Black & decker The complete guide to plumbing : modern materials and current codes all new guide to working with gas pipe

337 Pages·2008·80.58 MB·English

by  Black & Decker Corporation (Towson, Md.), Creative Publishing International

The Complete Guide to
PlUMbing
Updated 5th Edition
Faucets & Fixtures • PEX • Tubs & Toilets • Water Heaters
Troubleshooting & Repair • Much More
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOtA
www.creativepub.com
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Contents
6
The Complete Guide
to Plumbing
Introduction 7 16 8
The Home Plumbing System 8
Shutting Off the Water 12
Plumbing Fixtures 15
Toilets 16
Kitchen Faucets 22
22 32
Kitchen Drains & Traps 28
Dishwashers 32
Food Disposers 36
Water Heaters 42
Bathroom Faucets 54
Shower Kits 62
54
Custom Shower Bases 70
Alcove Bathtubs 78
3-Piece Tub Surrounds 86
Sliding Tub Doors 90
Jetted Tub 94
Bidets 102 42 102
Water Softeners 106
Hot Water Dispenser 110
Icemaker 114
Pot Filler 120
Reverse-Osmosis Water Filters 122
120 128
Freezeproof Sillcocks 128
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Contents (Cont.)
132 136 142
Pedestal Sinks 132
Wall-Hung Vanities 134
Vessel Sinks 136 149
Integral Vanity Tops 140
Kitchen Sinks 142
Standpipe Drains 144
Plumbing Installations 149
Installation Basics 150
158
Planning Plumbing Routes 154
Master Bath 158
Basement Bath 166
Half Bath 172
Kitchen 174
New Gas Lines 188
166 172
Plumbing Repairs 195
Common Toilet Problems 196
Clogged Toilets 210
Toilet Flanges 214
Toilet Drain Lines 216
Sink Faucets 218 244 248
Kitchen Sprayers 228
Fixing Leaky Tubs & Shower Faucets 232
Single-Handle Tub & Shower Faucet with Scald Control 240
Tubs & Showers 244
Sink Drains 248
250
Branch & Main Drains 250
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264 269
Branch Drains & Vents 254
Main Stacks 258
Supply Pipes 264
276
Noisy Pipes 266
Plumbing Tools, Materials & Skills 269
Plumbing Tools 270
Plumbing Materials 274
Copper 276
288 284
Rigid Plastic Pipe 284
Working with Outdoor Flexible Plastic Pipe 288
Cross-Linked Polyethylene (PEX) 290
Galvanized Steel 298
Cast Iron 302
Pipe Fittings 306
290 298
Shutoff Valves 310
Valves & Hose Bibs 312
Compression Fittings 314
Gas Pipe Fittings 316
310
Appendix: Planning Your Project 318
Testing New Plumbing Pipes 326
Glossary 328
Metric Conversion Chart 329
Resources 330
326 318
Index 331
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Introduction
f all the jobs that need doing around the house, plumbing repairs are the most likely to cause us to complain
Oabout the cost of hiring a pro. Not to disparage the good, valuable work of our professional plumbers, but
how many times have you heard someone lament that they paid $80 just to have a washer replaced? The fact is,
some plumbing repairs are extremely complicated and laborious, but others are really quite simple and entirely
manageable. The reason you should own this book is that it will help you determine which projects you can take
on yourself, and then it will show you exactly how to get the job done. So instead of lamenting that you paid an
exorbitant fee for a simple job, you’ll be boasting about how much you saved by doing it yourself.
For more than a decade, Black & Decker’s The Complete Guide to Plumbing has been the leading plumbing
manual for do-it-yourselfers. Now in its updated 5th edition, and nearing the milestone of one million copies sold,
it is the clearest and most complete plumbing book you can own. From its easy-to-understand explanations of
how modern plumbing works to its clear how-to photos of all of the most common home plumbing projects, this
is the only plumbing book you’ll need to become master of your home plumbing system.
This edition of The Complete Guide to Plumbing has been revised and updated to conform to national
plumbing codes in effect from 2012 through 2015. It also includes plenty of all-new information and several
projects that are relatively new to the home plumbing scene. For example, you’ll find a complete step-by-
step photo sequence that shows precisely how to install a tankless water heater. These on-demand plumbing
appliances have exploded in popularity in recent years as homeowners have discovered that they no longer need
to pay the energy costs required to keep 50 gallons of water hot even when it is not needed. Tankless water
heaters are not cheap—the one we install here costs over $1,500—but by doing the installation yourself, you can
have one for roughly the same cost as having a professional plumber install a traditional tank-type water heater.
Admittedly, most homeowners are not too likely to take on a plumbing project that is as ambitious as
installing a tankless water heater—at least not until he or she has a few simpler projects checked off the bucket
list. That’s okay. Even if you do hire someone else to do the work, you should read through the project shown
here first. There is no substitute for knowledge when you’re reviewing a bid or inspecting someone else’s work.
In the meantime, you can build your skill set and save money and time by accomplishing some easier tasks. For
example, it has been estimated that half of the home plumbing service calls involve problems with a toilet. Most
of these can be remedied easily by replacing a flush valve or fill valve (pages 202 to 205) or clearing a clog with
