Customer Reviews

Plumbing a House

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

After searching a few videos and visiting the local hardware store, I was frustrated at the lack of information available about the specifics of general plumbing. Plumbers must hate this book because it outlines in detail many of the tricks of the trade. I am building my own home and have obtained all of the information I need to perform the job in this book with the exception of the septic system. There are plenty of illustrations that cover everything from tool and material selection, to rough in plumbing and finish plumbing. The writer obviously knows a thing or two about plumbing, as I was able to avoid several pitfalls by following the advice in the book. This is hands down the only plumbing book you need, unless you need septic information, which this book does not cover at all.

I was very disappointed with this book because it really needs to be updated to include the latest, most common plumbing methods/materials such as the use of PEX tubing. The author does do a good job of explaining the whys and hows of working with the older stuff. But, almost noone uses old iron drain pipe any more and even the use of copper is becoming rare in residential construction. In my area of the country (Southeast), flexible PEX tubing for supply and PVC for waste is used almost exclusively. An update is needed.

I wish I had read this book before the first remodel I attempted. I would of saved a lot of time by not learning the hard way. The book is full of practical details I haven't found in other books like how many layers of pipe tape to apply, how many threads on galvanized pipe to cut, tricks to copper sweat fitting when there is water in the line, what is the rule of thumb for the height of a sink drain. Peter being a plumber in Albany California where there is a variety of very old and new structures, I am sure he has run into all the possible problems with plumbing you can face and it shows in the book. Some experts in their field forget all the questions they had as a novice. Pete's book seems to cover all the "gotchas", the experts assume you know.

I have been a pipefitter for five years, and do plumbing on the side. My cousin is building a house so I got this book to help me on rough in and general guidence through the job. Man what a help. This book saved hours of time and energy for me. If there is a better book out there I want to see it. Thanks for the help

The is a great book for the ambitious DIYer. This is the best book on a home building topic that I have read. The book details procedures, reasoning, tools, and materials. It desribes the use of readily available, up-to-date products. However, it also shows how to handle many situations arising from remodel work such as replacing parts or tapping onto existing equipment. The "built to last" focus emphases the importance of quality parts and workmanship The book has taken the mystery out of plumbing for me. It has enabled me to replumb a bathroom, replace waste lines, and install a gas line.

A friend recommended this book to me, and I can't thank him enough. This book has all the descriptions, charts and helpful "real plumber" tips you need to plumb your entire house or just a room or tub. Other self help books I have used miss the mark with only half the story. They leave out key info needed to actually do the job, and seem better suited as "coffee table books." This one delivers from A to Z, with everything in between, and can really be used to plan, start and finish the job. Contains lists of plumbing tools needed too.

I purchased this book and then had to purchase "Installing & Repairing Plumbing Fixtures" by the same author. Excellent book for anyone designing/building/remodeling a home. Great reference of plumbing "systems" including a chapter on fuel-gas and venting. Not to mention tools and materials references based upon use/test over time experiences. I'm in the process of designing/building a home and this book has been a great source for discussing/specifying materials and techniques to my builder.

In Plumbing A House, Peter Hemp provides thorough and accurate information with very useful details and insights. I recommend this book to anyone who is doing any plumbing, having any plumbing performed for them, or who just owns a house and wants to have some idea of what provides the water and gas and what takes it away. The book is especially useful to read before performing an inspection of the plumbing in an old house, before major repairs, or before you build a new house. A "For Pros By Pros" companion volume, "Wiring A House", by Rex Cauldwell, also gets my 5-star rating, for similar reasons.

Solid information is provided for tools; materials; pipe sizing; joinery; drain, waste, and venting; water distribution; fuel gas distribution, and for venting gas water heaters and furnaces. Remodeling is also considered, but an area that could benefit from a little enhancement is the renovation of fuel-gas distribution systems. Much important information is there, but there are a lot of insights an experienced plumber could provide that are missing.

I have the version printed in 1998, and another shortcoming I found is that there is one new technology that is not covered deeply, and the book needs an update to add this. The information presented is amazingly complete and helpful without having a book 3 or 4 inches thick.

I should say that I have enough experience -- and tools -- to give plumbers and electricians a lot of gray hair when they work for me, but not enough to pass any professional test. If any of them read this, I want them to know how much I appreciate true professionals!

The information I found to be missing concerns PEX (Polyethylene Cross-Link tubing) and a manifold for water distribution. Only brief mentions of PE tubing is made. PEX, especially combined with a manifold distribution system, resolves a number of plumbing issues with many benefits. Many new houses are now plumbed with PEX and manifold systems, and owners seem blissfully unaware of the benefits--the way plumbing should be.

My house (46 years-old, and we are the fifth owners) recently had its galvanized steel pipe system fail due to years of electrolysis. There were a number of complicating factors that contributed to its early end: improper grounding of the electrical system, improper installation of a water softener, improper repairs, and a failure of previous homeowners to recognize that something was wrong and do something about it. (If you have faucets falling apart, don't just assume that it was a cheap faucet!) This book helped me figure out what was wrong, why, and what I might do about it. I had to do my own cost and benefit analysis, of course. And the book didn't tell me about the solution I picked.

The entire water distribution system in my house has now been replaced with a Vanguard Piping Systems, Inc. ManaBloc(tm) manifold system with PEX tubing. The manifold is in the garage next to the hot water heater, and a tube runs from the manifold to each fixture for cold and hot water. The tubes are color-coded. The manifold has a valve for each tube. Each tube has only two connection points: 1) at the manifold and 2) at the fixture. Flow volume is determined by tube size, pressure is evenly divided, and temperature remains constant. Four people performed the entire replacement project in 12 hours. All water was off for less than 30 minutes, and each bathroom was re-plumbed separately. The sheetrock repairs took a bit longer, but they were small compared to other options using rigid pipe.

What a book like "Plumbing A House" could add are the rules for routing the tubes and for installing the manifold that will prevent further hassles down the road. It is my experience that plumbers (and especially their helpers) want to get their current job done, and don't want to have to come back to fix a problem for free, but don't care a whit if what they do causes the carpenter, electrician, HVAC technician, or some other guy a nightmare or two. "Plumbing A House" can give you the information to help the plumber have a bit more consideration--and to give him a few more gray hairs while you are at it.

This is a great book! After having read it cover to cover a few times now, I feel very comfortable to tackle most of the plumbing work I am doing as I remodel my house. It explains everything not only step by step, but also explains why, when and where different materials out perform eachother.

As a do-it-yourselfer, I found this book to be the best of 3 I took out on loan from the library, I used the tables and pictures in the book, to add a full bathroom on the second floor of my house. I felt so confident with the book, I bought my own copy for future reference