5 comments about Power with Nature Second Edition: Alternative Energy Solutions for Homeowners Updated.

1. If you are confused by the components, their arrangement and connections, this is the book for you. The story in the beginning is a bit silly, but it does serve it's purpose - to anchor concepts in your memory. It is worth enduring. You will get a decent background in components and terminology from this book, very readable, and an excellent introduction to RE.



2. We recently purchased an off-grid log camp. We saw an article about this book in a log homes magazine, so purchased it. Excellent book - it gave practical information on why and how to set up to live off-grid. It gave real advice on how to calculate and choose solar, wind and hydro equipment. I'd recommend this book to all who might consider living off-grid and choosing alternative powers sources.



3. I borrowed the book from the library and read it cover to cover. I wanted it for future reference so I bought it.



4. I'm sure people have said this before, but for the second edition, the author should have dropped the 75 page story at the beginning. I'd rather have a book which takes up less room on my coffee table or have more quality content. This is a general overview of renewable technologies and doesn't offer much more than you can find in 10 minutes on the internet. With that being said, if you are looking for a place to start with renewables, this might be it. Just don't be disappointed if it leaves you wanting more.



5. I love this book and give the original edition five stars but was disappointed that the 2nd edition didn't give a whole lot of additional info. Save your money and pick up a used 1st edition.

5 comments about Welding: Principles and Applications, Fifth Edition.

1. This is book is basically a college text on welding-- and a fine one at that. It covers the theory of all the major welding processes (MIG, TIG, Stick, Flux-cored) in dazzling detail with beautiful color photos and diagrams. This includes some simple-to-understand physics of each welding process, explanations of various types of welding equipment, weld joint designs, welding positions, weave patterns, etc. If you read this book cover-to-cover, you will have a thorough grasp of all the theoritical aspects of welding. No other text even comes close to this book in these areas.
   
   The book is short on practical advice in some areas, perhaps because it is intended to be used alongside an instructor. Numerous example excercises are given for every type of weld process and weld position, but actual welder parameters are strangely missing. For example, if you want to butt weld two pieces of 1/8" steel using stick welding, then a)what is a good diameter electrode to try, b)what is a good welding current? The book doesn't really say, it's left up to the reader to experiment on his own and determine by trial and error what works best.
   
   The author probably takes this approach delibrately because he knows that the best way to become the most proficient welder is to learn by experimentation, rather than following tables in a book every time you want to weld something. But beginner welders will undoubtedly find this approach frustring at times when you just want some general guidelines on where to start on selecting electrode size, amperage, voltage, wire-feed-speed, etc.



2. Book was in very good condition. Prompt shipment. Ordered on a Friday, recieved on Monday. Very happy. Will definitley do business with this person again if such a need arises.



3. This is a college course book but it has much information about welding. Very good for a reference book. Wish I could get the workbook and answers.



4. This isn't the kind of book you give a quick read. It is more like a class text or reference book if you are welding now. I love it and have already gotten good use from it.



5. This book is a must for any welder. It is filled with info. and the price is unbeatable!

4 comments about Fluid Power with Applications (6th Edition).

1. I would like to request an instructors copy for possible use in our fluid power program at Spokane Community College.



2. Where is the new edition? It is already out but you don`t have it



3. Good book to start leaning abt fliud powe



4. I am a an engineering student with a gpa of 3.93 (73 hours). I have found this to be one of the least helpfull books I have ever used. The examples worked are at such a low complexity level, that they do almost no good for solving the problems at the end of the chapters. There are entire concepts that are missing explanation and you can only hope that you will have a good enough proffesor to explain during lecture. I do not have that luxury, mine will only go over the illustrated examples in the book.

5 comments about Sun-inspired House: house designs warmed and brightened by the Sun.

1. A 'sun-inspired' room is sunny, open, warm in winter and cool in summer, and integrates sustainable design principles with efficiency and useful design basics. And THE SUN-INSPIRED HOUSE illustrates a range of concepts related to the sun, using fifty house plans to demonstrate integrated concepts. This is a collection of home designs which blends floor plans and modification ideas with sun-inspired homes for all climates. Blends of design and construction information provide an architect's expertise under one cover. What it lacks in glossy color photos is more than made up for in practical application designs and insider information paired with homeowner testimonials that they actually work. A top pick.
   
