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Solar Water Heating: A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Water and Space Heating Systems (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series)
 
 
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Solar Water Heating: A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Water and Space Heating Systems (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series) (Paperback)

~ Bob Ramlow (Author), Benjamin Nusz (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Heating water with the sun is almost as old as humankind itself, and it is done all over the world. Yet there are strangely few resources on the topic in North America.

Solar Water Heating fills this gap. It reviews the history of solar water and space heating systems from prehistory to the present, then presents the basics of solar water heating, including an introduction to modern solar energy systems, energy conservation and energy economics. Drawing on the author’s experience as an installer of these systems, the book goes on to cover:

  • Types of solar collectors, solar water and space heating systems and solar pool heating systems, including their advantages and disadvantages
  • System components, their installation, operation, and maintenance
  • System sizing and siting
  • Choosing the appropriate system.

Since people often get turned off by the up-front cost, the book focuses especially on the financial aspects of solar water or space heating systems, clearly showing that such systems can save significant costs in the long run. Well-illustrated, the book is designed for a wide readership from the curious to the student or professional.

Bob Ramlow is the solar thermal consultant for the Wisconsin Focus on Energy Program. The owner of a renewable energy company, he has over 30 years experience with solar energy systems and is a founder and director of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA). Benjamin Nusz currently works as a solar water heating consultant and site assessor in Wisconsin.

About the Author

Bob Ramlow is the solar thermal consultant for the Wisconsin Focus on Energy Program. The owner of a renewable energy company, he has over 30 years experience with solar energy systems. A founder and director of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) he has authored a training manual on solar water & space heating. Benjamin Nusz is a graduate of the University of Minnesota -- Twin Cities and is currently working as a solar water heating consultant and site assessor in Wisconsin.

Product Details

More About the Author

Bob Ramlow
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› Visit Amazon's Bob Ramlow Page
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Customer Reviews

21 Reviews
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 (13)
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 (4)
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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58 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, March 3, 2007
Despite Federal tax credits (up to $2,000 at this writing) for solar water heating there's a lack of information on the subject.
For a handyman with good plumbing skills, or a homeowner wanting to learn about solar water heating, this is the best book available.
After a history of solar water heating in the US, the book describes various systems that use the sun to heat and store water. Climate, freeze conditions, water quality and amount of sunlight available are some of the factors considered in choosing a system, and the book describes them all. Individual components are detailed in a logical, straightforward way. It's obvious the authors have extensive practical knowledge. The writing style is informal and easy to read.
Besides all the solar water heating information, this book also has a good section on radiant floor heating, detailing the use of PEX tubing to heat a concrete slab.
The book uses a lot of drawings to demonstrate how things work. More actual photographs of systems and components would have been helpful. I also wish the authors would have included brand names and sources for equipment. The industry still suffers from the stigma of poorly designed systems of the 1970's and 80's. Some reassurances from the authors regarding which component manufacturers are good would have been nice.
For the past two years, I've lived with a solar water heating system I bought as a package and installed myself. I've been happy with all the "free" hot water it's provided. If this book had been available when planning my system I would have had a much better idea of what I was doing. Having all the components matched and sized with specific instructions gave me a lot of confidence during installation. In my opinion, for the neophyte, a component package is a good way to go.
For anyone planning a residential sized solar water heating system, this is the best book available. It's an excellent guide, whether you decide to choose the individual components yourself, buy a package, or hire a contractor to install a turnkey system.
If you're a contractor or someone wanting to get into the solar water heating business, "Solar Hot Water Systems - Lessons Learned 1977 to Today" (Tom Lane) is very good, but the amount of technical detail implies you already have a good working knowledge of plumbing and roofing. [...]

Good luck getting into hot water!
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31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, March 28, 2007
By C. Thomas (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Not being a plumber I can't say this book will be as much value to someone with those skills. He covers the systems so thoroughly that I would imagine if you had the plumbing ability this book would be all you need to get started.

I was a little frustrated having read the first chapter only to find out that several systems described in detail the author would never recommend using. I was thinking to myself why did I waste time reading about those. But that's where the comprehensive part comes in. And by knowing why the author doesn't recommend those systems you get to participate in the joy of knowing everything there is to know about solar water heating.

I especially enjoyed the cost analysis of the hot water systems vs. gas and electric, as well as the discussion of using solar heated water to provide whole house heating.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent treatement of solar water heating, November 4, 2007
By R. McKown (Colorado USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This book takes a tutorial approach, providing an overview behind the impetus of solar hot water systems, the various systems available and their applicability, and provides a good deal of "how to" information regarding installation. This is the kind of treatment of material that I most prefer when attempting to learn for the purpose of later application of that knowledge. It stands in contrast to books by Dan Chrias (see my reviews), who tends to provide a more overview approach to the information. Coupled with a good understanding of conventional hot water systems, this book may be enough to successfully size, install and operate a solar hot water system. It's only weakness, given its objectives and the volume of the material, is that it glosses over the techniques for system sizing, especially how to manage the relationship between demand and supply (sun availability).
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Not cool
This was supposed to a gift for my dad. I waited 6 weeks for my book then a week before Christmas they told me they lost it. They ruined Christmas.
Published 7 months ago by Aaron Whalen

5.0 out of 5 stars Its in There!
Everything you needed to know about solar water and space heating is in this book! Written by 2 people who have been doing it for many years and have seen many succeses and a few... Read more
Published 11 months ago by N. Eichten

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
I was a little upset having read the chapter 1 only to find out that several systems described in detail the author would never recommend using. Read more
Published 13 months ago by The Review Guy

3.0 out of 5 stars Nothing special.
content on solar heating..

Nothing special; good or bad.

MJL
Published 14 months ago by Michael J. Laramee

5.0 out of 5 stars Great compact manual
I don't know a heck of a lot about solar technologies. But after reading just the first few chapters I feel confident enough to build a simple flat panel solar water heater.
Published 14 months ago by C. Huntington

5.0 out of 5 stars all the basics
After reading reviews for this book I made the purchase hoping to have the basics of solar water heating covered. The book does that very well. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Christopher J. Leighton

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book
This is a very well written book. Bob Ramlow has done a lot of work on the subject of solar heating and makes the subject fun to read. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Kenneth Clive

4.0 out of 5 stars Solar Water Heating
Very good and useful book if you want to understand/evaluate offers/tenders of companies that will construct your solar water heating system. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Peter Claes

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book!
This book is practical and written in a very easy to understand manner. The author has extensive experience in the area of solar heating of water and conveys that knowledge to... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Brian Bell

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, but wasteful repeated pages
Content wise this is an excellent book. The level is just right for individuals that need to make the right choices to provide renewable Domistic Hot Water and Space Heating for... Read more
Published 22 months ago by sgy

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