Customer Reviews:
 Build Your Own Solar Heating System September 6, 2008
R. S. Berkowitz (BoBerk)
I will be using the information from only a portion of this book. I am handy and could build the system but is a much bigger project than I want to get into at this time. The system requires digging a huge pit for a storage tank. I will be using solar panel design for my water heating system, though I will be changing it to meet my needs.
 Basic DIY August 18, 2008
Gordon R. Smith (Upstate NY)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A thorough cronicle of one DIY project. Good construction details. Weakness is lack of anything approaching engineering or sizing basis. If you want to construct "something" this is adequate. If you want a specific heat output to match a house size this doesn't have it.
Solar Energy: building your own system May 21, 2008
Peter Claes
The contents of the book are as the title says, for building yourself your own solar heating system. The book elaborates a lot on how exactly do the plumbing and building work but fails to explains some basics. These basics/rules of thumb are however well explained in another book I bought "Solar Water Heating".
I plan to get various offers from companies, select the best offer, based on what I have learned by means of solar heating books, not to build the system myself, so the book was not the right choice for my needs. I would not buy it again.
Good detail for one system type April 21, 2008
Raymond Francis (Albany, NY)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This book provides exellent detail for the one type of installation that the author chose for his situation. Pieces and parts of the book will provide good reference and construction details for my final project (I especially like the colletor design). However, no other options were discussed other than the author's particular preference (hot air/rock heat exhange in a 6 foot deep, underground, insulated chamber). I recommend this book as a good additional resource for you to determine your own particular installation.
 A very highly recommended addition June 9, 2007
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
30 out of 31 found this review helpful
With gas and oil prices at record highs and more price hikes looming on the near horizon, Kenneth Clive's step-by-step, do-it-yourself construction manual, "Build Your Own Solar Heating System" is timely and critically important for homeowners wanting to lower their monthly utility bills. Using readily available materials, "Build Your Own Solar Heating System" deftly and methodically guides the reader through the process of constructing and installing a solar heating system from choosing the right materials to assembling them in good working order. Nicely illustrated throughout with detailed diagrams and photos, the reader is given instructions for each phase of their solar heating system installation project, including a wealth of practical tips for getting the task accomplished safely and effectively. Instructions are organized for building one section at a time. Of special note is the 'how to' information to sweat copper plumbing joints and the electronic diagrams to building solar heating system controls. A very highly recommended addition to personal and community library Home Technology & Improvement reference collections, "Build Your Own Solar Heating System" provides everything the non-specialist general reader needs to know to get the job done with the competence of a professional.
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