Review by Jaw:

I got one of these last year because i wanted a strong heater in a small package, small footprint, to use in my bathroom, because the built in heater stopped working. It’s perfect for heating a small room like that. Then i got another one for my bedroom, it’s quiet, strong, and small, it fit into a small space near the bed. Then, i got a third one for the living room. The living room is a large room, and i use the heater like a small fire place, it really pumps out the heat. It’s not going to heat the whole living room, but sitting next to it feels like sitting next to a small fire for warmth, very pleasant, not too hot when close to it, just a nice strong warmth. In the living room, the central heating doesn’t do that well heating the lower part of the room on a cold night, the heat rises and it can be set on a high temperature and still be cold where we sit, so we use these heaters to warm up our space, nice source of heat, very portable, lightweight, sturdy. No complaints, it’s perfect for what i use it for.

Review by Prof:

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R17E85V389HBY2 Here’s my review of the Lasko 754200.

Update: 09 Feb 2009. I have learned to sleep with the fan noise of this space heater. However, I’m a very heavy sleeper.

Update: 26 Feb 2009. I am keeping this Lasko heater in the living room. I have bought another heater for my 8′ x 10′ guest bedroom, the Optimus H-5210 Infrared Quartz Radiant Heater available here on Amazon. The Optimus is virtually silent, and takes a bit longer to heat a room that has a ceiling fan (from 60 degrees, it takes a couple hours to truly heat the room up to 70 degrees), and that’s fine with me.

Update: 08 March 2009. I am very happy with my Optimus in the guest bedroom!

Review by Brittany Barnes:

I received this item only to find that it is only a heater, not a heater and humidifier like is advertised. Be aware of this mistake in the product descriptions if you are thinking of buying this product.

Review by Mike Shumake:

Come on, man! Damn. If I had known it was only a heater and not a humidifier, I’d have chosed one of the other hundreds of gizmos that are only heaters. I got this one specifically because of the humidifier feature. I want my money back!

Review by David Stebbins:

Despite Federal tax credits (up to ,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!

Review by C. Thomas:

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.

Review by L. Wendlick:

This is a great unit and just like it states it is wisper quiet. Easy to read digital temp. Took about 5 min to warm a 63 degree room to 72! Takes up little space, I put mine in the corner and you don’t even know its there. It is also an attractive unit that I don’t mind having in any room of the house. The remote controol is a plus also. I Did not think I needed it, but now that I have it, I love that feature also. There is an easy to use timer on the unit also. That is a nice feature so you don’t forget to turn it off when you go to work etc. I am thinking about ordering another one as this is such a handy unit. With heating costs this winter it is a money saver to use this electric unit to supplement your heat.

Review by Tony:

I bought this heater for my living room. I have central heat and air, but this helps me save money on my heating bill. It’s slightly more expensive than other ceramic heaters, but it has an air purifier and a remote control. None of the cheaper ceramic heaters have those features. You don’t realize how handy the remote control is unless you have owned an electric heater without one. You can make minor adjustments to its thermostat with the remote control. You can adjust the thermostat from 64 to 90 degrees. It has a big, bright LCD display on the front that shows the temperature and other information. Many people seem to prefer those electric oil-filled heaters, but some of them can take forever to heat up a room. This heater produces a lot of heat quickly. It’s rated at 5,200 BTUs. A small air conditioner has a rating of about 10,000 BTUs. It also has the ability to automatically alternate between high and low power when it’s in AUTO mode. It doesn’t always use 1500 watts of electricity because of that. Sometimes it will only use 950 watts if a room is already warm. The Sunpentown SH-1508 is the best electric heater I have ever owned.

Review by M. Holmes:

I travel frequently and, while working on a job, my old travel humidifier kicked the bucket. After much internet searching, I found this nifty little device. First off, it’s MUCH smaller than you think– slightly larger than a large box of 250-ct matches. Insert a water bottle, plug it in & you’re set. Easy to clean & carry with you, the thing I love most about it is that if it runs out of water, it stops on it’s own. It puts out a large amount of cold humid air for it’s stature, but unfortunately it struggled against the incredibly dry air in the Minneapolis hotel room where I was staying. My recommendation would be to run the humidifier all day while you’re gone with the door closed to your room and see if that humidifies the space more effectively.

