Good job!!!I am in the process of building something similar. I have been stuck on the bearing part for awhile,, but thanks to you I have a great bearing plan now!! Thank you sir!!!!
I am figuring this out now. I don't have the data yet but am putting a hall effect sensor on the turbine to measure the average rpm, and just bought a usb connected weather station to cross correlate wind speed, electrical output and rpm. The rpm of the motor needs to be about 300 rpm to get 14 Volts.
The airspace between the barrels is part of the Savonius design and helps efficiency. A tower is on my list of things to do. I am designing a tower which will allow the turbine to be raised and lowered with a pulley.
Here's another idea; cut slits from top to bottom all around the barrel, heat the plastic and bend the strips to creat vertical fins all around the barrel. center the axis, and see if you can make a Maglev wind turbine.Just a thought.
The bearings are exposed, and will not last in dusty conditions. grease for the bearings, and a simple foam rubber seal, might have dramatic increase in bearing life.
Have you tried blocking the center where the two halves intersect? I believe that doing so will get you better outputs because if it is open it essentially allows wind to go completely through and be counter productive by causing inertia to fights.. So blocking it should give you more torque.
Part of the reason I like the 3" is because the large plastic pipe fittings also support the barrels so I don't need metal struts to support the barrels. 2" would be lighter and faster however. I may try sharpening the edges after I have my sensors on the turbine so I can measure if it has any effect. I think it would be a marginal improvement if any.
I was actually a lil skeptical at first...I didn't know where you were going with this crazy contraption! But I actually worked! Frikkin sweet! A lil noisy though, but better than hearing the sound of my screams every time I see my electric bill! Ha ha ha ha!!
Get some NSK spherical roller bearings. Really any sealed bearing would work but spherical's can take anything and they are solid. @landslave I doubt they used stainless steel and it's completely open so yes. (they will get loud)
I really like your design. Right now, the wind is blowing lumber around my yard--I live in a mountain pass at about 6800 ft. elevation. I'm afraid that a regular tower might get blown apart. Do you think your design would stand high winds (like 60mph+ gusts). Do you think your design would work with a pulley&belt system or a bicycle hub. I don't have a CNC cutter. Thanks for sharing the work you've put into this.
Check out part 2 for the electrical generation method. I am making a unit with sealed bearings now and it will be running in late August when I return.
You need to raise the barrels up higher and redesign the barrels out wider. The way you have it at the moment, it will not spin a generator. Your best wind is 50' to 75' up above the surface of the ground and higher. The span should be at least 5' from center. You have a wrong formula for a wind generator. But if you paint a rainbow on it , it will be a very nice lawn ornament.
also one more question is the reason that you use the wooden blocks because you couldnt find closet flanges which has holes which line up with the lazy susans?
Id add that if you used closed berrings...it would be quiet and last longer than the lazy susans...use bushings to get down to the size you need a grease them up good...love the design otherwise and Im reccomending it to a friend...thanks...
sir this things can be really noisy, & the neighbours wont like that, is there any other way u can recomment me/us to make one, Sir i am trying hard to find the best alternative energy for our homes if u can help thanx
how effective is this :)? compare to normal half moon water pipe turbines ? and should nt it be more effektvie to install the barrels more widely for more wind capturing the barrels?
Yes, but then I would need two generators or a chain or belt to link the two together. I may do this at some point but now I am building a taller turbine that utilizes 6 barrels.
Now if you attach a bicycle wheel on the top of the barrels and then mount one of those old bicycle generators that press against the side wall of the tire, you might be able to light up a six volt flashlight bulb. That's if you got a good wind blowing. But if you use LED lights instead of incandescent ,you could more than quadruple your light output. That's not enough power for me to trade off the sound of a freight train on my deck all night long. I would put the 300 bucks towards a nice 130Volt 1.5Kw horizontal turbine with a MPPT charge controller.Put the turbine on a 30 ft pole 150 ft from the house because you have the perfect location for it and you'll never hear it. I'm not fussy about anything weighing 250 lbs spinning where people and children and pets are walking around.That's an accident waiting to happen.
