Plumbing (For Pros By Pros)

Excellent book, very easy to read. Saved me literally thousands of dollars. I renovate an entire home and redid the plumbing work using Pex. This book covers every detail but still easy to read and provided plenty of pictures. I brought five plumbers for estimates and the cheapest was around three thousand and didn't even show up, everyone one else asked for much more. I bought this book so I can be prepared to check the work of any plumber but it sounded so easy where i started doing the work by myself and decided to finish it without hiring anyone. I did the main pipes starting all the way from the Meter, brand new showers, sinks, toilets, etc.For this book honestly wouldn't have asked for more, I am surprised some people gave the book bad review based on the title that it refereed to Pros or that it didnt cover specific plumbing maintenance, if the author will cover everything he knows he will need a book twice as big probably

This book is fantastic! I love the author's style, sense of humor, and obvious expertise. It's easy to read and full of great advice.If you're a home owner, prospective home buyer, or even a renter, you need this book. I'm accustomed to on demand water heaters so I never knew, for example, that tanked heaters have pieces that need replacing on a fairly regular basis in order to protect the tank. Additionally, call me stupid, but I never knew that you needed to remove the filter pieces at the bottom of the dishwasher to clean them. These are just a couple of the fantastic pieces of information that can benefit 'everyday people,' not just pros. We're planning to finally leave the renters' life behind and buy a home in the coming year and I know this book will be a fantastic resource.

Cauldwell is a licensed plumber and a licensed electrician. His plumbing book is excellent. Maybe I should have given it 5 stars. I like the one by Peter Hemp just a little better. This book and one of the Peter Hemp books is all you need to do a wealth of plumbing jobs.

One of the other reviewers complained about all the attention Rex pays in this book to installing well pumps and expansion tanks -- I loved that part of the book! Sure there could be sections later on in the book about things like garbage disposals or even some more diagrams on waste-line systems, but I think it's a very thorough book. I'm in no way a plumber, but I think it's safe to say that you can save BIG BUCKS by reading this book and plumbing your own stuff around the house. Oh, and I also appreciated the sections on PEX, as several other plumbing books I read say almost nothing about the stuff.

This is another down to earth Cauldwell book. It is full of tips on how to do superior work and it's up to date, PEX tubing, air admittance valves etc. I particularly like some of Rex's special tips such as his under the kitchen sink custom drain system. There is also practical advice on what tools are most useful including some specials that you can make yourself. The writing style is enjoyable, informal yet meaty. Reading it is like being mentored by a real world professional who has first hand practical experience to share. It's a bargain.

I bought both this book and the older (1998) Taunton book "Plumbing a House" by Peter Hemp, to prepare for doing a lot of plumbing work on an old fixer upper. I already know how to do plumbing basics and I was looking for a resource that would help me deal with more complicated problems like running new sewage and water lines.The two books are like night and day. This one is loaded with photos and illustrations and helpful tips for someone who is doing basic work around the house. It's easy to read and pretty entertaining to browse through. But it has very little helpful information about how to actually undertake major plumbing work. If you're looking for a book that will help you with a major remodel, this one is really not the book for you. It skims over all the stuff that you really need to know in detail to do major work.The Hemp book that this apparently replaced is really a manual for big jobs and professionals. He explains in detail, with great clarity, how to plan a sewage and water supply system for the whole house. The diagrams clearly illustrate the concepts. He talks a lot about how to satisfy building inspectors that you have done a good job, and there are a lot of other tips that you would ordinarily have to learn on the job with an experienced plumber. The book basically focuses on how to plan and execute all the rough plumbing work that needs to be done for a residential remodel or new construction.Anyway, I was disappointed that this newer Cauldwell book is "for pros by pros" and seems to have replaced the Hemp book. It's really more a compendium of little tips and tricks without much help on big picture plumbing. I think it is a good book if you are looking to put a new vanity in your bathroom or fix a water heater, but it really isn't a helpful guide for anyone who is looking to do more serious work. I wish that Taunton would publish an updated edition of the Hemp book to cover PEX and push on copper fittings and other stuff that's happened more recently in plumbing, because this book isn't really a substitute.

Fantastic guide for both new and veteran home construction buffs who need to either fix or ensure they don't create a water or sewage problem. Succinctly informative with available materials and tools. Good photographic illustrations. Highly recommend.

The author's experience in plumbing shows in this book. The book spends more time on repairs than some I've looked at. However it does cover new work.