Please note!
In some countries, it is illegal to carry out certain aspects of home electrical work yourself. It's up to you to confirm whether any electrical work needs to be done by a qualified electrician and/or officially inspected and approved afterwards. Please also be aware that DIY electrical work may be forbidden by your home insurance policy.
Legal or not, electrical work is dangerous and it's often preferable to get a
qualified electrician/electrical contractor to do it for you than to attempt it yourself. The web links we present here are for your background information and reference only. We strongly recommend you find a professional electrician to do all your electrical work.
Please also note the advice in our disclaimer.
All the best, hand-picked home electric sites!
Forget all those expensive DIY books: everything you need is here on the Web, if you know where
to look. To that end, we've compiled a list of around 150 of the best home electrical pages
we could find, helping you to understand everything from fuseboxes to lightning strikes—all on one handy, uncluttered web page!
We've included several different guides to most topics, so you can compare the advice and choose
the approach you like best.
If you're looking for more general DIY advice (things like woodworking, building, plumbing, and plastering), check out our companion page The Complete DIY Guide.
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Last updated: 5 March 2010.
Contents: what's on this page
Introduction: the power of electricity
You might think electricity is an amazing invention—but it was more of
a discovery. Eletricity is not an invention at all, but a basic aspect
of how our world works. Electricity is caused by electromagnetism, one
of the four fundamental forces of the universe. It's easiest to think
of electricity as a kind of energy that builds up in one place (static
electricity) or moves from place to place (current electricity). The
appliances and gadgets that feature so prominently in our lives use
either one or both of these aspects of electricity. Laser printers and
photocopiers are based on static electricity, for example, while
batteries, electric motors, and electronic circuits use current
electricity.
Of course, as you wrestle with your broken Christmas tree lights (for
the fifth year running), curse when a fuse blows, or search for the
candles during a power outage, fundamental forces, electrical energy,
and electromagnetism are the last things on your mind: all you care
about is getting the power back on again. That illustrates the one big
problem with electricity: it's so incredibly convenient and reliable
that we take it for granted. Can you imagine life without it?
It's hard for us to appreciate now but homes, offices, and other
buildings have been powered by electricity only for about 100 years or
so. It was only at the end of the 19th century that amazingly prolific
US inventor Thomas Edison built the first electric-power generating
plants, making electricity on a big enough scale to light the world
with his much-improved design of electric lamp. Once electric power
started to become widely available, modern appliances started to appear
(during the early decades of the 20th century).
As concerns mount about the environmental impacts of using fossil
fuels, electric power is becoming more important than ever. Since they
first appeared in the 19th century, virtually all cars have been
powered by petroleum; soon, gasoline engines will be a distant memory
and we'll all be buzzing down the street in electric cars and buggies!
Our homes will still be powered by electricity, but we'll be generating
more of our own through solar panels, micro wind turbines, and other
kinds of renewable energy. Electricity has had a glorious history so
far, but it's only just beginning!
~
From changing a fuse to wiring a plug, all of us need to know a least a
little bit about electricity. That's what this simple web page is all
about. Here you'll find over 150 hand-compiled, hand-reviewed links offering
you a basic introduction to virtually everything you could ever want to know
about electricity in your home, from finding a reputable electrician to
simple science fair projects for the kids!
Safety advice: before you start
General DIY safety
Electrical DIY safety
- ** Electrical Safety Foundation International: An excellent resource for all kinds of information about electrical dangers and how to stay safe. Covers everything from appliance safety to safety during the holiday season and includes lots of easy-to-print PDF guides.
- ** Dangers of Electricity: A basic introduction to electricity dangers provided by Child Safety Australia.
- ** Electrical hazards: Electrical hazards can cause fires and electric shocks. A useful introduction to the importance of electrical safety from the UK's NICEIC.
- ** Electrical safety: A detailed introduction to electrical safety from Electricians Toolbox Etc, including first aid, electric shock, fire safety, hazardous locations, and tips on clothing and personal safety equipment.
- ** Howstuffworks: How to Do Home Electrical Repairs: A basic introduction to the safety considerations you need to bear in mind before carrying out repairs.
- Electrics Safety: A very basic introduction from diyfixit.
- Safety Tips: DIY Electrical: A few good pointers to electrical safety, with clear photos.
- Electrical Safety: An extremely brief intro from the Government of New Zealand.
- How to Work with Electricity Safely: A simple list of things to bear in mind before you start.