Guys, if you check GREENPOWERSCIENCE on youtube, he has done some work with magnetic bearings albeit with some mechanical constrains (allthread). I think this is possible to do even if it isn't perfectly stable in equilibrium (Earnshaw's Theorem) as we only care about what is happening when the device is rotating. Also, lets be nice to each other here.
Let's calculate how much energy this might produce. Assume it is .86 m x .86 meter. If the wind is 20 mph (8.9 m/s) and a 30% VAT efficiency=1/2EpAV^3=1/2 x .3 x 1.22 (.86 x .86) x 1.22 x 8.9^3 = 95 watts at most.
What is VAT efficiency? I am setting up an arduino to measure current and voltage so will soon be able to record the power generated and correlate with an anemometer.
VAT efficiency is simply the efficiency of a "Vertical Axis Turbine" (VAT) to turn the kinetic energy of the wind into electrical energy. The power ouptut will be proportional to the square of the velocity of the fluid..in this case air. In the case of Turbine the re. (a VAT) the efficiencies are very poor since the blade has to "fight its way upstream" when coming around. 30% is generous. The 55 gallon drum design is probably much less.
No, I really like the idea. It is good, I've been thinking of something similar now that I'm on he coast and have a constant breeze just to power the lights. 👌
Wow! Those ball bearings were a serious co-efficiency to the overall design and purpose. It was self evident from the video, but I'm glad you got rid of 'em. The name of the game, especially in smaller wind turbines, is having the least amount of overall drag and friction possible.
As a former USCG aircraft machinest mate , I think I,m gonna have ta do this but I,ll use tru bearin races and bearings rated for high spead w synthoil feed and stainless steel pipe for the shaft as well as some outher mods. Overall its a great idea and I gotta give the guy a salute for good ol, american inovation. We need more people like him to ween us from corperate oil dependacy ! Lets do it America and the Wourld ! Imagination can set you FREE ! No more oil dependance !
You can also leave the rain barrel whole and cut vertical slits in the barrels and then use 2x4's to pop the edge out and then heat the plastic with a heat gun, leaving the 2x4's in place until the plastic cools down. Do this all around the rain barrel the same direction so that it makes blades. Then you can mount the barrel through the center. This will be more balanced and have less moment/torque, but will work great for things like pumping water.
Just a thot from us all.... don't believe those ' lazy-susans' are going to last long...let alone the noise they put out. that weather will chew those bearings up. Not designed for what you intended my friend. For, as long as, they'll last, you might try spraying some teflon or some equivalent type of lubricant to keep the bearings quieter an operational for as long as, their going to last. The PVC components may last a bit longer. Watch for high winds & see how it performs then. (?) Keep on try'n.
I bags the bedroom furthest away from these mothers, Lasy-Susans are not for continuous spinning use, there just a very cheep way to help rotate a heavy load, i used some cone hub bearings, this also will allow the shaft to go through and connect to the motor. I salvaged the hubs from front end of a car £20 and you can even make use of the disc-brake & caliper that is fixed to the hub as a brake.
Too many times I have thought of doing something of the sorts and everything else seems to be a greater priority. Your having actually gone out and done this is an inspiration to be should be an inspiration to all. No matter how simple an invention maybe if it gets built and impacts even one life, it is still greater than an unrealized invention no matter how fantastic...
I would be leery of a lazy susan lasting for the extended usage of that application. The loads are okay, but extended usage at 20+ RPM could become a problem. How well did they last? And if you changed them to another type of bearing, what kind?
The PVC barrels each weight 22 lbs so the entire system is around 50 lbs. Is that heavy? I have seen Savonius systems with steel barrels which way more than twice the weight of the PVC barrels. Also, one of my design goals was to use as much recycled material as possible in the turbine. I am certainly open to new ideas but also want to keep this design fairly inexpensive. I am making a pipe-tower to raise this up 20 feet also to generate more power.
Or the scotch tape store at the mall (SNL). Actually google Bronstein Container (the place I get all my barrels) and you will see a huge, growing company which deals only in barrels and barrel handling equipment. They have new and recycled barrels (plastic and steel) up to 1000 gallon tanks.
Are you talking about putting insulation on the inside of the drums? If so what form of insulation? I think that with the new bearings I am using it will be nearly silent anyways.
