Illustrated Guide to the NEC: Based on the 2005 National Electrical Code | 
 enlarge | Author: Charles Miller
Publisher: Delmar Cengage Learning
Category: Book
List Price: $85.95
Buy Used: $28.00
You Save: $57.95 (67%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 214143
Media: Paperback
Edition: 3
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 464
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.3
Dimensions (in): 10.8 x 8.5 x 1
ISBN: 1401850685
Dewey Decimal Number: 621.31924021873
EAN: 9781401850685
ASIN: 1401850685
Publication Date: December 6, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Over the years, the National Electrical Code has grown in volume and complexity. This updated edition utilizes visualization to present a complete, concise, and easy-to-understand exploration of the 2005 Edition of the NEC. Each highly-detailed illustration offers insight into Code requirements and is enhanced by clearly written text blocks that read quickly and with little effort. Includes coverage of fundamental provisions, followed by Code requirements relevant to specific types of occupancies. Intended as an indispensable supplement to the NEC, this book translates the sometimes vague and complex language of the Code into clearer, cleaner, and simpler terms.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
not what I expected, but worth the price August 9, 2007
Miller's book starts where the revised edition of Rex Cauldwell's excellent Wiring a House (For Pros by Pros) ends. Unless you are an electrician or similarly experienced, you might want to start with Cauldwell's book.
Upside: Illustrated 2005 NEC is readable. I started at the beginning and progressed through the book, reading and studying illustrations in detail where needed, just scanning material I knew well. To me, this is important: Miller gave an example and an illustration immediately after every topic I found difficult to understand from a first reading. He didn't miss one. Lots of painless learning in a small amount of time. Virtually every topic is cross-referenced to the 2005 NEC. References are set off at the end of paragraphs so they don't interfere with the flow of descriptions. Color (two shades of blue) is effectively used. For example, each statement in a descriptive series is lettered with a blue bullet and there are corresponding blue bullet letters with blue lines pointing to the relevant part of an accompanying illustration or illustrations (it's more effective than my description of it).
In addition to being readable, Illustrated 2005 NEC can, with some effort, be used for reference. I wish it had a better index, but a few tries and some scanning took me to an answer for many of my queries. I found several (illustrated) answers I have been seeking: Do two one-pole circuit breakers in a single breaker position have to have a handle tie to count as one hand operation against the not-more-than-six-hand-operations disconnect rule? Can you feed the busses of a subpanel through a two-pole circuit breaker (back-fed device) rather than the lugs if you don't have a master breaker? Answers to all my questions were cross-referenced to the correct NEC article, table, or subtopic.
Downside: I was disappointed when I first thumbed Illustrated 2005 NEC. I did not expect "Illustrated" to mean so many clothes closets complete with hangers, cute cabinets, room dividers, sinks, stoves, toasters, and so on. They illustrate the book but they do not illustrate the NEC. I was surprised at the number of pages devoted to calculations worksheets; that probably isn't a downside to professional electricians. Topics I had expected were missing or skimpy (viz., I wanted a much better treatment of subpanels). Finally, there is the cost, over $50 when I bought it in mid-2007.
I bought Miller's book with my very first copy of the NEC. For all my whining, I am glad I spent the money. I would have given Illustrated 2005 NEC four-&-one-half stars if I could have.
Helpful March 23, 2007
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book is a great companion to the NEC 2005 codebook. It's a HUGE help.
NEC 2005 Guide Overview February 16, 2007
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
I found the book a good reference for electrical wiring and NEC 2005.
Basically the book is targeted to electricians and installers. I failed to find any information on calculations of available short-circuit current (ASC) for service equipment. Industrial installations versus the code was not well addressed in book. In doing calculations of commercial and dwelling units one deals a lot with NEC Table 220.55 and the associated FNPs (foot notes). These FNPS are horrible cumbersome to explain the solution when dealing with multiple Ranges with different values of range's KWs. The author did vey litle in explaining and expanding this area of the code.
Joseph
A good place to start your wiring job January 17, 2007
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
My review is from a handyman perspective, rather than an electrician's.
The 442 page Illustrated Guide to the National Electrical Code is organized into 5 sections: fundamental provisions, single-family homes and townhouses, multi-family dwellings, commercial buildings, and special occupancies, areas, and equipment (health care facilities, elevators, churches, etc.) Homeowner's can stop on page 188, the end of the single-family dwelling section.
The primary feature of this Guide is the picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words approach. See Customer Photos for an actual example from the book. The book describes each NEC "rule" in English, and further explains it through a captioned drawing. This writing style makes it easier to understand the material.
Here are the types of questions answered by this book:
1. How close to an outlet box does the first cable staple (or equivalent) have to be?
2. How tightly can you bend 12/2 NM cable around corners?
3. Is it OK to use 20-amp rated receptacles on 15-amp circuits, and vice-versa?
4. Attaching a ground wire to a steel box, and what kind of screws cannot be used.
5. How are you supposed to staple cables to studs when the cables were fished through a finished wall to a new outlet box?
6. What amp circuit must be used for bathroom receptacles, and what else can be on that circuit?
7. Does a laundry area require a dedicated circuit of a specific amperage?
The Guide answers these and hundreds of other questions. If you plan on getting an electrical permit, this book will help you pass inspection.
Even without an inspection, it would be comforting to know that tried-and-true installation techniques were used in the house we're remodeling. If you are planning on any but the simplest of wiring jobs, this Guide would be a good start.
 needs work January 10, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
They need to find an editor that has a eye for details. I found numerous mistakes, and references to sections of the code book that the code book editors changed. The book will help you learn the NEC code, but just reading the code book will do the same. The text book won't help too much on the state exam since you can't bring it in. The calculations sections relies heavily on a work sheet that you cannot bring into the test site. Its nice to have, but no use with the exam. The diagrams and illustrations have letter marking that have corresponding informational paragraphs, but i found them to be list in a convenient circular pattern instead of listed in an easy to follow line-of-thinking method. You have to have it for your class, so just pay them the money and work some overtime to pay for it. It is my opinion that it is overpriced.
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