"Plumbing by the Book"

 I can’t explain this personality trait of mine.

Maybe I learned it as a farm boy in Idaho where I either made do or did without. Sometimes my wife becomes concerned when I get the urge because she knows from past experience that when I get stated, there could be some problems.

I confess, I’m a “do-it-yourselfer,” a handyman, or whatever you call a person who gets great satisfaction in repairing or making something himself rather than buying it off the shelf or having it professionally made.

After several weeks of thought and planning, on the Presidents Day holiday, I installed a cold water faucet in my garage so that I could more easily wash my automobiles.

I was tired of walking on plants to get to the outside hydrant and swatting at mosquitoes whenever I attached a garden hose.

It generally takes five trips to the hardware store whenever I get involved in a plumbing project.

With this in mind, I began this project at 8 a.m. sharp that Monday morning. I had previously purchased the faucet, copper pipe and fittings.

From a previous project of several years past, I had a disposable blowtorch, a burnishing tool, solder and flux.

To be truthful, I had also read through several library books on plumbing and watched the two videos owned by the library on plumbing. I had also visited with a man at the hardware store about the art of “sweating” copper pipe joints. Within two hours of beginning the project, I was washing my SUV with a hose connected to my new faucet!

The Library has materials to help with just about any type of do-it-yourself project, from candle making to sheet rocking. Examples of a few book titles include: “Finishing Basements and Attics,” “Dishwasher Repair,” “Cheap and Easy!” “Making Bent Willow Furniture,” “All about Deck and Patio Upgrades,” “Building Classic Antique Furniture with Pine” and “Wiring Simplified.”

Examples of how-to-do-it videos include, “Bicycle Repair,” “Roofing,” “Underground Sprinklers,” “Drywall,” “Siding,” “Dent Repair,” and “Basic Stenciling Techniques.”