Homeowner thinking of buying either IPC or Uniform Code book

[tbeaulieu]

Hello, I'm ordering some books to hopefully help me learn a bit on plumbing as it seems I'm often trying to figure something out in my 283 year old home. Ugh.

I see the IPC 2015 and the Uniform Code 2015 books. The IPC reviews state that it's complicated, hard to read, and full of crap to sift through. In fact, on the books I have in my cart is "Plumbing Venting: Decoding Chapter 9 of the IPC". Reviews on the IPC book suggest that the Uniform Code book is better. I'm not really sure what the difference is.

Does anyone have any advice on which (if either) I should get?

Thank you.

 

[Stuff]

Are you trying to learn plumbing code or how to fix ongoing issues in your house? Best to start with a few books from your local library.

Mass has their own code which is neither IPC or UPC from what I can tell. http://www.mass.gov/ocabr/licensee/dpl-boards/pl/regulations/rules-and-regs/248-cmr-1000.html

 

[Sponsor]

 

[hj]

You need whichever codebook applies to YOUR area. ALL codebooks are more complex than the average person needs.

 

[Dj2]

To fix plumbing problems in a 283 year old home, watch demonstrations on YouTube or call a plumber. Your city code book will not help you, only confuse you.

 

[Jadnashua]

IF it works and you don't touch it, you're grandfathered. If you touch it, you need to bring up that part that you touch to current codes, but as was said...doing something that might pas IPC, may not pass UPC, which tends to be a bit more strict. Then, throw in local amendments, and this is why a plumber takes years to get a full master license in most places...there is a lot to learn. You need to do any repairs/remodeling to the code being used in your area. If you're just trying to understand how things work, neither book is probably the best textbook as they won't mean as much without some fundamental understanding of the whole thing. Then, keep in mind that it can take years for places to adopt the latest version of the code, so you need to know what year AND what code book they are using where the building is.