Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Wiring: Upgrade Your Main Service Panel - Discover the Latest Wiring Products - Complies with 2008 NEC (Black & Decker Complete Guide) [Paperback]

Editors of Creative Publishing (Author), Brevik Tharaldson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Black & Decker Complete Guide | Publication Date: August 1, 2008

North America’s best-selling wiring book—now even better

 

In previous editions, The Complete Guide to Home Wiring sold more than one million copies, making it the all-time bestselling book on home wiring for consumers. In this newly revised and redesigned edition, the book includes everything that made the original the favorite of American homeowners, but also adds new projects, such as wiring a shed or gazebo, and includes important revisions to meet the 2008 National Electrical Code. 

 

The modern home can include dozens of electronic components unknown just a few years ago, and this book provides essential information on wiring for those devices. It includes information on security systems, home theaters and surround-sound systems, computer networks, and a host of kitchen amenities like espresso machines to grind-and-brew coffee machines. Tech savvy homeowners will appreciate the section devoted to Bluetooth and wi-fi technologies—the next wave of “wireless wiring”

 

Once again, this book features more than 700 color photographs showing installation and repair projects with unsurpassed realism and clarity. 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brevik Tharaldson (Victoria, MN) is president of Jatco Electric.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Creative Publishing international; Pap/DVD edition (August 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589234138
• ISBN-13: 978-1589234130
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #182,780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Instructor, June 23, 2010

By 

Lawrence E. Fadden "Sparky" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Wiring: Upgrade Your Main Service Panel - Discover the Latest Wiring Products - Complies with 2008 NEC (Black & Decker Complete Guide) (Paperback)

I am a Master Electrician and teach a class in Residential Wiring and I am always looking for good referance materials. This book has the best pictorials and easies reading that I have seen for a coule of years. I work basically with adults and they are finding the book helpful even after the class is completed. The book is clear and concise the chapters are well written. The only down side to the book is there are still items in the books both physical and written that do not meet or follow the 2008 NEC as advertized. The pictures are and can be misleading and the verbage can be also. None of the problems fall into the serious realm where someone can be hurt but they are just not the approved method of doing things today.

All in all the book is worth the money and the time that is takes to read it. It is easy to follow as I told the class that even a cave man can do it. I will purchase it or the next edition again.

Sincerely,


Larry Fadden

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding reference for jobs big and small, March 30, 2009

By 

Iceman (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Wiring: Upgrade Your Main Service Panel - Discover the Latest Wiring Products - Complies with 2008 NEC (Black & Decker Complete Guide) (Paperback)

I have Wiring a House-by Pros for Pros, and though I think it's a good refence, I think the Black & Decker book is better yet. I have a cabin built in the 1930s that had a cobbled-together electrical system that needed to be completely redone, and this book gave me all the tools I needed to do it. I've done electrical before, but this project required more thorough knowledge, and this book gave me exactly what I needed. The assortment of wiring diagrams is very helpful and easy to follow, but rather than stopping there the author provides worksheets for determining whether the electrical panel is sufficient for the application, and also provides a worksheet for calculating the anticipated load that a planned circuit will carry. It's this planning stage that's omitted from a lot of other electrical books, and if you're doing anything beyond simple fixture replacement, it's a must. There's even a 2 page list of highlights from the 2008-2011 National Electrical Code, which does a great job of highlighting some of the key elements that will impact what the average person might choose to tackle. I had also ordered the Home Depot 1-2-3 book, and after a couple of hours reviewing them side-by-side, the HD book went straight back to Amazon. It's good for someone who wants a very basic treatment of wiring, but the Black & Decker book has everything the HD book does and a lot more.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Wiring Book Out There for the Homeowner, December 23, 2009

By 

All Trump "BK" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Wiring: Upgrade Your Main Service Panel - Discover the Latest Wiring Products - Complies with 2008 NEC (Black & Decker Complete Guide) (Paperback)

I agree with most all of the reviews. This book is intended for beginner to intermediate level do-it-yourselfers. If you are a professional and are looking for guidance on a highly complex project, then this is not the book for you. The book is actually a very interesting read and is full of very explanatory pictures. I recently bought a house and considered hiring an electrician to install a couple extra sockets and light fixtures here and there. After reading through this book, I am quite sure I can do these projects myself. Furthermore, I'm having a detached garage built and was going to hire an electrician to run power out there, which would cost me at least $1,000 after trenching and a few lights. Now, I think I will be doing this myself. The book makes a very good point that you need to get permits for something like that. If you don't do something right, then the inspector will let you know and even give you some great advice on how to fix it. So if you're not confident in your abilities, then at least you will have a professional reviewing your work before you completely finish the project. Even if you don't do a lot of the work yourself, this book will help you understand what the electrician is talking about and help you make more educated decisions when negotiating electrical projects.