Customer Reviews

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

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4 star:		(2)
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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.

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.

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.

I used this book to add four circuits to my service and finish my basement as a completely usable space. I had no experience with electricity before this project, and the book gave me enough confidence to finish the job completely. Each part of my project had easy-to-follow examples in the book. I installed four new circuit breakers, 25 outlets, a two-way light switch, 18 recessed lights, two GFCI outlets, and a bath vent fan and light. This book saved me a lot of money. I know I did the job more carefully with better materials than a hired electrician would have used.

I found the book to be a very informative guide to understanding the residential electrical system. Very clear discriptions, and pictures guide you through the history of home wiring. Modern electrical systems are described as well as old. A very straight forward and simple guide to understanding one of our homes most misunderstood systems. A good choice for those wanting to understand home electricity better.

I find the answers to my "do it myself" questions in this book, sometimes I decide to let an expert do the work!

It's very clear and has helped my many many times!

Yep, with a little common sense, a person can be an "expert" in record time and eliminate the need for costly electricians invading your house when something breaks, needs to be replaced, needs to be rearranged or updated or whatever. This book provides an easy-to-understand guide to most any electrical problem faced by the home owner up to and including the installation of a new sub-panel ( I have now installed three of them on rennovations in my house and two of my children). Man, have I saved some serious cash doing my own repairs and contracting! The only thing I found it did not cover very well was the installation of three-way switches as you might find in the stairways of multi-level homes. No worries though as you can find this info on the internet and print it out as I did (I simply slipped the hard copy into my book for future reference).