Your Old Wiring

What to Do (and How to Do It). What Not to Do. How to Tell the Difference

IS IT WORKMANSHIP OR GUESSWORK?

If you live in an older home, you never know what lurks behind switchplates and outlet covers, inside fuse boxes and breaker panels, writes master electrician David Shapiro. He's conquered the tangles masquerading as wiring in hundreds of old buildings, and in this book he shows you not just what should be in your electrical system, as other books do, but also what really may be there—and how to deal with it. YOUR OLD WIRING is the only guidebook available with this important feature.

Pictures show you how to:
* Distinguish good wiring and fixtures from bad
* Install a ceiling fan
* Replace a light fixture
* Change a switch
* Wire outdoor fixtures
* Select the right supplies
* Locate and repair problems
* Do preventive maintenance

SOLVE YOUR ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS

At last there's an easy, safe approach to that possible fire hazard (a.k.a.: your old wiring system). This informative, photo-packed book can help anyone do home electrical jobs with ease, confidence, and skill. YOUR OLD WIRING provides pictures that help you do everything from simple splicing repairs to installing a ceiling fan.

Simple and Safe Master electrician David E. Shapiro's unique pictorial approach walks you through every step, making every task simple and safe. Clear photographs show you not only what to do, but also how to handle old wiring that may not match the ideal.

Published by the leader in professional electrical references, David E. Shapiro's YOUR OLD WIRING is authoritative and thorough—yet easy to understand. This is a guide that will reliably help you with your electrical tasks now, and for many years to come.

DAVID E. SHAPIRO is a master electrician and renowned authority on home wiring. The author of OLD ELECTRICAL WIRING, also from McGraw-Hill, and the residential columnist for Electrical Contractor magazine, he has written for the Washington Post, Practical Homeowner, New England Builder, and many other magazines. He is also an electrical consultant and a certified inspector and plan reviewer. He lives in Colmar Manor, Maryland, near Washington, D.C., where he does business as Safety First Electrical Contracting, Consulting, and Safety Education.