Review by MH:

I initially purchased this portable humidifier to use at the office. It is extremely dry, and I had been getting dried up bloody noses from the dry heat. I was searching for a filterless humidifier, because I did not want to worry about filters get mildewy and gross, especially from not using it over the weekends and holidays. I also wanted something that would be easy to put away in a cupboard when I left work. I came across this Suppentown portable humidifier and thought it sounded perfect.

It has worked incredibly well so far. As an added bonus, I was easily able to wipe it out, put it in my bag, and take it with me to visit out of town family for the Christmas holidays. They have electric baseboard heating, which is extremely drying. I used to keep a regular humidifier there, but I was the only one who used it, so it needed a new filter every time I used it. This portable one worked perfectly!! A few family members were very interested in it, and my mom is even going to order one after seeing how great it worked.

The only thing I can think of that would make it better is if you could use a larger bottle. 16.9 ounces doesn’t last very long if you have it on high (does not last through the night). I am curious to try a 20 oz or 24 oz bottle possibly one day. I have had issues with a couple bottles used so far. I think it is because of the cheap, flimsy plastic used. I have tried an Aquafina bottle and a store brand water bottle. Both could be a little difficult getting the adapter on properly. I did find a bottle that works perfectly and seems to be much sturdier (it is 17 oz., so close enough to the 16.9 limit). It is Talking Rain Sparkling Ice flavored water. I will keep a couple of those on hand at the office, home, and my parents’ house.

I highly recommend this humidifier for office use, traveling, or small rooms. I’m not sure it would be the right thing for constant use at a house because of the water limitation. GREAT PRODUCT!!!

Review by A. Foxter:

This is my first Amazon review, but I feel compelled to share this experience with others.

This book as said to be for the professional and the novice. It was said to contain all the information one could possibly need. It was suggested that you could take what you want from the weighty tome, and leave the rest. In reality the book is clearly NOT written for a new pool owner. In fact, its not written for an experience pool owner. The book was written for a pool repairman. Moreover, it does not contain the practicle information a pool professoinal would require to steer clients toward pool products.

Which cleaner should you get- Vacume or pressure driven? No answer here. What about a heating- Solar, oil, gas? No advice, no direction….

In fact, the book reads more like the diary of a pool man. About how one manufacurer was driven out of business by refusing to compromise quality, or how he cared for the pool of come Malibu celebrity.

Having recently purchased a home with an in-ground pool, I have read three books so far, and gotten quite and education. This book however failed in almost every regard. Finnally, the book deliniates ways of making money of customers as a pool professional. Information I simply have no use for.

Lastly, it bears mentioning that there is a quote on the book jacket from another Amazon reviewer “If you want to buy one book on swimming pools this is it!” Why not a quote from a noted pool authority or publication? Why quote some anonymous amzazon.com user like you or me? Most likely because there were no favorable reviews from newspapers or magazines.

This book was more then a waste of 30 dollars. It was also a waste of time. Unless you need to know how to change things like light fixtures in to pool. The book is not awful, so I gave it 2 stars, but I urge you to look elsewhere.

Review by Kurt D. Fenstermacher:

In Arizona, pool care is a common teenage chore, just like snow shoveling in more northerly areas, so I’d had some pool experience when I moved into a house of my own. (Thanks, Dad.) This book will tell you everything there is to know about pool care. Other homeowners have complained that there’s too much information, but I think the information is presented in such a way that you can skip the gory details. The author mentions that the chapter on water chemistry is optional, for example, but if you want details, they’re there.After we moved in, we had some out-of-town friends stay with us, and being from Chicago, they were curious about owning a pool. They were even more surprised when I could answer every question, from the workings of pool filters to pool chemistry — I told them it was all in the book.This book is about maintenance as well, and not just the theory of it. With this book on top of the pool heater (don’t worry, the heater was off), I stripped my DE filter all the way down to the piping and cleaned it from top to bottom. If you want to know about pools, this is the book. You also get a different perspective on movie and sports stars — you see them form their pools, as with the description of John McEnroe’s pool filter. While not exactly cocktail party chatter, it does liven up the presentation.