How would you measure torque. I'm not sure how much torque it generates. Savonius turbines in general produce a lot of torque and were originally used to run pumps.
It's not too noisy and the deck its attached to is over-engineered. I am building a small tower to be able raise it up a bit and hold more than one turbine.
Its a little loud but I don't mind it. I am charging a large 12v marine battery now and running 12v lighting and a 12v LCD TV. Thanks for your comment.
It's a Savonius Rotor. You can make one with three 55 gal. drums. Cut off the tops and bottoms (circles), then you have 3 tubes. Cut the tubes downward 180 degrees apart and you have 3 sets of U-shaped wind "buckets." Select a strong pipe for an axle. Cut circles the diameter of the axle out of the tops and bottoms.With the tops and bottoms sandwiched between, weld the U shapes to the axle 120 degrees apart to create S shapes. Sounds confusing right?. Look up Savonius Rotor. Anyway, it's cheap but you have to be able to cut and weld. New idea? No, I saw it first in the "Mother Earth News" in the "70,s. Anyway, it's not very efficient in a light breeze. No DIY 'er has the ability to create a proper rotor that is. Yes it will spin but unless you live on the side of a mountain it will bog down quickly under a load.
@pinkyzoey i love all the comments from people who probably couldnt make this if they were inside a Home Cheapo with a set of blueprints and unlimited money. I think this is great idea and it is a great post for people to use and elaborate on if they choose to, good work.
i think it does, but the drag still adds up... will it work better if the barrel halves overlap less, therefore catching more wind? it probably will result in more force but will only be noticable in stronger winds...
what is your average rpms on your wind genarator.? what is the rpms needed to get 12.5 volt min from your alternator? this will deternine your gear ratio for your gear teeth
i notice the negative comment from goose. this isnt the first time i have seen comments like this. i wonder if ppl are getting paid from the energy companies to come on here and spout negative comments. wouldnt it just be easier to move on. then to try to slam someones time and effort in this or any videos. maybe even have constructive comments that could assist this guy in producing something better. just saying.
would it be possible to make or design a window mounted mini or micro wind turbine unit. have the wind turbine producing a small amount of heat to help keep your house warmer in the winter. maybe have the wind turbine connected directly to a heat dump load. people that live in cold climates would most likely buy a lot of them. people buy air conditoners to keep cool this would be a green easy way for people to help heat homes. if anyone can make something like this please mail me
i'm not a sceptic . i love this kind of stuff . in fact im working on a portable noiseless/fuelless generator with solar . everything i've done has been small scale mostly to power mt travel trailer off grid . my question is how feasable would it be to run a small shop with something like this ? obviously you'd need a battery array w/an inverter . would you be able to trust a regular dc inverter to do the task ? maybe a number of them ?
HEy!! this is an amazing idea by using big plastic drums as wind turbines. i have been wundern what to do with the endless supply of my barrels lol. a freind and i made one today out of one barel that sits sideways and mounts between two trees to provide power to our homemade cabin in the woods and is powered by a semi alternator and 4 car batteries:) and one question...where did you get the lazy susan bearings and PVC fittings//
Thanks. Mine has survived winds of over 50 mph and snow/ice/rain without problems. I have spoken to someone who has used bicycle hubs with chains for 25 years (with HAWTS) and swears by them, so I think that would be a viable way to go. Please let us know how your system goes and please post a video response.
rust noise and where is the load? no load = easy to spin in low wind. with a load and then when them bearings get rusty you will have a challenge. HOWEVER a nice way to recycle the drums. :) id like to c this with a load and using sealed bearings. they will be quiet and stand up to the weather and not rust.
I think its a great video. But it had to eat it's self within hours or days. With that bearing setup and the lack of some sort of oil injection system to maintain bearing lubrication, plus the fact its a Lazy Susan meant to be spun slowly and in-frequently with just low loading, it would destroy itself.
Good job!!!I am in the process of building something similar. I have been stuck on the bearing part for awhile,, but thanks to you I have a great bearing plan now!! Thank you sir!!!!
There is so much power in the wind! Great work...thanks for sharing!
