Rating: 
Summary: Great for beginner and intermediate DIYers
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Everything water related is in this book.
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Everything water related is in this book.
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have book
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Not recommended
Review: I bought this book and it was very disappointing. It has nice pictures but leaves out key basic information like the measurements for doing rough-in work for bathroom fixtures. I ended up going to the library to get useful information. This book is perhaps useful for someone who knows absolutely nothing about plumbing but is not good for any one with more knowledge. I consider it a waste of my money
Rating: 
Summary: Good pick
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Good but ....
Review: I found the layout and informational content to be very informative and well organized.
The only problem I have with this book is that it hasn't seemed to cover aspects of the projects I have undertaken.
The o-ring on my shower spout was torn when the plumber removed the spout. I could have just bought a new spout but I wanted to fix it. The book didn't have information on how to do that. Spouts for bathtub/showers should be pretty common and replacing on o-ring - I'd think - would also be a fairly common issue.
I also wanted to know what kind of grade I needed to put on the main waste drain that leads to the sewer and there didn't seem to be any information on what grade it should have or general techniques on acheiving that grade.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent graphics! Will save you money
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A terrific training tool
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Good for Remodeling
Review: I like this book. It has enough information to allow you to plan a moderate project, and it has very well illustrated project and repair sections. I think this book is perfect for the advanced do-it-yourself kind of person. It has been very helpful.
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