4 comments about Dare to Repair Plumbing (Collins Gem) (Collins Gem).

1. This is my first review ever, and I am only writing it because I feel compelled to warn others to avoid making the mistake I made of buying this book (actually two copies). This book is a miniature. It is about 3x4 inches. The print is so small that I might actually need reading glasses, which I do not wear, to read it. The text runs right into the binding of the book, so it would be difficult to read unless you wanted to break the binding of the book. All of the chapters of this book, except for four of the them, are contained in the 'mother' book "Dare to Repair: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Fixing (Almost) Anything in the Home." This book is not worth $7.95, but should have been offered free with the other book. I recommend that you buy "Dare to Repair: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Fixing (Almost) Anything in the Home", but steer clear of this one. I have no idea what the authors were thinking when they put this one together, but it was a major disappointment and is on its way back to Amazon.



2. It is physically a very small book. OK for what it covers.



3. The presentation has sufficient detail on the mechanics of repairing
   simple to intermediate-level breakages for cars. The presentation
   includes:
   - a circuit map depicting how to replace fuses
   - fuel injector gasket leak repairs
   - a cracked radiator hose
   - the heater core
   
   The acquisition would be helpful for anyone seeking to learn about
   repairing cars either in their spare time or for practical application
   on the road.



4. This is my first review as well as my first book from this series. I had put all three of the Dare to Repair books on my "wish list" this Christmas and was really shocked at the size and content of this book. Its small enough to slip into a pocket but I dont understand the author's point of creating a miniturized book when the other two books are typical size. I noticed that the repairs are EXTREMELY basic and many of the illustrations are comprised of, what appear to me, as outdated hardwear, at least for many of the home builders here in Texas. Being a visual learner I depend on accurate illustrations and a great deal of them. I was hoping it would detail how to actually replace a toilet but did not find that project listed. I did find the section on "Appliances" to be quite helpful as was the description of "replacing sealant around a bathtub." I do not consider myself a strong handywoman but I even knew some of the items listed in this book just from figuring it out on my own. Depending on your level and your needs for plumbing education, you may want to consider a different style of book.

4 comments about Builder's Guide to Wells and Septic Systems.

1. I am looking for a reference book to help me design a septic system and well for a new home project. I thought from the title that this book was appropriate (there was no table of contents available). It is not. Much of the book is geared towards helping general contractors avoid getting ripped off by well or septic subcontractors. If that is what you need, this is probably a reasonable choice. If you actually want to design and build your own well and septic systems, then pass on this title.

   I'm still looking for a good design/reference text for septic and well systems...




2. The author is obviously very experienced and skilled in the subjects of wells and septic systems. I found it helpful in my becoming educated about things to look for and avoid when building or contracting either system. On the other side of the coin, the flow of the material is choppy, and bounces around from subject to subject. This makes it difficult for a novice to gain any knowledge about designing and installing any of the systems. As a 3 Star rating, it is a book that alerts the reader to things to look out for. R. Dodge Woodson seems to have put a great deal of himself into this book, and he touches expertly on everything...but it could be better organized. I would hire him as my contractor in a heartbeat...but not as a writer of my How-To book; however,I still keep his book handy and refer to it when the going gets tough! I'd purchase it again.



3. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND NOT TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK IF YOUR LOOKING TO INSTALL A WELL OR SEPTIC, THERE ARE NO REAL INSTRUCTIONS ON DEPTH FOR THE SEPTIC LINES, INFORMATION ON THE DISTRUBUTION BOX ON AND ON. BUT IT WOULD PROBABLY BE GREAT FOR A ENGINEER THAT INSTALLS SYSTEMS. ED HARRIGAN VERMONT



4. Don't bother with this one. The amount of knowledge in this apparently unedited blog of a book about actually building wells and septic systems can fit onto a handful of pages. The rest of the time the author goes back and forth between descriptions of wells and septic systems repeating himself but never going into much depth. He spends much of his time giving advice about how not to get screwed by the person you're building the well for. An example is not to promise anything to the customer since you can't tell if a well will contain water or not. Mhmmm. I would think twice before getting into any business deal with this contractor.

1 comments about Illustrated Guide to the 2006 International Plumbing and Sewage Codes (Illustrated Guide to the International Plumbing & Sewage Code).

1. This book is very hard to follow. The Illustrated manual that is published by the ICC is much more coherent and informative. I regret having spent so much money on this book becaust it has nothing to offer beyond what is in the ICC publication. The font that was utized by the author in his ilustrations are murder on the eyes. Buy the ICC version as it has the actual code verbatim and then the articulate and practical commentary. Plus the illustrations are superb especially when compared to Patterson's offering.
   
   And, as always, Amazon rules. Their Customer Service is second to none.

5 comments about The Furnace Book: "The Heart of Your Home".