Electrical safety equipment
- Fuses and fuseboxes: Our basic introduction to what they are nad how they work.
- Residual current device (RCD): A handy plug-in circuit breaker that helps to reduce the risks of electrocution.
- Surge protectors: Our own quick intro to surge cubes (made by companies such as Belkin) that protect your appliances from power spikes and surges and an explanation of how they actually work.
Finding a qualified electrician/electrical contractor
As far as we can tell, these are the most definitive lists of electrical contractors in each country:
Choosing and using electrical power tools
General power tools
Introductory articles about electricity
These are some of our own introductory articles from the main Explainthatstuff website. These vary in complexity, but most are designed to be simple enough for students to understand:
Introduction to home electricity circuits
Electrical testing
General and background guides
- ** Voltmeter: A fairly clear and simple introduction on Wikipedia.
- ** The Basics of Digital Multimeters: "A primer on symbology, terminology, connections, and basic measurement techniques for modern multimeters."
- ** Electronic test equipment: A brief review of different kinds of test equipment (e.g. osilloscopes, voltmeters, ammeters, signal generators, etc) from Wikipedia.
Practical testing guides
Useful pages on popular DIY sites
- Ask the builder: electrical: Lots of electrical tips and an "Electrical 101" from Tim Carter.
- DIY chatroom: A message board/forum website. Click on "Electrical" to read or post queries about home electric problems.
- DIY Doctor: Lots of electrical projects here (browse under "E" in the alphabetical index—they all begin "Electrical...")
- DIYnot: Plenty of good electrical advice and project guides here! Note that some of the electrical info is UK specific, however.
- Hometips.com: Click on electrical in the sidebar for articles on all kinds of simple electrical tasks and problems.
- Mrs Fixit: Click on Fixits and then electrical/lighting for basic DIY electrical advice, including handy help with some of the nicer aspects of home redecoration (choosing a chandelier, making your outlets match), and so on..
- Ron Hazleton's House Calls: Lighting: Ron explores some of the simpler home lighting jobs.
- This Old House: Home electrical lighting: Lots of simple, well-illustrated project guides.
Indoor lighting
Installation
- ** Askthebuilder: Lighting: Tim Carter's dependably excellent website has lots of articles (and project sheets) covering most kinds of indoor lighting.
- ** elights.com: Lighting Info: Some good background articles here from lighting supplier elights.com. There's a lighting selector to help you choose the right kind of light, tips on how to achieve different effects in different rooms, and lots more useful background.
- ** Home Tips: Lighting: Lots of tips and project sheets here for everything from how to install track lighting to how to replace a fluorescent lamp starter.
- ** Dummies: Electrical and lighting: Quite a few useful illustrated photo guides. Includes how to install a dimmer switch, how to install track lighting, etc.
- ** 5 Fast Lighting Upgrades: DIY Guy: A quick way to improve your home with lighting. A guide from Popular Mechanics.
- Low-voltage lighting primer: A good introduction to low-voltage halogen and xenon lighting systems, transformers, etc. from EC&M magazine.
- Lighting energy efficiency: Tips on saving energy from the Canadian government.
- Home Lighting Control Alliance: Founded in 2006 to educate the public about home lighting control technology, design, application and benefits.
- Home Lighting and Accessories: Long-established trade magazine covering all aspects of home lighting. Includes an online magazine section and a searchable database of lighting suppliers, manufacturers, stores, etc.
- Your 6-Step Action Plan to Brighter Closets: A guide from Popular Mechanics.
Design
Outdoor lighting
Everyday electrical jobs and repairs
Please note!
In some countries (including the UK and New Zealand) it is now illegal to carry out certain aspects of home electrical work yourself. It's up to you to confirm whether any electrical work needs to be done by a qualified electrician and/or officially inspected and approved afterwards.
Legal or not, electrical work is dangerous and it's almost always preferable to get a qualified electrician/electrical contractor to do it for you than to attempt it yourself. The web links we present here are for your background information and reference only. We strongly recommend you find a professional electrician to do all your electrical work..
Please also note the advice in our disclaimer.
Simple jobs
Harder stuff: "how-to..." project guides
- ** Reader's Digest: Home Electrical Projects Made Easy: A selection of clearly illustrated how-to articles from those ever-dependable folk at Reader's Digest.
- ** DIYnot.com electrics pages: Lots of different electrical tasks explained very clearly and simply, from extending a flex to replacing a light switch.
