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Electrical Book

The Complete Guide to Home Wiring: A Comprehensive Manual, from Basic Repairs to Advanced Projects (Black & Decker Home Improvement Library; U.S. edition) by The Editors of Creative Publishing international The Complete Guide to Home Wiring: A Comprehensive Manual, from Basic Repairs to Advanced Projects (Black & Decker Home Improvement Library; U.S. edition)
by The Editors of Creative Publishing international

Paperback: 304 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.60 x 10.82 x 8.29
Publisher: Creative Publishing International; (March 1, 2001)
ISBN: 0865734291

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

Book Description: Few homeowners will ever need another wiring book. Wiring is a subject matter that makes most homeowners nervous, but in reality, most wiring repairs and installations are simple, especially for readers working with this book in hand. In 304 pages and with more than 600 color photos, this book covers just about any wiring project a reader is likely to tackle - from replacing a broken appliance plug to rewiring an entire home.

This is an updated version of one of America's best-selling wiring books. The new version is critical because it includes current code requirements.

About the Author: Bryan Trandem, Executive Editor for Cpi's Home Improvement & Gardenting division, has written more than a dozen books, including Basic Wiring & Electrical Repairs, and Advanced Wiring. He has edited another forty titles for Cpi.


Customer Reviews
Best book for amatuers, February 4, 2003
Reviewer: A reader from GA, USA
This book is for the do-it-yourselfer. And what a fantastic job this book does of explaining house-hold wiring and much more. Great visuals and extraordinary explanations. Worth every cent.

I'm not a Monkey, but if I was, January 29, 2003
Reviewer: A reader from Newton, MA United States
Even if I was a Monkey (which I'm not - my wife checked!), I would be able to handle every electrical situation with ease after reading this book. The pictures are clear, the copy descriptive, the index is right on and the complete book is an absolute dream.

I didn't buy this book from Amazon.com, although I wish I had, I would have saved some coin, but it was so good that I felt the need to write a review. This is my first review and I'm not one to praise, but after reading the book and wiring my workshop, I was compelled to write this. Enjoy and don't look further.

Comparison of 3 books on home wiring, January 6, 2003
Reviewer: Atheen Hills from Mpls, MN United States
I've decided to remodel my spare bedroom. It's one of those "furnished closet" type spaces that tends to collect junk at an alarming rate. While it's a lovely little room when it's empty, it disappears in the furniture that gets put into it. Even the sliding glass doors over the small balcony don't give one an illusion of spaciousness. I had a roommate for a while who used that room, and she had to climb over her bed just to get to her bureau.

The plan is to put up lighted crown molding to add dimension and indirect lighting to the room and to remodel the ample closet space into a bureau cum mini-closet cum desk area.

To accomplish my goal, the project required some rewiring of the room, so I found three books that seemed to have the information I needed: Wiring 1-2-3 by the people at Home Depot, The Complete Guide to Home Wiring by the Black and Decker people, and Wiring a House by Rex Cauldwell. Each is an excellent book with much to offer, but I definitely found that each had a slant that made it specialized in some way.

Of the three books, only the Cauldwell book was written in a person-to-person format. The author is a third generation electrician with years of experience, and as he says quite charmingly, "I have written this book from lifelong experience and knowledge--some of which has been passed down through each generation. However, there is no one within my family to pass the gauntlet to--no fourth generation to pick up the trade. Therefore, by reading this book you will become heir to my knowledge and experience. You, in effect, will become the fourth generation (p. 1)." His style is very much master of the craft to learning apprentice, explaining all facets of his field from how electricity is produced, how it is measured, what types of wires carry it to and into your home, and what tools one needs to do electrical work. He not only provides the information, he tells the reader the "whys" of what is, which I find helpful because it permits one to problem solve and trouble shoot more effectively. Particularly useful are those things that he tells the reader to avoid and what can happen when they aren't! The drawings are very helpful, particularly as they are clearer than photographs can be. Sometimes less is more in this regard. The schematic of the main floor of a house (pp. 22-23) which detailed how wiring is arranged for each room was quite helpful for my project, since it described what I should (and did) find in the walls when locating my power source and routing new wiring. I also found that the information on materials to select was helpful. I was able to go to the store and pick out just what I needed without any trouble at all.

While the Cauldwell book is a good one to read from cover to cover because of it's clear and thorough discussion of electrical wiring and its many helpful hints (which I did), it really did not help with my specific plans. It does cover some types of project, but I found that The Black and Decker book was more useful for my specific wiring goals. It's definitely a "how to do it" book with information on trouble shooting current wiring for potential problems (pp. 122-143), on code requirements (pp. 145-146), on how to calculate electrical loads and when to upgrade. It also includes simple repairs for the home owner, everything from checking which fuse controls which part of the house, to replacing plugs and repairing fluorescent lights. It also provides some advanced projects, like rewiring a kitchen or installing outdoor wiring. Of particular interest to my husband, the computer guru in our household, was the information on the home network wiring systems.

For my own project, I found the circuit maps for 26 common wiring layouts of greatest help. With the aid of this feature and the Cauldwell book, I was able to draw on paper the likely arrangement of the present wiring in my spare bedroom, and plan in the pathway to and from the projected new outlets. The diagrams on pages 155-167 also gave me a clearer idea of which wires connected to which specific sites on the receptacles, and what the pathway of the current would be. I was thrilled when I turned on the wall switch in the room, and the lighted crown molding actually came on, first try!

