Customer Reviews

Better Homes & Gardens Step-By-Step Plumbing

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If you want to know how to fix plumbing fixtures (sinks, toilets, etc.), this book is for you. It also is for you if you want to put plumbing into your new house, or do a rehab/add a bathroom, etc. My use is for both. I checked this book out of the library and realized I had to have my own copy (spills & what not on library books do not please librarians).

It has very clear, colored illustrations to show how pipes run, what tools you need, and what the different plumbing parts look like. The illustrations are excellent and easy to follow.

It is written in simple English. It has step by step illustrations for certain projects. This book won't tell you a lot about plumbing codes specifics (you need to check your local and state codes).

Most of all, for the newbie to plumbing, it starts out with an overview with good illustrations that show how water comes into a house, goes through a house, and leaves a house. ()

By looking through this book I learned that, as I hoped, I am perfectly capable of removing one sink faucet and installing a new one. And I knew nothing about it beforehand. (Haven't done it yet, but I now know what's involved.) I know what tools I'll need (not too many) -- and now I know the names of some tools I didn't used to know. I know what the basic parts of a faucet are and how they work together -- and it didn't take me more than 10 minutes of reading and thinking to grasp it all.

The diagrams are excellent -- extremely clear, complete, well labeled. Every so often there's an "Expert's Insight" -- a little helpful hint, or trick of the trade for making things easier. For each task the book clearly identifies how much time you should budget, what tools you'll need, and what skill level you'll need to start with. e.g., for fixing leaky toilet tanks and bowls, "No special skills, but be careful not to crack the toilet." How straightforward can you get? This is education that doesn't hurt.