Every lesson, taken slowly.
One guide per lesson of the City & Guilds 7202-01 Level 1 Diploma in Plumbing Studies. Written for somebody in their first term: short sentences, no assumed knowledge, and every word explained the first time it turns up. Free to read, with a self-test at the end of each one.
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9 guides on the construction industry
Who does what on a site, the firms you could work for, your rights, and the route from here to qualified.
The Construction Industry for Level 1 Plumbers: Who Does What, and What You Are Owed
Unit 101 made simple: the five key trades, who runs a site, sole trader against limited company, and the employment rights you have from day one.
The Five Key Trades on a Building Site, and Where the Plumber Fits
The five key trades, the order they actually work in, and what first fix and second fix mean — plus why the plumber ends up talking to all of them.
Hazards on Site: the Thirteen to Know, and the Ones That Get You Slowly
The thirteen hazards you learn at Level 1, and what the injury figures actually show — including the slow ones nobody takes seriously until it is too late.
Sole Trader, Partnership or Limited Company: the Types of Firm You Could Work For
What sole trader, partnership and limited company actually mean for a plumber — liability, tax, insurance, and when going limited starts to make sense.
The Construction Team: Six Job Roles, and What Each One Decides
Architect, structural engineer, clerk of works, estimator, buyer and site manager — who decides what, who to ask, and how to ask without wasting a morning.
Industry Bodies: Who Sets Your Pay, Your Regulations and Your Water Supply
How apprentice pay is actually set, what building control and the water authority can turn up and inspect, and whether trade body membership is worth it.
Your Rights at Work: Contracts, Pay, Holiday, Sick Pay and Family Leave
What an apprentice is legally entitled to, what an apprenticeship agreement should say, and what to do when the training half of the deal is not happening.
Discrimination at Work: the Six to Know, and What It Looks Like on Site
What counts as discrimination in construction, what to do if it happens to you or near you, and why saying nothing is the thing that keeps it going.
Getting Qualified: the CSCS Card, the NVQ, and Where the Career Goes
What you actually need to qualify as a plumber, how long each route takes, what a CSCS card involves, and the one thing that stalls most people.
10 guides on safe working practices
The law, the signs, asbestos, PPE, lifting, working at height and fire — the unit that keeps you in one piece.
Safe Working for Level 1 Plumbers: Signs, PPE, Ladders, Asbestos and Fire
Unit 102 in plain English: reading safety signs by shape and colour, what each item of PPE is for, safe lifting, ladder checks, asbestos and fire.
Safety Law: What HASAWA Asks of Your Employer, and What It Asks of You
What the Health and Safety at Work Act asks of your employer and of you, what the HSE actually does when it turns up, and who ends up in court.
Safety Signs: Reading the Shape and the Colour Before the Words
Read any safety sign from its shape and colour alone, plus the hazard symbols on the products you handle and what a permit to work actually is.
Dangerous Situations and How Accidents Are Actually Prevented
What the injury figures really show, why near misses matter more than accidents, and what a risk assessment and method statement are for.
Asbestos: What It Does to You, Where It Hides, and the Only Right Response
Why asbestos still kills more construction workers than anything else, the places a plumber genuinely finds it, and what the duty to manage means for you.
PPE: the Eight Items, and What Each One Actually Protects You From
Why face fit testing matters, what the EN ratings on gloves and masks mean, who pays for PPE, and the two items plumbers skip that they should not.
Manual Handling: Deciding Whether to Lift At All, and Lifting Properly When You Do
Why manual handling injuries end plumbing careers, what the assessment actually asks, and the aids worth owning before your back makes the decision.
Accidents and Emergencies: the First Minute, First Aid, and Reporting
What the accident book is really for, what RIDDOR requires, and why an injury that seemed minor on the day is only provable if it was written down.
Working at Height: the Access Equipment, and the Checks Before You Climb
Most falls are not from scaffolds. What the Work at Height Regulations actually require, when a ladder is allowed, and what a tower ticket involves.
Fire: the Triangle, the Classes, and Choosing the Right Extinguisher
Hot works permits, why the classic plumbing fire starts hours after the van has gone, and what a fire watch actually involves.
8 guides on environment and sustainability
Saving water and energy, the carbon bands, the renewables, and getting waste off site legally.
Environment and Sustainability for Level 1 Plumbers: Energy, Water and Waste
Unit 103 made simple: high, low and zero carbon energy, saving water at home, and the three classes of waste — with the two everybody gets wrong.
Saving Water and Electricity: the Fittings That Decide a Household’s Bills
Why water conservation matters, the five ways of reducing water waste, and the four ways of reducing electricity waste — with the figures behind each.
Types of Energy: High Carbon, Low Carbon and Zero Carbon
The three carbon bands used in domestic buildings, four examples in each, and why biomass and heat pumps count as low carbon rather than zero.
Carbon Emissions from Buildings, and the Six Measures That Bring Them Down
Why building emissions matter, the six measures that reduce them, and the order that saves the most: stop losing the heat before you make it more cleanly.
Renewable Installations: How Each One Works, in a Paragraph Each
Solar thermal, PV, biomass, heat pumps and wind turbines explained simply — what each does, what it produces, and where to get advice on energy saving.