- ** Howstuffworks: How to Do Home Electrical Repairs: Explains home electricity from first principles, including how electricity gets into your home and what happens to it afterward.
- ** Electrical Appliance Manual (Haynes for home DIY) : by Graham Dixon. An introductory photo guide to taking apart and repairing common electrical appliances. There are various editions of this book, some newer than others, and some of the advice may now be out-of-dated. But the basic principles still hold true.
- ** Fix-it Club: Electrical Fix-It Guides: Lots of how-to fixit guides covering everything from home electricity circuits to small appliances.
- ** How to Install Electrical Wiring: Basic wiring explained with easy-to-understand diagrams. Not a lot of detail, however, and no photos.
- ** ACME Howto: DIY Home Repair Guide: An online library of test/repair guides for all kinds of domestic appliances.
- Basic Electric
information at DoItYourself.com: A basic introduction to some of the simpler household electrical tasks.
- Electrical Online: A website "created to answer all of your questions regarding basic home wiring projects and problems."
- DIY Data: Electrics: Some basic electrical tasks explored here, including replacing a ceiling light rose, electricity in the bathroom, etc.
- Doityourself.com: Appliances: Repair guides for dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, clothes dryers, and other household appliances.
- How to Repair Small Appliances: Covers how to repair a toaster, toaster oven, coffee maker, food mixer, blender, vacuum cleaner, and more!
- Hometime.com: How-to: Electrical: A gentle introduction to basic home electrics. Includes how-to install sockets and switches, how to run cable, and common electrical codes.
- Dummies: How to Replace a Standard Switch with a Dimmer Switch: A video guide.
- Dummies: How to Install Track Lighting: A step-by-step photo guide, also from Dummies.
- Electrical Online: Home Electrical Projects Made Easy: Terry Peterman offers a variety of hints and tips and sells how-to books and DVDs through his site.
Wiring and circuit diagrams
Electrical
Electronic
Electronics
Introductions from Explainthatstuff
There are various introductory articles about electronics on the main part of our website:
More guides for beginners
How-to solder
- ** How to solder: A simple, written explanation with proper illustrations and a good, clear photo showing examples of both good and bad soldered joints.
- ** How to solder: A clearly illustrated guide covers all the bases: what equipment you need, how to prepare, how to solder, how to inspect the joint for problems afterward.
- ** How to solder: A very clear, illustrated guide with a strong emphasis on safety and specific tips on how to solder the more fragile (i.e. heat-sensitive) components.
- ** How to solder properly: A Maplin video now on YouTube.
Projects
Magazines
Books
Home electrics
Electronics
- Electronics for Dummies: By Gordon McComb, Earl Boysen, Inc NetLibrary. For Dummies, 2005.
- Electronics Projects for Dummies: By Earl Boysen, Nancy Muir. For Dummies, 2006.
- Getting Started in Electronics: A Complete Electronics Course in 128 Pages: By M.M. Forrest, Forrest M. Mims. Master Publishing, Incorporated, 2003
- The Art of Electronics : by Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill. Cambridge University Press, 1989. This is the classic textbook I used as a student. Rather complex for general readers, but great for university students.
- Electrical Engineering 101: Everything You Should Have Learned in School but Probably Didn't: by Darren Ashby. Newnes, 2005.
- Practical Electronics for Inventors: by Paul Scherz. McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics, 2006.
- Electronic Circuits for the Evil Genius: By Dave Cutcher. McGraw-Hill Professional, 2004.
Stores supplying electrical parts and electronic components
We don't necessarily endorse any particular stores—we're just listing a few here for your information and convenience. You can find lots more suppliers by typing "electronic components", "electric parts" (or whatever you're looking for) into the search boxes at the top/bottom of this page.
Worldwide
- RS: Huge global supplier of components.
- Amazon: Good for things like cables, adapters, and home DIY tools, but don't stock smaller and more specialized components.
United States
- 1-Source: Large selection of electronic components.
- Jameco: An electronic components distributor specializing in semiconductors, passives, interconnects, electromechanical, power supplies, LEDs, and more!
- Electrical Tools: Sell a broad selection of electrical meters, testers and analyzers, including home inspection tools, digital multimeters, circuit analyzers, and wire gauges.
UK
- Maplin: A huge selection of electrical and electronic parts and components available online, by mail order, and through a nationwide chain of high-street stores.
- RSH Electronics: UK-based, mail-order supplier of over 1500 components.
- Screwfix: Trade tools, accessories and hardware products.
