Black & Decker Advanced Home Wiring: Current with Codes Through 2014, DC Circuits - Transfer Switches - Panel Upgrades - Circuit Maps - Much More

I was pleasantly surprised by this whole line of books. I have bought quite a few because of this. I have done quite a bit of general carpentry but haven't worked in the field for quite a few years because of a career change. Looking to get back into it, I decided to try some books to sharpen back up before getting back to it. I was honestly expecting to be disappointed due to the tools of theirs that I have used, but was very happy with the strait forward and knowledgeable nature of these books. Well done.

This book seems targeted at those doing new construction or undergoing a remodel who already have a fundamental understanding of electrical wiring. For those who do not meet this criteria, the other B&D book (Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Wiring, 5th Edition, with DVD: Current with 2011-2013 Electrical Codes (Black & Decker Complete Guide)), is likely a better choice - see my review there for more details why.The reason why this book is more for those doing new construction is due to a number of assumptions about unencumbered installation, eg. Little mention of pulling cables through existing runs, and most diagrams showing how to install against studs before drywall is hung.I bought this book to diagnose a wiring fault in a recent house purchase. It fulfilled this task very well: The diagrams on the likely layout of existing circuits proved incredibly useful and showed that I a) needed to create my own wiring maps for this house and b) from the showed where the existing wiring layout was flawed. That definitely saved a LOT more than 10 bucks if I'd have brought in an electrician...I bought this for Kindle and I believe this worked better than the printed book due to the usual portability considerations as well as the ability to zoom into the diagrams by clicking on them. A color device obviously works best.Hope this helps

I love this book! I'm a DIY guy and as such I use multiple sources of info before doing anything. This book is great and anyone that is a home owner man or woman should have on hand! Knowledge makes us stronger!

I had this sent to my son-inlaw in MD. They purchased an older, but beautiful, home near Columbia. With all the power outages they have suffered in the past year, he is learning a great deal about the necessity of generators and checking on power and (plumbing) issues before it happens.

Was a gift for a newly home owner, who will be doing his own DIY. I have used this book before, it has great examples and pictures.

I read this book before I rewired my garage. It gave me enough info to know what panel to buy and what gauge wire to run everywhere as well as some of the codes I needed to meet. There were a lot of questions about details that weren't answered in the book, but it would be impossible for an author to cover everything. It was well worth the money I paid for the kindle version and was a big help with my project.

Lately I have been thinking about installing a backup generator for my house. I already own Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Wiring, 5th Edition, with DVD: Current with 2011-2013 Electrical Codes (Black & Decker Complete Guide) and really liked the clear instructions and pictures that it contained. So, when I saw that this book description listed that "projects include...installing an automatic standby power system" as part of the book, I decided to pick it up.Well, for "installing an automatic standby power system" this book tells you to have it professionally installed. There are instructions to install a manual transfer switch and there is advice about sizing a generator, but that hardly qualifies as "installing an automatic standby power system".That misleading part aside, this book is laid out in a clear fashion and provides some good information, but it contains very little that isn't already in the B&D Complete Guide to Wiring and it contains far fewer projects and less information then that book. (Advanced Home Wiring is 127 pages and Complete Home Wiring is 351 pages and includes a DVD.) In fact the only thing that I can see in Advanced Home Wiring that isn't in Complete Guide to Wiring is a section on using a multimeter to trouble shoot. (Taking a voltage reading, taking a current reading, checking continuity, finding/fixing and open neutral, finding/fixing a short.)In the end, I recommend going with the Complete Guide to Wiring instead of Advanced Home Wiring, it costs a little more ($16.29 vs $11.43 at this time) but contains far more content.

This is one of the BEST investments you could ever make if you plan on doing ANY home projects. It takes a '_____ For Dummies' approach and includes full-color photos and easy explanations on EVERY page!