An elderly parishioner loaned his copy of Wiring Simplified. It was from the 1930s, perhaps a first edition, but it taught me how to wire circuits, figure amperage and keep my house from burning down. Since then, I have purchased an updated editions and have wired three-way switches, installed fixtures and added new circuits. If this country preacher can do it, so can you. This book is simply the best, it took the mystery out of electrity .

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:


Become an amateur wiring pro!  Oct 25, 2005 By Gary Bisaga "Christian Father and Husband"
I bought my first edition of this book when I was building a workshop in our basement. I had done minor electrical work before (replacing light switches, installing one extension outlet in an existing circuit), so this job was rather daunting since it involved putting in a subpanel and 110 and 220V circuits. I happened upon this book at the local home center.

What I found was a treasure trove of information on every conceivable subject that would probably come up in wiring a house. And it takes you from ground zero, not even assuming you know what volts or amps are. The topics include: codes, planning, basics of electricity, all about wire (want to know the difference between NM, NMC, THHN, and EF? it's in the book!), ampacity, grounding, the service entrance, outlet/switch boxes (including a great section on calculating box sizes), wiring procedures, outdoor wiring/conduit, modernizing old wiring, applicances, and a number of special situations (motors, farms, etc). In the later editions, it also includes what I believe is a new section on low-voltage wiring. Since what I am doing now is building a deck, this will be very useful. (I'm on my second copy of the book.)

What's more, it's clearly laid out, easy to read, and everything references back to the NEC itself. It is truly as the editorial review above states, like having a "tiny electrician on your bookshelf." The author also updates it every 3 years, since the code changes that often. (Note that it's now on the 41st edition.)

Now, you won't find all kinds of beautiful color pictures in here. It's a basic book. It does have lots of diagrams and line drawings (at least one per page), plus a relatively small number of black-and-white photos. But I don't find this a problem at all, and it no doubt keeps the cost down. It's also very small: not shirt-pocket sized, but very small and portable nonetheless.

I think the best testimony to this book are two comments made by the electrical inspector. First, as he was doing the final inspection, I mentioned that I had made a change inside the wall since the rough inspection, so I could pull back the wall for him to take a look. He said it wasn't necessary: he could see the kind of work I did and he trusted me. Then, the inspector said "If all homeowners knew as much as you know, I'd be out of a job."

Pretty good, considering that I came into this job knowing almost nothing about house wiring. And I owe most of what I know to this little book. Get it!


A Perennial Favorite Gets Better  Dec 19, 2010 By Kycor
I have purchased several editions over the years to keep up to date on wiring techniques and codes. Of all the DIY publications on the market, this one is the best for beginners to intermediates. The fact that this is the 40th edition must say something.

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