5 comments about Wiring 1-2-3 (Home Depot).

1. We recently had a 16x12 workshop built in our back yard. I decided to do all of the electrical work myself, something I had never done before. With Wiring 1-2-3 at my side, I was able to complete all of the electrical work in a professional manner and--thanks to the book--I knew exactly what I was doing. I later added an additional branch circuit to our service panel (something I never would have considered before reading the book) and plan on doing all of the electrical work when we refinish our basement starting next month.

   As an unexpected side effect to reading Wiring 1-2-3, I actually found some things that the original electricians did incorrectly when our house was built (most notably the fact that our GFCI outlets are wired incorrectly). I can now fix these problems and avoid trouble in the future thanks to the book.




2. I can't complain about the price since I bought mine
   used for around five bucks. However, I think Home Depot
   could add a little more meat to the book and justify the
   costs.

   That's my only criticism. The book is eminently readable,
   extremely useful and clear, and illustrates the common
   household electrical challenges well. In short, it will give
   a reader the necessary competence to accomplish the mission.




3. ...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.




4. I found this book to provide the basic information really well with lots of pictures and tips. I think this book provides the common skilled home owner with enough information to handle easy to medium high projects by themselves. There might be some better books out there however I decided to buy and use this one and I am glad I did.



5. Great for basic stuff, but could use more details for the more complex stuff, like three-way or four-way switches. Progression is not "linear" from basic to advanced. Also, could use a troubleshooting section.

2 comments about Troubleshooting and Repairing Major Appliances, 2nd Ed..

1. I have a 13 month old dishwasher that cost me $650. It started making a loud noise while in use. I called the company's repair center and they gave me a rough estimate of about $400-500 to repair. According to Consumer Reports, I should have trashed the washer and bought a new one! I had to search high and low to find any books on appliance repair. Evidently, this knowledge is a state secret! I guess our disposable society doesn't want to fix anything. I did a lot of searching on the web and did find some general info on dishwasher repair, but they didn't offer any concrete details. This book saved the day. I read the repair chapter on dishwashers, grab my tools and removed the dishwasher, diagnosed the problem (bad motor--after ruling out other issues), went to the company's web site, located the motor and ordered it for $225. The motor arrived, I removed the old motor and popped the new one in, reconnected the electricity and water supplies, restored the power, ran a cycle and eureka, IT WORKED! The cost of the book, some of my time and I was able to saved my self hundreds of dollars and not be a prisoner of some repairperson. The book offers chapters on using the tools, multimeter, etc. you will need to diagnose the problem. They are clearly written and not overburdened with "technobabble". The chapters on each appliance help you troubleshoot and rule out other possiblities. To be fair, I do have a strong tool background, so I have the equipment needed. If you don't have a multimeter, etc., you would be better off calling a repair tech, but if you do have to tools for the job, grab this book and fix the problem yourself. The sense of satisfaction and competence you feel by doing something for yourself and saving your appliance from the landfill make the effort worthwhile!



2. Having had used the old Time-Life books or Franklynn Peterson's book to repair most of my appliances for the past 25 years I was highly unimpressed with this book. Unfortunately, someone "borrowed" my oldest Time Life major appliance book that covered front load washers and they didn't cover them at all for 10 yrs so when my frontloader acted up I needed a newer book.
   
   So when I saw the title and the fact it was a 2007 book I figured (wrongly) that it would cover current appliances and might be a something I could use. There might be some areas with useful stuff in there but but on first job that came up it failed.
   
   The first illustration of a washer is a front loader, but, all maintenance and repair information and all diagrams are for older agitatator models when it is covered at all. Also the list of symptoms has nothing to do with the repair contents or at least not on logical basis.
   