I am figuring this out now. I don't have the data yet but am putting a hall effect sensor on the turbine to measure the average rpm, and just bought a usb connected weather station to cross correlate wind speed, electrical output and rpm. The rpm of the motor needs to be about 300 rpm to get 14 Volts.
The airspace between the barrels is part of the Savonius design and helps efficiency. A tower is on my list of things to do. I am designing a tower which will allow the turbine to be raised and lowered with a pulley.
without load it works great but when you connect generator its other story,but its a great idea,great job man
Thanks for posting this video that should inspire more to try this way to save on energy costs!
what a simple, elegant design. Great video!
Here's another idea; cut slits from top to bottom all around the barrel, heat the plastic and bend the strips to creat vertical fins all around the barrel. center the axis, and see if you can make a Maglev wind turbine.Just a thought.
It works fine in large winds and does not shake the deck at this point (I don't have a generator on it yet).
The bearings are exposed, and will not last in dusty conditions. grease for the bearings, and a simple foam rubber seal, might have dramatic increase in bearing life.
gamesbok the seal will also cut some noise.
love everything about it except the bearings now all you have to do is a upgrade the bearings and attach your generator to it keep up the good work
Have you tried blocking the center where the two halves intersect? I believe that doing so will get you better outputs because if it is open it essentially allows wind to go completely through and be counter productive by causing inertia to fights.. So blocking it should give you more torque.
Part of the reason I like the 3" is because the large plastic pipe fittings also support the barrels so I don't need metal struts to support the barrels. 2" would be lighter and faster however. I may try sharpening the edges after I have my sensors on the turbine so I can measure if it has any effect. I think it would be a marginal improvement if any.
I was actually a lil skeptical at first...I didn't know where you were going with this crazy contraption! But I actually worked! Frikkin sweet! A lil noisy though, but better than hearing the sound of my screams every time I see my electric bill! Ha ha ha ha!!
@norvman I agree, I live in the high desert of SoCal...We get lots of hot dry wind mixed with sand...not a good combo for open bearing sytems.
Truely a thing of beauty!
Get some NSK spherical roller bearings. Really any sealed bearing would work but spherical's can take anything and they are solid.
@landslave I doubt they used stainless steel and it's completely open so yes. (they will get loud)
I really like your design. Right now, the wind is blowing lumber around my yard--I live in a mountain pass at about 6800 ft. elevation. I'm afraid that a regular tower might get blown apart. Do you think your design would stand high winds (like 60mph+ gusts).
Do you think your design would work with a pulley&belt system or a bicycle hub. I don't have a CNC cutter. Thanks for sharing the work you've put into this.
Check out part 2 for the electrical generation method. I am making a unit with sealed bearings now and it will be running in late August when I return.
WHICH Is more efficient or produces more or total energy in 24 hours? Vertical or Horizontal Wind Configuration????
I love this design! So which one??
Horizontal is more efficient but also less survivable in gale force winds.
You need to raise the barrels up higher and redesign the barrels out wider. The way you have it at the moment, it will not spin a generator. Your best wind is 50' to 75' up above the surface of the ground and higher. The span should be at least 5' from center. You have a wrong formula for a wind generator. But if you paint a rainbow on it , it will be a very nice lawn ornament.
also one more question
is the reason that you use the wooden blocks because you couldnt find closet flanges which has holes which line up with the lazy susans?
great ! and what does it do ? instead of being loud :/
Enough to charge a 12v battery bank right now. I am going to try to get more power soon by using several units together.
cool recycling idea
@howardstern5 No, thats a rotozip and uses a small endmill that looks like a drill bit.
Id add that if you used closed berrings...it would be quiet and last longer than the lazy susans...use bushings to get down to the size you need a grease them up good...love the design otherwise and Im reccomending it to a friend...thanks...
good idea but, what about the energy produced?
how could you transform the cinetic wind energy to electrical energy....
sir this things can be really noisy, & the neighbours wont like that, is there any other way u can recomment me/us to make one, Sir i am trying hard to find the best alternative energy for our homes if u can help thanx
This is great. How do you connect, so it will power something? Thankyou.
