What is the best electrical house wiring guide? The answer to that question is that there is no one all encompassing guide to wiring a house. With that said, there is one guide that anyone wiring a home must have and that one indispensable guide is a copy of the latest revision of the NEC (National Electrical Code), NFPA's (National Fire Protection Association's) Publication #70. This is the electrician's bible and all electrical work must be performed in accordance with its rules and regulations. It does not matter whether you are a professional electrician or a homeowner wiring a new addition to your home, the work must be performed under a permit and conform to the rules and regulations put forward in the NEC if it is to pass the required inspections.

What is the best electrical house wiring guide? One of the best wiring guides available today is the McGraw-Hill National Electrical Code 2008 Handbook, 26th Edition. This handbook, which has not been released yet but the publisher is taking pre-pub orders now, actually illustrated how to apply the rules and regulations put forth in the NEC's 2008 Revision. The McGraw-Hill National Electrical Code 2008 Handbook has been accepted at the premiere reference book for the electrical professional for over 70 years. It is best to purchase the NEC book and handbook as a set because you can save a few bucks that way. These are expensive books but they are must haves for anyone serious about doing electrical wiring.

What is the best electrical house wiring guide? There are many good practical wiring guides available today; guides like Wiring 1-2-3, a Home Depot Book and Home Wiring, a Handyman Club of America book. These books illustrate in detail how to install receptacle circuits; sing-pole, double-pole-double-throw, and thee-way switch circuits; how to wire in major appliances; etc. All these books suffer from the same weakness; they do not explain enough of the theory behind the circuits operation. One needs to understand the theory behind the circuits operation in order to apply the knowledge gained to circuits that are not illustrated in the book. A good understanding of basic electrical theory is needed to troubleshoot a project when not all goes according to plan, which is too often the case when working with older wiring.

What is the best electrical house wiring guide that teaches the fundamentals of electrical theory? One of my favorites is the Audel Electrical Course for Apprentices and Journeymen by Paul Rosenberg. This 512-page text covers everything you will ever need to know about residential wiring and more. The Audel Technical Series, now published by Barnes and Noble publishers has long been accepted as the one authoritative source of technical information for all the building trades. Another good text is the Residential Construction Academy Electrical Principles by Stephen L. Herman, published by Delmar Publishers. Delmar textbooks have long been accepted as the standard texts for vocational high schools as well as technical and trade institutions.