Working Practices That Save Energy and Materials
The five working practices that conserve energy on a job, the methods of reducing material waste, and why every offcut costs you three times over.
Disposing of Waste Safely: the Duty of Care, the Licences and What Can Be Recycled
Why waste stays your responsibility until it reaches a licensed site, the licences and paperwork involved, and the seven metals worth separating.
Hazardous, Non-Hazardous and Inert Waste — and What WEEE Covers
The three waste classes with examples, the two that catch people out, and the electrical items a plumber must dispose of under the WEEE regulations.
10 guides on site preparation
Hand tools, power tools, fixings, reading a drawing, and what is underneath the floor you are about to lift.
Site Preparation for Level 1 Plumbers: Tools, Drill Bits, Fixings and Floors
Unit 104 in plain English: the right drill bit and fixing for each surface, lifting a floor without cutting a cable, and the joist notching rules.
Hand Tools: What Each One Is For, the Faults to Look For, and Keeping Them Safe
Fifteen hand tools named and explained, the four faults that make a tool dangerous, and the maintenance and safety rules that go with them.
Power Tools: What They Cut, and the Faults That Make Them Dangerous
The six power tools to identify, why sites run on 110 volts, and the four faults to look for before you plug anything in.
Using Power Tools Safely: the Checks Before You Switch On
Five safe working practices, six pre-use checks including PAT and RCD, and the five electrical dangers — one of which plumbers create themselves.
Drill Bits and Screw Heads: Matching the Bit to the Material
The five drill bit types and what each is for, plus the difference between the recess in a screw head and the shape of the head itself.
Fixings: What to Use on Brick, Wood, Tile and Plasterboard
The eight fixings to know, why the screw material matters in a bathroom, and the right fixing for each of the four surfaces you will meet.
Reading the Job: the Documents You Work From, and First and Second Fix
The four sources of information for preparatory work, what belongs in first fix and second fix, and how an existing house differs from a new build.
Floors: Lifting Boards Properly, and What Is Underneath Them
The five flooring materials, the step-by-step method for lifting a board without wrecking it, and the three risks of working under floors and in lofts.
Notching and Drilling Joists: the Numbers You Have to Know
Maximum notch and hole sizes, the zones along the span where each is allowed, and why an engineered joist follows different rules altogether.
Customers and Other Trades: Behaving Well in Someone’s Home
The six things that keep a customer happy, the four ways of working alongside other trades, and why most site disputes are really about space and sequence.
7 guides on above ground drainage
Guttering and waste pipe: the fittings, the falls, the joints and the clips.
Above Ground Drainage for Level 1: Guttering, Waste Pipe, Falls and Fittings
Unit 108 made simple: naming every gutter fitting, setting the fall with a string line, why the expansion gap matters, and waste pipe sizes.
Tools for Drainage Work, and Why Every Cut End Gets Deburred
The six tools for plastic drainage work, what deburring and chamfering actually do, and the safety points specific to working with foul water.
Rainwater Guttering: Naming Every Fitting on the Run
Union bracket, running outlet, stop ends, offset bend, shoe and the brackets that carry it all — what each fitting does and where it goes.
Installing Guttering: Bracket Spacing, the Fall, and the Expansion Gap
How far apart gutter brackets and downpipe clips go, why plastic needs an expansion gap at every joint, and how to set a 1:600 fall with a string line.
Waste Pipe: Which Size Serves Which Appliance, and the Fittings to Know
The three waste pipe sizes and what each one serves, the fittings you will use, and why the three waste plastics are not interchangeable.
Jointing Waste Pipe: Solvent Weld, Push Fit and Compression
The three ways of joining waste pipe, the solvent weld procedure step by step, and how to choose between them based on whether access will be needed.
Clipping Waste Pipe: the Spacings, and Why an Unsupported Run Blocks
Horizontal and vertical clip spacings for 32, 40 and 110 mm waste pipe, the two patterns behind the figures, and where a clip always goes.
5 guides on copper pipework
Gas equipment and the safe use of a blowtorch, then cutting, bending and joining copper.
Copper Pipework for Level 1: The Three Ways to Join It, and How to Solder Properly
Unit 109 in plain English: compression, push fit and capillary joints compared, the eight steps of a soldered joint in order, and clip spacing.
Gases and Heat Producing Equipment: Storing It, Assembling It, Checking It
Propane and MAPP gas, why both sink rather than rise, how bottles must be stored and carried, and the assembly and inspection routine before you light up.
Tools for Copper: the Five, Used Properly and Kept Working
Pipe cutter, scissor bender, junior hacksaw, blowtorch and adjustable spanner — how each is used, what goes wrong with it, and how to maintain it.
Copper Tube, Fittings and Clips: Sizes, Names and Spacings
The two copper sizes and what each serves, the seven fittings to name, the four kinds of clip, and the spacing table with the reasoning behind it.
Joining Copper: Compression, Push Fit and the Soldered Capillary Joint
The three ways of joining copper, how capillary action actually pulls solder into a joint, and the eight-step method for making one that lasts.