Cool video. It's a neat recycling idea. Will the PVC hold up in a heavy wind?
could this be made out of 5 gallon buckets ? thanks in advance .
Build a magnetic bearing for this compressing 2 sets of north to north magnets together. That is all ;)
Yes, click on the link at the end of the video and it should take you to part two where we generate electricity.
Will the ball bearings rust???
how effective is this :)? compare to normal half moon water pipe turbines ? and should nt it be more effektvie to install the barrels more widely for more wind capturing the barrels?
Good point Greg i like the tech i will buy one vs Jerry rig one
Respectively
Ron
That seems to be the trend
keep up the good work
peace :)
Yes, but then I would need two generators or a chain or belt to link the two together. I may do this at some point but now I am building a taller turbine that utilizes 6 barrels.
Have you tried magnetic levitation using opposing polarity magnets?
Now if you attach a bicycle wheel on the top of the barrels and then mount one of those old bicycle generators that press against the side wall of the tire, you might be able to light up a six volt flashlight bulb. That's if you got a good wind blowing. But if you use LED lights instead of incandescent ,you could more than quadruple your light output. That's not enough power for me to trade off the sound of a freight train on my deck all night long. I would put the 300 bucks towards a nice 130Volt 1.5Kw horizontal turbine with a MPPT charge controller.Put the turbine on a 30 ft pole 150 ft from the house because you have the perfect location for it and you'll never hear it. I'm not fussy about anything weighing 250 lbs spinning where people and children and pets are walking around.That's an accident waiting to happen.
Did you lubricate the ball bearings on this
Yes, but just changed them out.
looks good but maybe too noisy for close to a house application.
Thanks for your comment.
I said Sawzall(which is a Milwaukee type of reciprocating saw).
I tried a belt and pulleys and had problems fabricating the pulleys in the size I needed.
they add a nice feature to the deck i thought, albeit colour change would be nice.
Guys, if you check GREENPOWERSCIENCE on youtube, he has done some work with magnetic bearings albeit with some mechanical constrains (allthread). I think this is possible to do even if it isn't perfectly stable in equilibrium (Earnshaw's Theorem) as we only care about what is happening when the device is rotating. Also, lets be nice to each other here.
fantastic sports fans! i love it!
@zephan12 Yep, I am using a Kodak still camera to make these videos. It doesn't have an external microphone jack.
How much did those bearings cost?
this is most interesting thing
Wind trubine 2015:
ruclips.net/video/Wys41ESJEIA/видео.html
they sounded nearly dry didnt they. he needs sealed bearings
Let's calculate how much energy this might produce. Assume it is .86 m x .86 meter. If the wind is 20 mph (8.9 m/s) and a 30% VAT efficiency=1/2EpAV^3=1/2 x .3 x 1.22 (.86 x .86) x 1.22 x 8.9^3 = 95 watts at most.
What is VAT efficiency? I am setting up an arduino to measure current and voltage so will soon be able to record the power generated and correlate with an anemometer.
VAT efficiency is simply the efficiency of a "Vertical Axis Turbine" (VAT) to turn the kinetic energy of the wind into electrical energy. The power ouptut will be proportional to the square of the velocity of the fluid..in this case air. In the case of Turbine the re. (a VAT) the efficiencies are very poor since the blade has to "fight its way upstream" when coming around. 30% is generous. The 55 gallon drum design is probably much less.
OK
Check out my other videos where I use magnetic levitation. (using neodymium magnets)
And it can generate 5 watt at 12 volts.
@antwasere See part 2 for electricity.
Wind powered noise machine! Brilliant!
Thanks. lol
No, I really like the idea.
It is good, I've been thinking of something similar now that I'm on he coast and have a constant breeze just to power the lights.
👌
Wow! Those ball bearings were a serious co-efficiency to the overall design and purpose. It was self evident from the video, but I'm glad you got rid of 'em. The name of the game, especially in smaller wind turbines, is having the least amount of overall drag and friction possible.
As a former USCG aircraft machinest mate , I think I,m gonna have ta do this but I,ll use tru bearin races and bearings rated for high spead w synthoil feed and stainless steel pipe for the shaft as well as some outher mods. Overall its a great idea and I gotta give the guy a salute for good ol, american inovation. We need more people like him to ween us from corperate oil dependacy ! Lets do it America and the Wourld ! Imagination can set you FREE ! No more oil dependance !