a closet auger (page 213). You need only to do one minor repair yourself to recover your investment in this book
several times over. And you’ll become a more self-sufficient homeowner.
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The Home Plumbing System
ecause most of a plumbing system is hidden works is an important first step toward doing routine
Binside walls and floors, it may seem to be a maintenance and money-saving repairs.
complex maze of pipes and fittings. But spend a few A typical home plumbing system includes three
minutes with us and you’ll gain a basic understanding basic parts: a water supply system, a fixture and
of your system. Understanding how home plumbing appliance set, and a drain system. These three parts
can be seen clearly in the photograph of the cut-away
house on the opposite page.
Fresh water enters a home through a main supply
line (1). This fresh water source is provided by either
a municipal water company or a private underground
well. If the source is a municipal supp lier, the water
passes through a meter (2) that registers the amount
of water used. A family of four uses about 400 gallons
of water each day.
Immediately after the main supply enters the
house, a branch line splits off (3) and is joined to a
water heater (4). From the water heater, a hot water
line runs parallel to the cold water line to bring the
water supply to fixtures and appliances throughout
the house. Fixtures include sinks, batht ubs, showers,
and laundry tubs. Appliances include water heaters,
dishwashers, clothes washers, and water softeners.
Toilets and exterior sillcocks are examples of fixtures
that require only a cold water line.
The water supply to fixtures and appliances is
controlled with faucets and valves. Faucets and valves
have moving parts and seals that eventually may wear
out or break, but they are easily repaired or replaced.
Waste water then enters the drain system. It first
must flow past a drain trap (5), a U-shaped piece of
pipe that holds standing water and prevents sewer
gases from entering the home. Every fixture must have
a drain trap.
The drain system works entirely by gravity,
allowing waste water to flow downhill through a series
of large-diameter pipes. These drain pipes are attached
to a system of vent pipes. Vent pipes (6) bring fresh
air to the drain system, preventing suction that would
slow or stop drain water from flowing freely. Vent pipes
usually exit the house at a roof vent (7).
All waste water eventually reaches a main
waste and vent stack (8). The main stack curves to
become a sewer line (9) that exits the house near the
Water meters and main shutoff valves are located where foundation. In a municipal system, this sewer line
the main water supply pipe enters the house. The water meter
is the property of your local m unicipal water company. If joins a main sewer line located near the street. Where
the water meter leaks, or if you suspect it is not functioning sewer service is not available, waste water empties into
properly, call your water company for repairs. a septic system.
8 ■ The compleTe guide To plumbing
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(7) Roof vent
(8) Waste and
vent stack
(6) Vent pipe
(5) Trap
(4) Water
heater
(3)
Branch
line
Branch drain line
Main
shutoff
valve
(2) Water meter
Hot water
supply lines
Floor
drain
Cold water
supply lines
Drain lines
Vent lines
(1) Main supply (9) Sewer line
line
Introduction ■ 9
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■ Water Supply System
Water supply pipes carry hot and cold water are supplied only by cold water. Appliances include
throughout a house. In homes built before 1960, the dishwashers and clothes washers. A refrigerator
original supply pipes were usually made of galvanized icemaker uses only cold water. Tradition says that hot
steel. Newer homes have supply pipes made of copper. water supply pipes and faucet handles are found on the
Beginning in the 1980s, supply pipes made of rigid left-hand side of a fixture, with cold water on the right.
plastic (PVC or CPVC) became more commonplace, Because it is pressurized, the water supply system
and the more recent plumbing innovations find PEX is occasionally prone to leaks. This is especially true
pipe widely used and accepted. of galvanized iron pipe, which has limited resistance
Water supply pipes are made to withstand the to corrosion.
high pressures of the water supply system. They have For some houses in older neighborhoods, the
small diameters, usually ½" to 1", and are joined with main supply line running from the street to the house
strong, watertight fittings. The hot and cold lines run is made of lead; this once posed a health hazard.
in tandem to all parts of the house. Usually, the supply Today, however, municipalities with lead pipes often
pipes run inside wall cavities or are strapped to the add a trace amount of phosphate to the water, which
undersides of floor joists. coats the inside of the pipes and virtually eliminates
Hot and cold water supply pipes are connected to leaching of lead into the water. If you are concerned
fixtures or appliances. Fixtures include sinks, tubs, and about lead in your water, check with your local
showers. Some fixtures, such as toilets or hose bibs, water supplier.
Hot water supply lines
Cold water supply lines
In from municipal water supply
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