   Diane C. Donovan, Editor
   California Bookwatch



2. Debra Rucker Coleman's book, The Sun Inspired House, showcases passive solar houses that are comfortable the year around, light filled, beautiful, healthy for the residents, and good for the environment. These houses cut energy bills in half and cost very little additional to build. Coleman inspires the reader to want to live in a passive solar house, and walks them through the process of making that happen. Her reviews of current books, design analysis software, and websites point the way to more detailed information on all aspects of the design and construction process.
   With over 25 years experience working and living with passive and active solar systems, this is the book on passive solar design I recommend for prospective homeowners, architects, and homebuilders.
   Daryl Bergquist, Earth Steward Solar Consulting, Blountsville, Alabama



3. I really like this book and their web site also. I am in a planning stage of building a house and at this time I think I will use the author to design my home when I am ready. They have many good ideas. Buy this book, it is a good one.



4. i like the book a lot. it has good beginning information, and good resources in the back.



5. This book defines the basic components of a pasive solar home and provides guidelines for building a home with plenty of house plans as examples. It also lists lots of references for more technical information about both passive and active solar heating and cooling.

1 comments about Energy: Use Less-Save More: 100 Energy-Saving Tips for the Home (The Chelsea Green Guides).

1. I am a thrift conscious consumer, i.e. college student. I was looking for helpful ways to reduce my outrageous heating bill in the blistery north. I thought this would be a great book, it was cheap and promised 100 tips. I considered buying the other books in the series and I'm glad I didn't.
   
   It's not that it was a bad book per se but it was not as insightful as I hoped. All the information in the book can be found on the internet, your local hardware store, or even given out by your utility provider. Needless to say I was disappointed to find that not only did I not learn anything new but all the information was available from many free sources.

3 comments about Energy-Efficient Building (Best of Fine Homebuilding).

1. I found this book beneficial. I believe that people doing either new construction or remodelling will find it helpful. It covers new ideas as well some often overlooked but simple, inexpensive methods that should be used in all construction.

   In particular, the first chapter is about energy efficiancy in general and performing an energy audit on your house to see where the energy is wasted or lost.

   For the price of this book, even if you only used one idea from the book, you would more than pay for the book in energy savings in one heating/cooling season.

   My reason for not giving 5 stars is, "There should even more ideas included in this book!"




2. Okay, I'll confess I don't own this book, but there are two reasons I wouldn't buy it, and each one knocks a star off my rating:
   
   1. This book seems a little old for this particular topic. Energy efficiency is an increasingly important issue in home building, and the various materials and technologies continue to evolve. There have been some advancements in the eight years since this book was compiled, and since it's a "best of," that means the articles in it are even older. I want the latest information available as I research this topic.
   
   2. Based on the table of contents, the book seems targeted toward saving energy in colder climates. I live in central Florida where we air condition most of the year. Our biggest concerns here are keeping the heat out, not in, and controlling the humidity (which is 91% outside as I write this) inside your home. This dictates doing some things differently here, and chapters on topics like fixing a cold, drafty house, preventing ice dams, and building an efficient fireplace just aren't applicable here. ;-)



3. This book is really a book. It is a collection of magazine articles from a well respected building magazine that cover different building techniques. One chapter per article. There is an article for every currently used, but not quite mainstream building technique to improve energy efficiency of a home.
   
   Since the articles are written independently and were later compiled into a book, there is no comparison and contrast between techniques. Since the articles are very well written and go into depth on each technique, then comparisons between similar techniques can be extrapolated out, but some things like cost comparisons may be difficult to gather from the articles alone.
   
   Overall a very good overview of what is out there and working in practice today.

2 comments about Introduction to Control System Technology (7th Edition).

1. I"ll be very happy to read this book,batI hav"nt money to bay it.Last brutal war destroyed may busines.Plese send me one book,andI"ll read it and return on your address.Thank you Igor popov ,dipl.ing.