HERMOSO ENERGIA GRATIS SUUPER
You can also leave the rain barrel whole and cut vertical slits in the barrels and then use 2x4's to pop the edge out and then heat the plastic with a heat gun, leaving the 2x4's in place until the plastic cools down. Do this all around the rain barrel the same direction so that it makes blades. Then you can mount the barrel through the center. This will be more balanced and have less moment/torque, but will work great for things like pumping water.
Thanks for your input.
Just a thot from us all.... don't believe those ' lazy-susans' are going to last long...let alone the noise they put out.
that weather will chew those bearings up. Not designed for what you intended my friend. For, as long as, they'll
last, you might try spraying some teflon or some equivalent type of lubricant to keep the bearings quieter an operational
for as long as, their going to last. The PVC components may last a bit longer. Watch for high winds & see how it performs
then. (?) Keep on try'n.
Greg
I bags the bedroom furthest away from these mothers, Lasy-Susans are not for continuous spinning use, there just a very cheep way to help rotate a heavy load, i used some cone hub bearings, this also will allow the shaft to go through and connect to the motor. I salvaged the hubs from front end of a car £20 and you can even make use of the disc-brake & caliper that is fixed to the hub as a brake.
Too many times I have thought of doing something of the sorts and everything else seems to be a greater priority. Your having actually gone out and done this is an inspiration to be should be an inspiration to all. No matter how simple an invention maybe if it gets built and impacts even one life, it is still greater than an unrealized invention no matter how fantastic...
I would be leery of a lazy susan lasting for the extended usage of that application. The loads are okay, but extended usage at 20+ RPM could become a problem.
How well did they last? And if you changed them to another type of bearing, what kind?
The PVC barrels each weight 22 lbs so the entire system is around 50 lbs. Is that heavy? I have seen Savonius systems with steel barrels which way more than twice the weight of the PVC barrels. Also, one of my design goals was to use as much recycled material as possible in the turbine. I am certainly open to new ideas but also want to keep this design fairly inexpensive. I am making a pipe-tower to raise this up 20 feet also to generate more power.
Or the scotch tape store at the mall (SNL). Actually google Bronstein Container (the place I get all my barrels) and you will see a huge, growing company which deals only in barrels and barrel handling equipment. They have new and recycled barrels (plastic and steel) up to 1000 gallon tanks.
Are you talking about putting insulation on the inside of the drums? If so what form of insulation? I think that with the new bearings I am using it will be nearly silent anyways.
How would you measure torque. I'm not sure how much torque it generates. Savonius turbines in general produce a lot of torque and were originally used to run pumps.
It's not too noisy and the deck its attached to is over-engineered. I am building a small tower to be able raise it up a bit and hold more than one turbine.
if it was me i would grease them bearings so they don't make any noise as possible , i think i might give this a try but will use 5 gal buckets first
You would probably want to use flange bearings. The lazy susan bearings are not designed to work on their sides like you would need for a water wheel.
Its a little loud but I don't mind it. I am charging a large 12v marine battery now and running 12v lighting and a 12v LCD TV. Thanks for your comment.
Any Home Depot or Lowes. Less than $80. Mine is a black and decker firestorm which is a copy of the original Milwaukee Sawzall Reciprocating Saw.
nice recycling use of plastic drums. be careful that many of these type drums are used to store very dangerous chemicals of all kinds, acid, etc.
No because it would either make it heavier or block the wind. I am working on a much quieter version of this now which uses sealed bearings.
I'm guessing that it didn't take you long to learn why they put brakes on wind mills.
When that thing gets going and it's blowing a whoolie outside, it's gonna rumble the house down... Else it's gonna sound like it!