Wiring 1-2-3 is another group-effort type book like the Black and Decker. It'd made a splendid gift for the new home owner or prospective buyer. It provides the most extensive information on inspecting the home for electrical problems and providing measures for repairing them. The table of contents highlights almost every conceivable project, and each project has a list of materials, a skill scale that projects the level of difficulty to expect, and the amount of time that would be required by the experienced, the handy and the novice. It also makes some suggestions regarding the selection of a professional electrician for difficult projects, and does not urge the novice to go beyond their comfort level.

Although I didn't use the Home Depot book for actual planning and wiring, I found it was especially helpful with the messy stuff, things like drilling holes through the attic to route wires, the nitty-gritty of fishing for wires, and repairing the damage to walls where holes had to be made to route wires. In general these books are useful all round books.

I'd give all three books a 5, each for its own area of usefulness. If you're a person who likes to have a multi-perspective approach to your projects, then I'd recommend all three. Certainly the Home Depot book would be a very nice house warming gift.

This book really shines the light on home electric projects, December 20, 2002
Reviewer: Jose' Kirchner from Carmichael, CA USA
I used to install communications and radar gear worldwide, but was hesitant and unclear on home wiring due to significant differences in materials, tools and codes. This book, typical of the Black & Decker series, begins with the basics and gets into some advanced territory. It is clearly written, illustrated with hundreds of step-by-step photographs, and guides one through sometim4es tricky codes. circuitry and materials. It is logical, clear, methodical, and written with the safety in mind that this kind of work demands. I heartily recommend this book for homeowners and handypersons.

Good book for the do-it-yourselfer, December 1, 2002
Reviewer: A reader from Pittsburgh, Pa. United States
This is a good book for the beginner who doesn't have a lot of experience with electricity. It tries to cover the most common wiring jobs that a person might have to do around the house. It is a entry level book with many color photographs

Have no fear!, August 20, 2002
Reviewer: Joseph Pometto from Crofton, Maryland USA
I'm Mr. Thumbs, but after a heart-seizing estimate, I KNEW I had to take the circuitbreaker by the horns!

GREAT PHOTOS and script walks you thru the projects! Am even ready to tackle the hi-proficiency stuff! A GREAT REFERENCE BOOK!

The Complete Guide to Home Wiring, July 10, 2002
Reviewer: Mick Herman from Catheys Valley, CA United States
This is an excellent book for the novice home electrician. I knew very little about wiring and after reading this book was able to completely wire my barn and tool shed. I had a friend who was an electrician stop by to check out my work after I was finished and he found absolutely nothing to change! This book is easy to read, easy to follow, and will serve in my library as a great reference tool for other electrical work I may decide to take on in the future! I highly recommend it.

Excellent Source for Basic Information, April 9, 2002
Reviewer: speerhead from Walnut Creek, CA United States
The Black & Decker series is generally very good and I think The Complete Guide To Home Wiring continues this tradition. This book contains useful information for wiring new and retrofit projects. The only reason this book is only rated 4 stars is because I was hoping for more information. For several projects I have been forced to turn to other sources for wiring information. There is not a lot of information about newer technology wiring for home automation or telecommunications. Overall an execellent source for general wiring information.

Excellent coverage of the basics, April 1, 2002
Reviewer: jsgeorgian from Shrewsbury, MA United States
Very well laid out with easy to follow diagrams and sample wiring layouts. If you are looking for a book to cover the basics and intermediate jobs, this is it.

Good guide for people who are not familiar with U.S. code, March 17, 2002
Reviewer: A reader from San Francisco, CA
Maybe not all of you had to deal with this, but for someone who grew up in a country with different codes and who recently purchased his first home in the U.S., this book really helped me to apply my (limited) knowledge and experience to all kinds of electrical projects throughout the house. My biggest obstacle was being unfamiliar with U.S. code, labeling conventions (e.g., on cables) and the general language construction people use. All I had to do to tackle my projects was read the specific section of the book, thumb back tothe overview section to read about codes and labeling and bingo, I was in business. This is the only book I used for all my wiring projects throughout the house.

However, this book is light on home entertainment or home networking. I would not recommend to purchase this book just for that purpose. For all other projects, I would not want to be without it.



Electrical Related Book:
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The Complete Guide to Home Wiring: A Comprehensive Manual, from Basic Repairs to Advanced Projects (Black & Decker Home Improvement Library; U.S. edition)
by The Editors of Creative Publishing international
Paperback: 304 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.60 x 10.82 x 8.29
Publisher: Creative Publishing International; (March 1, 2001)
ISBN: 0865734291

Wiring 1-2-3
by The Home Depot Books (Editor)
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Publisher: Meredith Books; (January 15, 2001)
ISBN: 069621184X

Wiring a House (For Pros by Pros)
by Rex Cauldwell
Paperback: 245 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.56 x 10.74 x 8.48
Publisher: Taunton Pr; Revised and Updated edition (August 2002)
ISBN: 1561585270

Wiring: Basic & Advanced Projects
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Paperback: 240 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.56 x 10.89 x 8.53
Publisher: Creative Homeowner Press; (March 2001)
ISBN: 1580110622

Wiring Simplified: Based on the 2002 National Electrical Code (40th Edition)
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Your Old Wiring
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