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Plumbing - Page 47 of 50

Residential plumbing is a largely hidden system, working tirelessly out of sight to deliver fresh water and carry away what we no longer need. We see the faucets, the showerheads, the toilets and the electric hot water tank, but the rest is out of sight and out of mind. By the time the plumber has left, the supply lines, valves and drains have mostly disappeared behind walls and under floors, never to surface again unless there’s a problem.

Assembling this network of interconnected parts takes skill and practice as well as the right parts and pieces. The basics are simple: supply lines of copper or plastic, drain lines, and a number of fixtures for kitchens, bathrooms, laundries. The move toward greater energy efficiency in our homes has introduced some new players: drain water heat recovery technology that captures wasted heat in discarded shower water, low-flow faucets and toilets that save water, recirculation systems that eliminate long waits for hot water in the bathroom or kitchen.

Plumbers are the masters of this hidden kingdom. But most builders, and many homeowners, can handle spot repairs when a plumber isn’t readily available. It makes sense to know how to install a toilet, replace a kitchen faucet, or repair a damaged sink drain. What self-respecting homeowner would want to call in a plumber over the weekend (at double or triple time) when a toilet valve stuck or a kitchen faucet wouldn’t stop dripping?

Fine Homebuilding’s library of articles and videos covers the building blocks of modern plumbing systems and the many details that add up to a truly trouble-free installation. Want to pick exactly the right sink, faucet or toilet? This is a great place to start your search.

  • Sherlock Ohms

    We recently had the misfortune of finding a water pipe by running a nail through it. To make matters worse, the pipe was under a floor overlaid with tile backer…

  • Dowsing for water lines

    There have been many times when I've had to locate underground lines for water, sewer, gas or electricity. After digging too many exploratory holes, my brother showed me an easy…

  • Removing Broken Plastic Pipes

    I had to remove a threaded plastic nipple that had broken off inside an elbow where it came out of the shower wall. To get the nipple out, I heated…

  • Soldering water pipes

    An old plumber's trick for resoldering copper water lines when making repairs is to take a piece of white bread, make two dough balls and then stuff them up the…

  • Plastic pipe cutoff jig

    On a recent plumbing job I had to cut the ABS pipe with great accuracy. Skewed cuts would have thrown off my layout, making it tough to fit the parts…

  • Balloon Plug

    Learn how to fix a dribbling pipe with this creative hack.

  • Tight-spot routering

    While applying plastic laminate to a bathroom vanity bordered by walls on three sides, I ran into trouble when it came time to make the cutout for the sink. Problem…

  • Appliance drains

    Most of the houses I build have precast-concrete plank floors covered with rigid insulation topped with plywood. The plywood serves as a subfloor for carpet, hardwood or tile. As you can…

  • Fiberglass tub fix

    Galveston Island endures strong winds and hurricanes, so the houses are built on pilings; when the wind blows they flex a bit. Reasoning that this flexing would crack any tile…

  • Pipe-Cutting Jig

    When I had to repair some plumbing pipes under my kitchen sink, I found that one of the thin-walled waste lines had been trimmed with a tubing cutter too close…

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Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 331 - June 2025
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  • Issue 327 - November 2024
    • Repairing Damaged Walls and Ceilings
    • Plumbing Protection
    • Talking Shop

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