It's a Savonius Rotor. You can make one with three 55 gal. drums. Cut off the tops and bottoms (circles), then you have 3 tubes. Cut the tubes downward 180 degrees apart and you have 3 sets of U-shaped wind "buckets." Select a strong pipe for an axle. Cut circles the diameter of the axle out of the tops and bottoms.With the tops and bottoms sandwiched between, weld the U shapes to the axle 120 degrees apart to create S shapes. Sounds confusing right?. Look up Savonius Rotor. Anyway, it's cheap but you have to be able to cut and weld. New idea? No, I saw it first in the "Mother Earth News" in the "70,s. Anyway, it's not very efficient in a light breeze. No DIY 'er has the ability to create a proper rotor that is. Yes it will spin but unless you live on the side of a mountain it will bog down quickly under a load.
Dutch2236 well said... thanks for your comment... I’m sure it will help many folks new to this effort....
Thats a good idea. I'm not sure how to do it but it would eliminate the expensive battery and generator if it worked.
I am moving to different bearing types. Check out my magnetic levitation video to see where we are headed.
@pinkyzoey i love all the comments from people who probably couldnt make this if they were inside a Home Cheapo with a set of blueprints and unlimited money. I think this is great idea and it is a great post for people to use and elaborate on if they choose to, good work.
i think it does, but the drag still adds up...
will it work better if the barrel halves overlap less, therefore catching more wind? it probably will result in more force but will only be noticable in stronger winds...
Cage is a good idea. Axle has already withstood gale force winds in excess of 70mph without any problems.
It is fairly quiet unless we have 30 knot winds and then it gets quite loud with the lazy susan bearings.
@tinidor2008 I'm not sure about that but you may be right. It will also be harder to start up though.
what is your average rpms on your wind genarator.?
what is the rpms needed to get 12.5 volt min from your alternator? this will deternine your gear ratio for your gear teeth
It would probably go faster if you used better bearings. It's not a wind turbine if it doesn't generate electricity, it's just a lawn ornament.
i notice the negative comment from goose. this isnt the first time i have seen comments like this. i wonder if ppl are getting paid from the energy companies to come on here and spout negative comments. wouldnt it just be easier to move on. then to try to slam someones time and effort in this or any videos. maybe even have constructive comments that could assist this guy in producing something better.
just saying.
would it be possible to make or design a window mounted mini or micro wind turbine unit. have the wind turbine producing a small amount of heat to help keep your house warmer in the winter. maybe have the wind turbine connected directly to a heat dump load. people that live in cold climates would most likely buy a lot of them. people buy air conditoners to keep cool this would be a green easy way for people to help heat homes. if anyone can make something like this please mail me
i'm not a sceptic . i love this kind of stuff . in fact im working on a portable noiseless/fuelless generator with solar . everything i've done has been small scale mostly to power mt travel trailer off grid . my question is how feasable would it be to run a small shop with something like this ? obviously you'd need a battery array w/an inverter . would you be able to trust a regular dc inverter to do the task ? maybe a number of them ?
HEy!! this is an amazing idea by using big plastic drums as wind turbines. i have been wundern what to do with the endless supply of my barrels lol. a freind and i made one today out of one barel that sits sideways and mounts between two trees to provide power to our homemade cabin in the woods and is powered by a semi alternator and 4 car batteries:) and one question...where did you get the lazy susan bearings and PVC fittings//
If you keep the bearings lubricated, years. System has been running for over a year now.
Hi i use a lazy suzan as a swivvle for my wind turbine the noise is the balls going around but i only us them for the swivvle! good luck
Thanks. Mine has survived winds of over 50 mph and snow/ice/rain without problems. I have spoken to someone who has used bicycle hubs with chains for 25 years (with HAWTS) and swears by them, so I think that would be a viable way to go. Please let us know how your system goes and please post a video response.
did you see part two? I am now generating electricity with this and soon will be releasing part 3 (improved power output).
rust noise and where is the load? no load = easy to spin in low wind. with a load and then when them bearings get rusty you will have a challenge.
HOWEVER a nice way to recycle the drums. :)
id like to c this with a load and using sealed bearings. they will be quiet and stand up to the weather and not rust.
I think its a great video. But it had to eat it's self within hours or days. With that bearing setup and the lack of some sort of oil injection system to maintain bearing lubrication, plus the fact its a Lazy Susan meant to be spun slowly and in-frequently with just low loading, it would destroy itself.