Reviews
Everything water related is in this book., January 23, 2003
Reviewer: jamesdcatalano from Hopkins, MN United States
I am in the midst of trying to figure out how replace my old cast iron plumbing that has so many deposits in it - it reducing the water flow. This book covers what you need to do , what you should do and with great pictures of how to do it. The book covers, installing a bathroom, fixing a facuet, how measure water flow, installing water heater and much more. I am very pleased with what is in the book. I highly recommend this book. I know I will be using this book quite a bit in the next few months as I tackle various projects around the house.

Great resource for doing it yourself- and doing it right!, December 2, 2002
Reviewer: Jose' Kirchner from Carmichael, CA USA
I'm the kind of homeowner who isn't afraid of attempting various repairs- with the proper guidance and directions (I do have some background in electronics repair, but that's a distant relative to home repairs, IMO.) This book provides both for me through excellent organization, clear instructions highlighted by excellent overall and step-by-step photos (for instance, photos of three alternative "naked" shower plumbing setups as typically installed in American homes, sans drywall and covering, as well as step-by-step photos of how to perform component maintenance or replacement). Included are lists of the tools needed to do the job (ever had to stop mid-job because you didn't have the exact tool to continue?), a well-written index and even handy conversion (metric - Imperial) tables, as well as what in my opinion is the only useless bit of this book, a sketchy resource list of professional associations. I think this book still merits five stars; it is good for scoping and planning, and then to follow as you are doing. Finally- a well-illustrated and clearly written book for the rest of us, not assuming we know it all nor talking down to us! Kudos- and thanks!- to Black and Decker.

Great for beginner and intermediate DIYers, October 20, 2002
Reviewer: aephelan from Falls Church, VA USA
After looking at a number of books on plumbing available at the local hardware store, I ended up buying this one because it covered a wide variety of plumbing situations (from installing new plumbing to repairing or upgrading old fixtures). It also provides numerous photographs and information on tools and materials - all extremely helpful as I was preparing to tackle my first significant plumbing challenge.

Thanks to this book, my project - which involved completely replacing the drain pipes from the sink to the wall, along with replacing the shutoff valves and faucet assembly - went off smoothly and I was able to buy the right tools and materials to finish it on the first try. When I ran into a problem in the wall I did not want to handle, the book helped me understand what had to be done and talk to a plumber intelligently, so the problem was fixed quickly and with minimal cost.

As far as I'm concerned, this book has earned a place in my small DIY library, as have several other books in this Black and Decker series. All have the same layout and are very informative.

Very helpful book!, August 26, 2002
Reviewer: M.E. Wilson from Nashville, TN USA
This book is an excellent DIY book. Not only does it give advice on basic repairs, it has many helpful tips of the trade. An excellent resource for any homeowner.

Excellent graphics! Will save you money, February 6, 2002
Reviewer: Reader from PA
I had always lived in apartments until I purchased my first home last fall. Shortly after I moved into the house, terrible leaks began to develop in the upstairs shower. The diverter no longer worked in the downstairs shower, and no pressure was getting through the shower head. I felt responsible for making the repairs and I didn't know where to start. I sure didn't want to disappoint my wife.

I looked through all the plumbing books I could find. Like other reviewers have said, the graphics in this book by far surpass the graphics in any other manual. It is obvious that Black & Decker went to great lengths and expense to create the many excellent cut-away photographs.

For my problems with the showers, the photographs showed me what I needed to do in one glance. I quickly knew what parts I needed to get. I needed a new spout dowstairs with a built in diverter. All I needed for the upstairs shower was a couple of o-rings. I also needed to purchase a pipe wrench to loosen the spout. I was able to complete the repairs in about an hour.

I am not really sure I would have had the patience to read through a less intuitive book. With the help of this book, I have the confidence to face future plumbing problems.

A terrific training tool, November 12, 2001
Reviewer: A reader from Oakland, CA
I have reviewed probably 20 books on basic plumbing for use in my company's training program for plumbers. Black and Decker's Complete Guide to Home Plumbing is by far the best. The photos are what really swung me in B&D's favor. Many other books have sketches but, next to having the fixture at hand or maybe crawling under the house, the photos in this book are the best way to orient and familiarize one with plumbing tech. Our plumbers have actually looked at a problem, excused themselves while they went out to the truck to "get a tool," and returned in 5 minutes after studying the appropriate pages and handled the problem successfully. Next time you pay a plumber $185 to fix a leaky faucet, think about getting this book and D.I.Y.

Excellent Book, March 13, 2001
Reviewer: stflush from Louisville, KY United States
I'm a new homeowner and was interested in installing a utility sink in my garage but was unsure of what all I would need to do or if I should hire a professional. This book gave excellent descriptions of general household plumbing as well as advise on how to plan plumbing projects. I definately feel I can now make an informed decision about my project.

A must-have book, January 11, 2001
Reviewer: A reader from Albion, NY USA
I borrowed this book from my local library yesterday... and I'm buying it today! The photography is superb, and the text is clearly written and carefully edited.

True to it's Title, May 7, 2000
Reviewer: A reader from Out West
This book, is without a doubt, the best book on plumbing that I've seen, and I looked through a lot of them before choosing this one. Just like the title says, it's a complete guide, with excellent photos and numeric tables to help meet code. If you're going to do your own plumbing, I'd recommend this one.

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