   For example when you go to the washer section and you look up Symptom "water will not drain" it gives possible causes but does not reference what page you would find that information on, there is no diagram of what the inside of the washer looks like, no illustration of what the pump looks like. Where it gives info. like check for air lock in the pump it never covers instructions on how to check for air lock,in the case of check to the sure that the motor is not runing in the agitation direction there are no instructions on how to check that or what to do if it is.
   
   So far for me it started with a total failure first time out of the mailer. Doubt I will ever pick it up again to even bother checking it on other items.
   
   By the way I have rebuilt 1 electric stove, rebuilt two diswashers, two washers and one dryer in the past so none of this is new to me is just been 8 yrs since I had to repair a washer and this one is 20 yrs younger with newer controls so I thought an updated book would help.

5 comments about Digital Systems: Principles and Applications, Ninth Edition.

1. I used this book for a course on Digital Electronics. Its great. The book has a great typeset, clear and crisp fonts that go easy on the eyes, well structured (such that you read what you need in order to understand the next chapter). The book is illustrated with apt diagrams. I would consider this book to be beginner-intermediate. This book is a good starting point for learn digital stuff, and a good reference after you learn digital stuff. Its hard to find a book as good as this one.



2. You can gain the basic digital logic design knowledge using this book in no time! that is not always sufficient for people who wants to get A grade rather you can just make it your introduction and so soon move to part two (that is up to your current course).
   My advice is : get this book unless you have passed this level!



3. This is the best book to understand Digital Electronics with clear and simple explanations. The salient feature of this book is that it has lot of applications sprayed throughout which keeps the reader attentive and interested. A "Must Read" for graduate/undergraduate students in any university in the world.



4. This is the best book to understand Digital Electronics with clear and simple explanations. The salient feature of this book is that it has lot of applications sprayed throughout which keeps the reader attentive and interested. A "Must Read" for graduate/undergraduate students in any university in the world.



5. My professor used the 5th edition in the Digital Elec class many years ago. I write software but have been trying to make the transition to logic design ... picked up the latest edition for refresher
   
   Great book

4 comments about How To Build Your Dream Garage (Motorbooks Workshop).

1. This book isn't worth the money, it reads like the words are just copied from product brochures, and the photos are very disappointing. There's nothing in here that would make a great garage. I'm a builder and I found a lot more garage ideas and much better quality in the Ultimate Garages books, which have fantastic images and are worth every cent of the extra price.



2. If you're looking to build a garage starting from Square 1, or even modify your existing garage to make it more workable, this is an ideal place to start. Sure inspirational photos are great (this book, by the way, has plenty of them), but so is practical advice to go along with them. The author doesn't just illustrate the ideas, he explains how to implement them. The reader gets the feeling that Klancher's been there, done that, and he even employs a self-deprecating sense of humor to help steer you clear of some of the mistakes he's made. Sure, Klancher sometimes comes across as not being the sharpest tool in the shed, as it were--a Pabst-swilling, man-child in the realm of power tools, petty zoning-office bureaucrats, and potentially lethal electrical current--but that's the point. His voice makes the title a highly readable book for the Everyman. So, if you're farming out the whole project because you don't want to get slivers under your nails, pick up one of the many hoity-toity "idea" books that are available. If, however, you subscribe to a DIY ethos, like so many garage owners do, this is your book.



3. If you want to actually build or hire someone to build a garage for you, this is the book for you to assemble both great ideas but excellent questions to ask or think about. Having remodeled my own kitchen - and hiring out some work - this book helped me figure out a timeline, expected budget, and what I might be able to manage myself or want to hire out when taking on a new build project as opposed to remodel.
   
   I've read a lot of books about remodeling - fewer on building - but felt this was immensely helpful in getting me started.



4. This book is great for anyone looking to do a total build out or just add cool new stuff to his garage. I bought it because it had projects for all of the things I wanted to have in my shop, plus it had a bunch more that were easy to add and put my shop into a whole different league. Everything is really well explained and the photos really help, showing all of the important steps. This book was key in turning my crusty detatched garage into a cool shop that all of my buddies want to hang out in.