2. there's never any examples or explanations of how to solve anything and it constantly says "refer to some figure from 2 chapters ago."

2 comments about Machine Tool Practices (7th Edition).

1. I find this book clear and easy to read on machining topics. The photographs and illustrations fit well with the text. Generally a worthwhile beginners to intermediate book for pre apprentice to 3rd year. However in future editions I would like to see ISO metric information on topics such as threads and tapers along with limits and fits. I would also like to see a change to more up to date toolposts and tool holders for the lathes.



2. This book and the workbook were required for a machine shop class I took. The Amazon description is pretty accurate. It is written for someone in a vocational training program who will be working in the industry rather than a home workshop. The book covers a lot of material, but doesn't go into depth on any of it. Its a pretty good introductory book, but its kind of expensive. I wouldn't have bought it if it wasn't required for the class. If you are just interested in learning to operate a certain machine, like a mill or lathe, or if you are interested in machining as a hobby I think there are probably better books. I am giving it 3 stars because of the high price, and many of the photos are not high enough quality, especially considering the price.

5 comments about The Easy Guide to Solar Electric Part II, I Manual.

1. I found this book at the public library in my search for a good guide to solar electric systems. I found a small amount of the information useful but, most was a waste of my time. The writer does not explain ideas in a very coherent manner. He uses a great deal of book space attempting to be funny and expressing his political views. If you are interested in a good solar electric book this is not it. I am still looking.



2. Pieper has a lot of practical knowledge but some things he writes are plain wrong. On page 17 he writes: "The frequency of the sine wave is measured as Hz per second" (should be cycles per second which is Hz). On page 18 he says: "the sine wave [is] 220 volts between two peaks" (should be 311 v; 220 is the RMS voltage). On page 23 he says: "amp hours [are] also refered to as amps per hour or amp/hours" (not true). In page 27 he writes: "At some point, the resistance gets so high that it creates heat inside the conductor" (there is always resistance and heat, the problem is the temperature rises too high). He also is convinced the minerals in petroleum jelly help conductivity on the battery terminals (pp. 123&159) and says "search current" when he means "surge current" (pp. 120&125). Whole pages are such confusing technical nonsense that it is impossible to to give a short account. He self published - he should have had a technically competent person help him with theory and a good how-to book editor help with the practical stuff. I'm sure he is a very competent electrician and there is some good practical information in the book, but it is nowhere near as advertised.



3. This book is great. It covers the bases and gives the information one needs. It's a core book for this subject.



4. For me, this book was terribly bad; not worth the buy. It might appeal to a different crowd.



5. Having just recently moved into a solar house I've been trying to broaden my education on solar electricity. Both of Mr. Pieper's books, part one and two have been very educational for me. Very easy to read and understand without previous technical knowledge!

4 comments about Industrial Refrigeration Handbook.

1. simple,in depth, informativ



2. I have covered this book in length-no other book or handbook comes close in terms of simplicity of it's explaination. The latest ASHRAE Refrigeration Handbook is a good reference to have when using this book as there are cross references.Value for money and looking forward to the next book that would be specific on Ammonia Refrigeration Systems design.



3. I enjoyed reading this book as a more intermediate industrial Mechanic, but for that price I expected a book with glossy pictures. I feel the book was over priced for a bunch of pages with drawings. Just a few black and white pics of equipment, and lots of complicated other stuff. The best pic was the cover. To really teach somebody this field you need to be a lot more visual.
   I wouldn't recommend this book to a beginner. It would be a bit frustrating. But for someone who just wants a reference book with lots of useful information I think this book is for you.



4. It's an oldie,but a goodie! It's still useful ,relevant and dependable.For readers who want the kindergarten pictorial paperback,here you will be greatly disappointed. It does have clear schematical drawings and diagrams,in no-nonsense black and white.The formulas and equations are plentiful and helpful.It's just the best handbook on all aspects and applications for workplace industrial refrigeration operations.I have not found another ,in this particular area,that is on par or better than this one.