The plumbing courses cover all the aspects that you will be required to deal with as a water softener. You will be taught about the basic aspects as well as about health and safety issues and sanitation.
When you get to the house stand if front of the toilet and locate the water shut off valve. Should be down below the toilet on the wall. Just turn it off (righty-tighty) completely and flush the toilet. All the water should have left the tank, well at least most of it. If there is remaining water line repair get it out with paper towels or a rag. The important thing is that no more water came in. If it did then your valve is not shut all the way or not working and you need additional help.
If you bought the same unit it should line right up, if you were unable, you will need to remove or add length to the existing piping. This may require you to splice together copper with plastic, don't let this scare you the hardware store will have all of the necessary parts.
Depending on your repair job you might need a bucket that will fit below the sink trap, as well as some rags and newspaper. Masking tape is useful for labeling and for wrapping around the heads of the wrench to protect your chrome tap handles. Rubber gloves are recommended, particularly when working with the toilet, but there are greases and glues that you may not want on your hands.
Ventilation and insulation are important throughout your house, and especially in crawl spaces and attics. If you have a crawl space in your home, it's best to water line repair the floor with a good quality, heavy-duty plastic. Inside your home, make sure to use the exhaust fans found in most kitchens, bathroom and laundry rooms.
The work area should always be clean and free of trash and clutter. The cleaner and less clutter there is in a Plumbers' work area, the better able a plumber will be to make sure that his job goes as smoothly as possible.
Especially with older plumbing systems, a leaky pipe is like an alarm, signaling that other pipes may also be on the brink of failure. To get a grip on whether your plumbing system can last, a professional plumber may send a remote camera through your network. If any pipes are about to break, the camera will give you a heads up. If your entire plumbing system is outdated and weak, it may be best to simply replace the whole thing. Although this can be a costly enterprise, with a price tag of at least a couple of thousand dollars, the upside is that a new sewer line will reliably perform its duty for decades to come.