1. My neighbor told me that there was a book out last year on how to install your own furnace. That ws great news to me. I bought The Furnace Book By Authorhouse online and I am glad that I did.
   It was just what the Doctor ordered for myself and my family as my old furnace had stopped running.
   I put in my furnace and air in a couple of days and saved a few thousand dollars for the book price. The book was no more tha the price of a hand tool and was a good referance book.



2. I was hesitant about changing my own furnace until I purchased The Furnace Book. It was of great help and the pictures in the book help me to understand what I needed to do.
   I would reccomend The Furnace Book to any homeowner.



3. Although I don't work in the trades, I'm the kind of guy that spent his youth tearing apart engines and working on cars. Suffice it to say I know my way around mechanical things. I live in Atlanta where all two story homes have a separate HVAC system for each floor. You can imagine my wallet shock to find both my 22 year old HVAC units needed replacement with a median quote of $11,500. My research on the internet provided information that I could buy the exact name brand equipment online for $3400. That said, I had no idea how to install it or should I say I had no experience in installing HVAC. That's when I learned about The Furnace Book. Paul King walks you through the complete process of retrofitting your replacement units to your existing duct and vent system. The pictures are excellent and the sheet metal advice is invaluable. It's written in a step by step manner that laymen can understand. This book is an excellent resource where you are shown the secrets of the trade. I know of no other book like it and would commend it to anyone wanting to understand the process of installing new HVAC equipment. As you can see my savings on the project were $8100. I would have to say The Furnace Book would be cheap at twice the price.



4. I was a little disappointed with this book because it lacked detail. In particular, it did not cover high efficiency furnaces at all. The book is 52 pages and only scratches the surface of a new installation. I don't think that this covers everything a novice would need to know to properly install a new gas furnace.



5. I was just looking for information on how to add a couple of duct branches off the main duct. I went right to the section of the book that explains how to do this, the epilogue. This section could have been written in French. For a novice, the terms heat runs, trunk lines, square to round and round to square mean nothing. I looked in the furnace terminology, scanned the rest of the book and the index. There was no reference to this anywhere. This book was a waste of $26. If you don't know anything about furnaces or ductwork, don't waste your money.

1 comments about Reparaciones y Proyectos de Plomeria.

1. El producto es barato y de gran calidad gráfica, muy bien explicado y aunque en Europa tenemos algunas diferencias, es francamente bueno, lo recomiendo.
   Por parte del vendedor muy buen servicio, bien empaquetado y ha llegado en plazo.

No comments about Miller's Guide to Home Plumbing.

3 comments about Plumbing (Home Repair and Improvement (Updated Series)).

1. I am the proud owner of the complete Home Improvement series by Time-Life Books. This book has come in handy more times than I can say. The house I bought is 100 years old and the plumbing was in very bad shape. Time-Life's "Plumbing" had tips and tricks for every plumbing repair or upgrade project I worked on.

   I like the new spiral bindings of this book. It allows the book to lay flat, without the pages turning on their own. The binding alone convinced me to update my library from the original hardcover series.

   The drawings are very helpful in showing you what you should be looking for. I like the drawing much better than photos...they leave out minor details that would otherwise get in the way, leaving only the important details that let you get the job finished quickly and easily.

   I recommend this book (and the entire series) to anyone interested in working on their home. Whether you are a beginner or experienced homeowner, this book will be the one you turn to for all your plumbing questions.




2. I am the proud owner of the complete Home Improvement series by Time-Life Books. This book has come in handy more times than I can say. The house I bought is 100 years old and the plumbing was in very bad shape. Time-Life's "Plumbing" had tips and tricks for every plumbing repair or upgrade project I worked on.

   I like the new spiral bindings of this book. It allows the book to lay flat, without the pages turning on their own. The binding alone convinced me to update my library from the original hardcover series.

   The drawings are very helpful in showing you what you should be looking for. I like the drawing much better than photos...they leave out minor details that would otherwise get in the way, leaving only the important details that let you get the job finished quickly and easily.

   I recommend this book (and the entire series) to anyone interested in working on their home. Whether you are a beginner or experienced homeowner, this book will be the one you turn to for all your plumbing questions.




3. This book discusses many plumbing projects, including those which usually are considered the provenance of professional plumbers. A section lists and illustrates all the tools needed for work. The diverse topics in this book include: emergency repairs, the thawing of frozen pipes, unclogging of pipes no matter the location of the blockage; repairing a water boiler, faucet, shower, toilet, etc. There is also a section on home improvements, including the construction of an underground sprinkler system for lawn or garden.
   
   There are many drawings which illustrate the procedures and the plumbing. Some are cutaways. Otherwise, components that are below ground or otherwise obscured by other things are shown in faded color or gray.
   
   The authors give words of encouragement to the novice. They point out that any job, when done for the first time, is difficult. It gets easier with experience.

2 comments about Plumbing for Dummies.