No comments about Wiring Home Networks.

5 comments about Delmar's Standard Textbook of Electricity.

1. I've used different revisions of this book for years as I've progressed through my schooling in the electrical trade. This book is easy to read with many helpful illustrations. (yes I like books with pictures) This is the best textbook on electricity I've seen.



2. This book was puchased for a class. It was a good selection for a textbook. It is written clearly and has many pictures and examples to further explain the theory. There are helpful summaries and review questions at the end of each unit. A great overall textbook.



3. The textbook that I purchased was exactly what I needed for my class. It was in PERFECT condition and I got it quickly. The purchase process was very easy and and the book was delivered as I had anticipated. Thanks!



4. This is an AWFUL textbook. One person in our class has the 2nd edition, and it doesn't have any of these mistakes! The THIRD edition is a piece of GARBAGE! It was so difficult trying to comprehend complex formulas when the examples given arent even correct! Wrong values, wrong, math, wrong symbols, mislabeling...and we're only to chapter 30 so far.
   
   Simple things are OVER covered to the point of exhaustion, but when the chapter on filters came up, there was nothing to give examples of how to figure out how to do the problems at the end of the chapter. Power factor correction is barely glanced upon, and the author gives complex formulas when basic Ohms law could be used instead.
   
   If you use the 3rd edition in your classroom, PLEASE verify with your instructor so you dont struggle with the homework for no reason



5. Extremely important to have this book for the Electrical Maintenance student, Apprentise, or Journeyman. This book is truely the "backbone" of critical information used by all electricians! When you know your "Delmar", you will have gained an invaluable amount of knowledge and confidence in your work.

2 comments about Major Appliances: Operation, Maintenance, Troubleshooting And Repair.

1. Very good topic coverage, easy to use and understand, caters for apprentices at variety of entry levels. Should have a broader brand name base



2. Not really sure what the auidence is for this book. It's too basic for the appliance repair professional and too advanced/generic for the Do-it-yourself person. I offers lots of information on the operational theory/concepts, but no real particulars for a specific model. Bought this book with the hope it would help me fix for gas stove - useless (I ended up fixing the stove myself with no help from this book)

   Buy this book with low expectations or reservations!

5 comments about Home Theater Design: Planning and Decorating Media-Savvy Interiors.

1. This book should have been called "Beautiful Interior Designs that Happen to Include some Home Theater Gear", or "Home Theater Style". It's little more than a pretty picture book of impressive-looking rooms that integrate HT gear, and often in a laughable way. The text is fluffy, thowaway stuff that is irritating to read.
   
   The photos are very well done, but often include speakers and other gear set up with no unsightly cables. Of course, without the unsightly cables, there'd be no audio or video, either. I guess that's the main thing that got to me -- if you're going to show a setup with nice speakers and other gear that are out in the room, at least be honest about how to treat cables and make them look as good as possible. Don't just leave them out altogether. It's insulting, and is foolish in a book that is supposedly about HT.



2. This book is really helpful if you're planning a home theater system or integrating some type of audio and video stuff inside the house. I had a small house and was able to get lots of tips for designing my a/v system in it. Now that I bought my new house (much larger) I am able to reference the later chapters for dealing with the new challenges. Highly recommend!



3. This book has tons of helpful tips about features that you should have in an entertainment room. It helps you learn what accessories to get, but doesn't help much in the way of actually building the room. I was hoping to have some help on how to install a suspended ceiling with the sound-proofing material, or how they recommend to frame an elevated seating platform.
   
   All in all, I'd say this book is an advantage to have, and it definately is worth purchasing, but don't expect it to help you with the nuts and bolts of the operation.



4. I bought this book to help me plan the space for a home theater I am planning to build myself. Big mistake. It contained nothing useful for me.
   