4 guides on plastic pressure pipework
Plastic pressure pipe — the tools, the joints, and how much support it needs.
Plastic Pressure Pipework for Level 1: The Insert Everybody Forgets
Unit 110 made simple: push fit and compression joints in plastic, why every single joint needs an insert, and how much more clipping it needs.
Tools for Plastic Pressure Pipe: a Short List, Used Properly
The two tools plastic pressure pipe needs, why a square cut matters more on plastic than on copper, and why a hacksaw must never be used on it.
Joining Plastic Pressure Pipe, and the Insert Everybody Forgets
Push fit and compression joints in plastic pressure pipe, why every joint needs an insert, and where plastic beats copper and where it does not.
Plastic Pipe: Sizes, Clips, and Why It Needs Four Times the Support
The two plastic pressure pipe sizes, the three kinds of clip, the spacing table against copper, and the two extra support rules for a material that moves.
4 guides on low carbon steel pipework
Low carbon steel: the tools, the fittings, and cutting a thread that seals.
Low Carbon Steel Pipework for Level 1: Threads, Fittings and the Union
Unit 111 in plain English: cutting a thread with stocks and dies, imperial sizes and what they mean, the three grades, and why you need a union.
Tools for Low Carbon Steel: Bigger Pipe, Bigger Tools
The six tools for LCS pipework, why the pipe must be clamped before anything happens to it, and why cutting oil is not optional when threading.
Joining Low Carbon Steel: Fittings, Sizes, Grades and Clips
Screwed and compression joints, why a union is essential on threaded pipework, why LCS sizes are bore not outside diameter, and the three grades.
Cutting a Thread: How Stocks and Dies Work, and What a Good Thread Looks Like
The eight-step method for cutting a thread on steel pipe, the four marks of a good thread, and how the joint is actually sealed once it is cut.
9 guides on installation, repair and maintenance
Where water comes from, the systems it feeds, the valves and taps on it, and fixing them when they fail.
Installation, Repair and Maintenance for Level 1: Valves, Taps and Finding the Fault
Unit 112 made simple: where water comes from, which valve goes where, and telling from the symptom whether a tap wants a washer, gland or cartridge.
Where Water Comes From: the Five Sources and the Six Stages of Treatment
The water cycle, the five sources ranked by how clean they start out, and the six stages between a reservoir and a wholesome supply at the tap.
Cold and Hot Water Systems: How a House Is Actually Laid Out
The route the cold main takes through a house, the difference between direct and indirect systems, and how to tell a stored system from a combi at a glance.
Valves: Which Is Which, Where Each One Lives, and Why
How valves work, the cold and hot water valves you must name, where each is found, and the difference between a stopcock and a gate valve.
Taps: the Four Types, and the Two Ways a Tap Shuts Off
Pillar, high necked, bi-flow mixer and bib taps, the tail sizes for each appliance, and why a bi-flow mixer keeps hot and cold apart until the spout.
Float Operated Valves: the Four Patterns and How Each One Shuts Off
The four float operated valve patterns, how a piston valve differs from a diaphragm one, what equilibrium means, and what a running warning pipe tells you.
Repairing Taps, Valves and Float Valves: Matching the Fault to the Repair
Every repair on the Level 1 list — re-washering, glands, greasing, O rings, ceramic cartridges, gate valves and float valves — and the fault each one fixes.
Noise Faults: Three Noises, Three Causes, Three Corrections
Humming at a tap, a hum in the pipework and violent banging — what causes each, how to correct it, and how to tell them apart by when they happen.
Planned and Unplanned Maintenance, and Why Speed Matters
What planned preventive maintenance checks, what counts as unplanned work, and the five reasons a repair has to be dealt with quickly.
6 guides on plumbing science
Units, the states and properties of water, materials, and how heat actually moves.
Plumbing Science for Level 1: Units, Water, Materials and Heat
Unit 113 in plain English: converting mm and metres, the four temperatures that matter, why a frozen pipe splits, and the three ways heat moves.
Units of Measurement: the SI Units, and the Two You Will Use Every Day
The SI units and what each measures, converting between millimetres and metres, why kelvin and Celsius rise in equal steps, and the litre-kilogram shortcut.
The States of Water: Four Temperatures and Two Expansions
Solid, liquid and gas, the temperatures at which water changes, why it expands both when it boils and when it freezes, and why 4 °C matters.
The Properties of Water: Hardness, pH, Scale, Corrosion and Capillary Attraction
The terms used to describe water, the pH scale, what limescale and corrosion do to a system, gravity circulation, and capillary attraction both ways.
Materials and Their Properties: Ferrous, Non-Ferrous, Alloys and Plastics
The six material types used in plumbing, the six properties used to describe them, and what causes atmospheric corrosion and how it is prevented.
Heat: the Three Ways It Moves, How It Is Measured, and How It Is Kept In
The three methods of heat transfer with plumbing examples, the measuring devices and scales, and why matt black absorbs where shiny reflects.
Reading it once is not learning it.
These guides explain the material. The Level 1 course makes it stick — every lesson with quizzes, key facts, flashcards, AI-marked short answers and interactive tasks, and anything you get wrong comes back until it does not.
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