1. Friday night, after our condominium's maintenance service had closed for the weekend, my garbage disposal stopped working. My sink was full of garbage. I remembered someone have given me a copy of this book and looked up garbage disposal. There, in several brilliantly clear paragraphs, Gene and Katie Hamilton told me exactly how to fix my machine using a little gadget that came with the machine that I would never have known had a purpose -- without electrocuting myself or cutting off my fingers. There is nothing more thrilling than fixing something you never thought you could fix yourself. (Here's a situation where the word "empowerment" really means something.) When I think of the times I have paid a plumber a small fortune for a minor fix like this that I could, with the right instructions, have fixed myself...I wish I'd had this book sooner! I am definitely giving a copy of this book to some fellow plumbing dummies for Christmas.



2. This book is poor.

   The illustrations are not very helpful. Photos could be much better.

   Don't buy it.

5 comments about Plumber's Handbook.

1. Excellent book for designers and architects to use for residential and small commerical structures. Provides the Plumbers point of view on necessary design elements for layout of fixtures, pipes, etc.

   Provides excellent explanation on how to read a plumbing design layout and superb insight in to the plumbing codes. Provides the details that will allow a designer or architect to adequately communicate with plumbing contractors.

   Good overview for architects/designers and a very useful study guide for plumbers and plumbing contractors.




2. I'm a man the thrives on detailed information. And I salute this Howard Massey for producing this first-rate plumbing book! Beware, this is not a book for weekend Joe looking to learn how to replace a faucet washer. Even if your not in the plumbing trade, but are serious about learning to understand and design plumbing service for your home or business, you have found the book you want.

   So many technical books paint their subject with such broad brush strokes that, after reading the book, the reader is left to discover for themselves (as in "the hard way") what necessary detail was omitted. Not this book. It's complete, well organized, well indexed, and riddled with excellent photographs and illustrations.

   While the book is entirely in in black and white, the author very effectively used an artist with a computer to expertly draw most of the illustrations. The fidelity of the graphics is worthy of a graphic arts how-to book.

   To give you a sense of how thorough and complete this book is, I'll describe the problem I recently used it to understand and solve. A family friend, who is a veterinarian, recently mortgaged everything to buy her own animal hospital. As soon as she bought is the drains started backing up. Roto-Rooter started coming monthly to remove pet hair from the sewer pipes. I went to the "Plumbers Handbook" and it not only had a section on trapping hair, it even had a topic specific to the control of hair generated by kennels and animal care facilities!

   What a super book!




3. I'm building my own house and bought this book as a plumbing reference. It has pretty much sat on the shelf. It is more oriented toward the full time plumber who is doing multiple types of jobs. Too much time spent on the many fascets of plumbing and too little time spent on how it applies to doing a residential job.

   Instead I'd recommend "Complete Home Plumbing" by Sunset books. That book has been my first read when a question comes up.




4. Whether a do-it-yourself amateur or an experienced professional, this new and updated edition of Howard Massey's "Plumber's Handbook" is a very highly recommended instructional reference manual. Drawing upon his many years of expertise and experience as a plumber, a plumbing contractor, an inspector and plans examiner, Massey explains in simple terms how to install plumbing systems that will pass inspection the first time! Each chapter is profusely illustrated with diagrams, charts and tables that will insure the selection of the right material and correct installation. The "Plumber's Handbook Revised" addresses vents, waste piping, drainage, septic tanks, hot and cold water supply systems, wells, fire protection piping, fixtures, solar energy systems, gas piping, and so much more. Of special note are the chapters dedicated to the plumbing of mobile home and travel trailer parks and graywater recycling. An invaluable addition to personal, professional, school and community library reference collections, this newly revised edition is completely updated to conform to the International Plumbing Code (IPC) and the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) standards.



5. This is a great book if you need theory, plumbing codes, etc. If you want to know how to make your new p-trap fit your old p-trap, then you will be very disappointed. No DIY tricks here. No inside secrets on parts compatibility and replacements. This book is just hard core plumbing design and install, etc,,, and not repair parts oriented which is the root cause of most guys looking for a book like this. Plumbing repair is all about parts, PARTS, parts, and this is not the book for that. The cover of the book even says "...planning and installing....", not repair! It seems to be a great book, seriously,,, it just is not the magic pill I wanted. Seems there are no magic pill books,,,, rats! By the way, I think the used book I bought is stolen from Parma Ohio Library. hmmmm?

2 comments about Environmental Control Systems: Heating, Cooling, Lighting.

1. This course textbook is an excellent tool for both the beginner and the experienced architect with regard to expanding one's knowledge base on energy designing. The text starts with basic information relating to the environment and site analysis, then provides detailed design concepts for practical use. The materials include current examples for review and study, as well as a wealth of tables and calculation aids for application of the theories studied. Even the individual who just wants a single source for receiving a working knowledge of how to evaluate a site's characteristics with regard to the environment would benefit from this text.



2. good introduction to heating lighting and cooling systems in buildings. Covers basic physical principles, human response, design response to site and ong emphasis on passive systems with lighter coverage of mechanical and electrical systems. Lots of wroked examples, case studies, design guidelines, and illustrations by the author. Useful both as a text for architecture students as well as a refresher for practitioners.