Customer Reviews

Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Plumbing: Expanded 4th Edition - Modern Materials and Current Codes - All New Guide to Working with Gas Pipe

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Black and Decker line of repair and home improvement books are clearly one, if not, thee best I have ever seen. Their illustrations and attention to detail are far better than the other name brand books. I am actually very surprised to the amount of work they must have gone through to get some of the shots they show. I have both the plumbing and wiring book and find/found them very useful for even the biggest of jobs. My only complaint with this particular book was the lack of detail on sizing and layout of supply and waste pipes for new installations. They have some good tables and cover some issues with code, but there are many fine details involving UPC and IRC standards, as well as many tricks and do's and don'ts in the trade that I would like to see covered. In other words, you'll need more data if you plan on getting a permit and passing inspection. Perhaps a well drawn out 2-story plan, noting why each pipe was placed and sized as such, for optimal service, would make this book outstanding. In either case, it's still one of the best book out there. Check out the "Code Check" flip references by Taunton Press for the fine details to compliment this book. Hope this helps.

This book is well written and certainly well presented, with excellent pictures to illustrate the task at hand.

Its comprehensive on the topic of home plumbing with many tasks covered.

I doubt whether there is a better and more up to date publication.

However some constructive criticism; I would have appreciated more technical information at times. There was no reason as to why certain pipes or fixtures were used instead of others, whether it was in the code or the author had the experience to know, you had to accept it on blind faith.
So I often thought when doing a certain project, "why did they choose these products and methods."

Also there is very little on the subject of Gas plumbing except the installation of a Gas hot water tank.

This manual is made for existing homes and the homeowner who wishes to understand plumbing and handle his own projects. Jobs which may seem daunting for those without trade skills are made very manageable by excellent text and photographs. The biggest restraint in keeping homeowners from saving money and doing their own work is fear of making mistakes. The book dispells the fear! The book covers simple skills such as replacing faucets to more major jobs like replacing water heaters or adding new plumbing lines and facilities. I compared this book with three others before purchasing and feel the few extra dollars worth it.

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.

Extract from the book, page 58:

"Install a drain pipe and branch line and then trim the drain pipe flush with the floor.
IF YOU ARE NOT EXPERIENCED WITH PLUMBING, HIRE A PLUMBER TO INSTALL THE NEW DRAIN LINE"

Obviously I will not learn that from "The Complete Guide to Plumbing".

(page 58. check for yourself with LOOK inside feature.)
Honestly the book is not that bad, but quite overrated. Nice pictures but too much focus on the easiest topics.

I bought this book because Black and Decker's guide to electrical work was excellent. The plumbing version is good too, but would have benefited from more detail and basic information for beginners. This book has excellent pictures, a variety of types of projects and repairs, and generally good descriptions and instructions. I learned quite a bit from reading this book.

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.

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.

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.

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.