The Complete Guide to Home Wiring: A Comprehensive Manual, from Basic Repairs to Advanced Projects (Black & Decker Home Improvement Library) [Paperback]

Creative Publishing International (Author)

Book Description

Series: Black & Decker Home Improvement Library | Publication Date: February 1999

Electricity and the components that supply it are essential elements of your home life. They provide for necessities from food preparation, illumination, safety, and climate control to entertainment, relaxation and work. Knowing about your electrical system and how it provides for your needs will give you the power to make sensible, effective, and economical decisions and provide you with security. From troubleshooting problems to understanding how best to meet your lighting needs when designing a remodeling project, the information you find here will help you make your home a more delightful environment - while you save money.

This book contains step-by-step instructions, clearly illustrated with more than 650 color photographs, for any electrical work you will need to do around your house, from basic repairs to advanced wiring projects. Each detailed project gives you a list of tools and materials you'll need to do the job right. We've even included some of the most common electrical code violations and potential problems that may be found in household electrical systems, especially older ones.

The Complete Guide to Home Wiring will be a vital resource for you for years to come. As your home environment needs change, and as wear and tear affects your house, you will always find information and solutions that will meet your needs and save you money.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

One of the most daunting endeavors for any would-be do-it-yourselfer is dealing with the electrical--namely, electrical repairs, improvements, and wiring and rewiring projects. The reason for this is simple: mistakes can cause fires, major disasters and expense, and even death. But anyone can learn about safe and correct wiring in order to complete repairs or add new wiring to an aging and inadequate system. This is the book to show you how, from the basics of how electricity works and simple repairs and projects, all the way to complicated rewiring you might otherwise assume must be done by a professional. Included are the most up-to-date electrical code requirements; guides to evaluating, planning, and installing new electrical circuits; repair advice on switches, receptacles, and fixtures; and a detailed and well-illustrated lighting design section. A total of 288 pages of hundreds of illustrations and photographs and a comprehensive reference index make this an ideal book for the beginner, and an up-to-date refresher course for the professional. --Mark A. Hetts

Review

Hundreds of illustrations and photographs and a comprehensive reference index make this an ideal book for the beginner... -- Mark A. Hetts, Amazon.com

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Creative Pub Intl (February 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865736367
• ISBN-13: 978-0865736368
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,353,883 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good starter book; not ideal for those with experience, August 23, 2001

By 

Rus Healy (Canadice, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Guide to Home Wiring: A Comprehensive Manual, from Basic Repairs to Advanced Projects (Black & Decker Home Improvement Library) (Paperback)

If you've never wired anything in your house, but are a hands-on person, this book is an outstanding way to get started. It treats the title subject well, starting with the basics--in fact, that's also one of its weaknesses. Those who have some wiring experience will have little use for the first one-third of the book.

This book makes excellent use of photographs and four-color diagrams throughout for illustrating principles, tools and materials. It's laid out in a logical manner and is organized so that it's easy to find what you're seeking.

This book's greatest value is its focus on clearly illustrated layout diagrams and techniques. It contains over 20 example circuits of various common types, including some subtle variations on themes such as three-way switched circuits that have not-so-subtle differences in implementation. It includes a clear and complete section on wiring a bedroom/office addition with a bathroom and closet, using various types of circuits, from the ground up.

The text is light on code-related issues, probably to avoid the need for frequent revisions to keep it current with the NEC's three-year publication cycle. This makes it more difficult to rely on information it presents as authoritative when it comes time to meet the electrical inspector.

I found this book a useful blend of text and graphics for learning the basics of house wiring. To take the next step, I strongly recommend Rex Cauldwell's "Wiring a House." It's far more substantive and NEC-compliance-oriented.

113 of 123 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good detail, well organized., March 22, 1999

By 

Cliff F. Gray III "Music Freak" (Chicago, IL, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Guide to Home Wiring: A Comprehensive Manual, from Basic Repairs to Advanced Projects (Black & Decker Home Improvement Library) (Paperback)

I found this book to be most informative; lots of detail, that isn't buried in volumes of text. Tons of pictures, and real-world examples. Would be valuable for the novice, as well as the seasoned home-improvement enthusiast.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good wiring reference..., May 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Complete Guide to Home Wiring: A Comprehensive Manual, from Basic Repairs to Advanced Projects (Black & Decker Home Improvement Library) (Paperback)

Of all the books I browsed and purchased, this was the best. The wiring diagrams are great as a reference. Any circuit I've had to wire up so far was diagramed in the book. There are pages of diagrams so I would expect that most people would find what they needed there.

There's a good example of adding a sub-panel if you're up to that task. They warn that if you want to re-wire or replace your main panel, you should hire an experienced electrician. That's a task not recommended for even the handiest of homeowners. Good advice....

There's tons of info here. If you are reasonbly handy and willing to heed all of the safety warnings, this book is a great one to have.

There's examples of wiring room additions, kitchens, etc., that are very informative.

I also have the Home Depot "Wiring 1-2-3" book. It's good also. Arranged on a task by task basis... sort of cookbook-like. Most taks homeowners would tackle are in there but the Black & Decker book covers more issues. I also see that there what I believe is a new edition of this book (Mar '01 vs Apr '98 publication). Haven't seen contents but maybe that's the one to get.