Are there any free(ish) online resources to learn things like residential electrical, HVAC, plumbing, etc?
I have some time on my hands and would like to get a general knowledge of these without going full trade school so I can /diy/ more around the house.
>inb4 YouTube
>whatisgoogle.jpg
$15 but absolutely worth it:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/The-Home-Depot-Home-Improvement-3rd-Edition-with-DVD-0696238500/100677237
>>1095301
>ididgoogle.jpeg
Yours must be better than mine. Anyway, thanks, I'll check that out.
>>1095302
(shoot, I just looked on ebay and used copies are like $5)
shouldn't be that hard, what is it you are looking to do?
add a receptacle?
replace a faucet?
find out why the furnace decided to die at 3am?
I've learned 95% of what I know by watching and doing (or simply following the instructions), the rest by simply searching the web
obviously searching for "learn everything diy free" is not going to help that much; but even just being here on /diy/ and reading about other peoples' problems will help
I don't know if there is a torrent of This Old House out there, but that is a huge opportunity to learn....only current episodes are available to stream free online
>>1095308
I just want to get to the point of not having to call a pro for everything. If I need to change a toilet, repair a faucet,or anything else I want to be able to do it.
I also would like enough knowledge beyond that to know what a contractor is talking about so I don't get screwed.
I'm on this cause I may inherit two rent houses in a couple of years and I'd like to be able to do most of the repairs to save money over all.
>>1095312
I shouldn't say "may" rather I will inherit them.
>>1095312
well, home improvement books are a good place to start, if you want to avoid YT
the majority of things will not end in catastrophic failure if you screw up, as long as you recognize the kind of stuff to leave to people who are qualified/licensed....toilet? not a big deal....something involving gas? call someone who knows what they're doing
most of the requests I've seen from people renting are about patching drywall, painting, or repairing flooring....I'd start with that kind of stuff first
If you know lefty loosy, righty tighty. You're pretty much set for plumbing, anything beyond common sense would be codes which you can get a book for that at home depot, ask for Ugly's books, electrical is yellow not sure for plumbing. As far as HVAC goes, it depends how deep your repairs go. If it involves the refrigerant AT ALL its illegal for you to mess with (if you're in the USA) but if its electrical or ductwork, all you need are the tools and youtube/google.