   This is a book written by someone who only knows home theater from the perspective of rich or trendy clients who pay big bucks to have someone else do all the planning. It's also something of a advertising piece to show off very big and expensive (nothing under six figures) home theaters designed by two firms the author repeatedly gives credits to. At the very end she even has a brief interview with the head of one of those firms.
   
   If you're really rolling in the dough and want to see lots of glossy pictures to see how to spend your money, this book is for you. Example: "John and Jane have a wonderful theater space with arched alcoves along the walls. They display their collection of antique vases in each alcove, and use accent lighting to enhance it. They install a crystal chandelier for ambient lighting..."
   
   For everyone else it's a waste of time. It's so limited in text that it didn't take more than a couple hours to read through. Instead of giving you some real planning guides, the author limits herself to glosses of the obvious along with references to the type of professional you'll need to hire (so many - I've never heard of an acoustician before. He came somewhere after the cabinetmaker you'll need to design the housing for the projector).
   
   This is a book that bows to wealth and trendiness. For those of us who want to tap our own creative ability as well as our more typical budget, we'll have to look elsewhere for inspiration and information.



5. The first question you have to ask is 'What is a home theater.'
   
   And the author doesn't have any better definition than you do, so she has written the book in three sections, and with a definite point of view.
   
   One section is on small systems in small rooms. Here you are basically using more or less standard equipment in more or less standard rooms.
   
   The next section is on multi-purpose rooms, such as a den or living room with a major emphasis on media but still useful for other things.
   
   Finally there's the dedicated home theater. Here a room is built to make your own small, but technologically, audiologically, aesthetically and in every other way professional quality. This often includes stadium seating, with high quality chairs and tables for drinks and popcorn between the seats.
   
   All in all the book is more concerned with the interior decoration of the home theater than with the technical aspects. I suppose that's fair, because the rapid change in the technology. Anything you attempted to print in a book would become obsolete at the next Consumer Electronics Show.

1 comments about Audel Electrical Course for Apprentices and Journeymen, All New Fourth Edition.

1. I've got 10 guys in line to get their license on my crew but not a lot of time to go to school. And if they're going to school get the school to use this book. If you've got the same situation, just have your guys pick this coursebook up. It's amazing and from a great old electrical name-Audel!

5 comments about The Easy Guide to Solar Electric Part II, I Manual.

1. I found this book at the public library in my search for a good guide to solar electric systems. I found a small amount of the information useful but, most was a waste of my time. The writer does not explain ideas in a very coherent manner. He uses a great deal of book space attempting to be funny and expressing his political views. If you are interested in a good solar electric book this is not it. I am still looking.



2. Pieper has a lot of practical knowledge but some things he writes are plain wrong. On page 17 he writes: "The frequency of the sine wave is measured as Hz per second" (should be cycles per second which is Hz). On page 18 he says: "the sine wave [is] 220 volts between two peaks" (should be 311 v; 220 is the RMS voltage). On page 23 he says: "amp hours [are] also refered to as amps per hour or amp/hours" (not true). In page 27 he writes: "At some point, the resistance gets so high that it creates heat inside the conductor" (there is always resistance and heat, the problem is the temperature rises too high). He also is convinced the minerals in petroleum jelly help conductivity on the battery terminals (pp. 123&159) and says "search current" when he means "surge current" (pp. 120&125). Whole pages are such confusing technical nonsense that it is impossible to to give a short account. He self published - he should have had a technically competent person help him with theory and a good how-to book editor help with the practical stuff. I'm sure he is a very competent electrician and there is some good practical information in the book, but it is nowhere near as advertised.



3. This book is great. It covers the bases and gives the information one needs. It's a core book for this subject.



4. For me, this book was terribly bad; not worth the buy. It might appeal to a different crowd.



5. Having just recently moved into a solar house I've been trying to broaden my education on solar electricity. Both of Mr. Pieper's books, part one and two have been very educational for me. Very easy to read and understand without previous technical knowledge!