Just a few words, because people are so concerned about this: 1.) Yes you can turn SOME worm-gears in reverse (It depends on how much reduction the worm gear has) 2. I said very clearly in the video that I only connected it to the wheel for the first test. The efficiency o the gear motor is horrible, no question about it. If it weren't for the fact that I made this video of the project, I would have done the first test with NO GENERATOR installed at all and would later return once I had the time tobuild a proper reduction and fit a good generator to it. Nut If I had installed no generator, even more people would have complained! But this project is just too big to get everything right in the narrow timeframe that a frantic place like youtube allows me ( five weeks = eternity). So let's just look forward to a follow-up video where we can test various generators with dummy loads, measurements and all that.
How can one enjoy these great videos whilst complaining to you is puzzling. Also building a prototype before a more useful or permanent solution is quite common in engineering. I'd say keep up the good work!
When you can build an entire generator in just 20 minutes, surely the follow up video will be ready by tomorrow, won’t it? 😉 I’m amazed by how you’ve built this generator literally from scrap! I’m looking forward to the follow up video, even if it would take you more than one day. 🤣 Happy holidays!
You couldn't find a better spot to run that generator. It performed just as you planned too, that was satisfying. This is one of your best series, it fits your channel perfectly.
I was looking at your test and saw a lot of water being flung off of the wheel which means energy is going into that water to fling it instead of into the generator. I was wondering if a hydrophobic coating could be applied to the wheel to make the water refuse to stick to the wheel and therefore get flung off. If the wheel comes just a little short of producing the power you need then adding such a coating might be what it takes to get a little more power out of it, but if it provides enough power then it's not worth bothering with it for power that's not needed.
Nice job building the hydro generator. That was a perfect spot you found for testing too. If that were my property, I would see if it was possible to use that waterfall to run a generator permanently, like was done in the past. Even if it only put out a small amount of electricity, it would help around the property.
Absolutely. I'm really interested in seeing how much power it can actually produce. You could definitely get more in this spot out of a purpose-built design, but that's basically free continuous power assuming supply doesn't dry up or lower too much. It's hard to say but that spot might be able to produce around 100W maybe? Check out another recent RUclipsr waterwheel generator too, from Kris Harbour (1.5kW design - note: this is part 3, if you're really interested in seeing the whole build, there are two earlier parts): ruclips.net/video/DInwut0DzTQ/видео.html
What you need is one 9f those mini CNC lathe/mills where you do the drawing on reasonably simple to use software and teaching belts it out as fast as you can say 'Cats' Ass Trophy'. They're pricey little numbers but that's going down all the time as more people get into doing such things. Probably worth saving for though if you've got a lot of things you want to make.... Also, if you haven't already, get yourself a cheapo stick welder and teach yourself how to weld with some proficiency. Orrrr, just buy a MIG machine and start sticking things together tomorrow... They're literally like a hot glue gun for metal. You can be proficient after a day and you'll be straight uo and running. Though if you'd like to learn a bit and get an all-round better (self)education of welding, buy the stick machine first. You can get them for €60 and they last ages because its just a big transformer (not a Decepticon though, sadly). Most of all though, whatever you're doing, get stuck in, enjoy yourself and good luck! We all need a bit of that at tines :)
@@Sixta16 cnc for the homeshop/diy is completely unnecessary unless you wanna start production work , i got a cnc router that can cut up to steel but barely use it compared to the conventional mill and lathe i got which can do almost the same stuff and more as the cnc i would say a dro is a must but you can get around without.plus the conventional lathe/mill come with the benefit of a whole lot of new diy projects to make tooling for those machines which gets you more connected to those machines. the cnc aint as easy as john thinks it is plus pricey is a understatement. you need proper cad/3d drawing software and cam software to make the thing work which for old software runs in the hundred's but come with the benefit of a single purchase if you want up to date software that now a days come with subscriptions costing you the same on a yearly bases.
In your October 2021 Repairathon, you were willing to sell me one of those toolboxes you restored prior to the batch you secured from your military connection- For anyone interested in buying one, I have to say they're very well built, and are absolutely worth buying. I use mine all the time!
Another fantastic video Gerolf - I was amazed at the great result from your efforts. Can't wait to see a larger motor attached and the results from it. Sorry to hear you were sick for a while. Stay well brother ! _(I noticed one of your patches on your jacket!)_
"and let there be light!" Your research really worked out well, it will be interesting to see what modifications you include to make your generator produce even more power. I appreciate all the time and effort that you put into these projects for us - thank you.
So good to see your waterwheel project come to fruition. Also, I think a good many of your audience can relate to your wishes for a milling machine, but the majority of us just have to make do with the hand drill, pencil and a lot of patience.
Sorry, I've already left two comments but your video has me somewhat excited. I know you were talking about welding aluminium and ac/dc TIG machines being expensive etc; however, you can buy an aluminium spool gun for a standard MIG machine. Though you need to used pure argon instead of argon/CO² mix. The end result is nothing to look at, but it's a very good way to weld aluminium for €80-100 instead of th3 thousands it takes for the TIG machine. Saying all that, I'm fairly certain you could BUILD an ac/dc TIG inverter if you put your mind to it. Your knowledge of electronics certainly holds you in ample stead for such a task, I'd wager. :)
Been watching Kris Harbour Natural Building for a few years. He has hydro, wind and solar all charging a second hand forklift battery that he can run his workshop on. Kinda cool to see another guy I follow going down the same rabbit hole. 😁
I too was thinking of Kris' recent water wheel as we watched TPAI test his new project 😄 Which in turn made we wish that we could watch the temperatures of the generator. Although at this stage it's not such a concern. @@mickenoss
If instead of paddles that allow the water to go towards the axle (where it imparts less force on the wheel), you made buckets to contain the mass of the water at the perimeter of the wheel it would make more efficient use of the water. Also, overshot wheels are more efficient so that new location would be perfect to modify with a short sluice.
Hi you are a Maker ! Hopefully the People who live in such Places did not forgett to renew the Waterpermission. The old Waterpermissions cannot be denied, if correctly asked for at the Untere Wasserbehörde. But it is not easy to run a Powerplant. I lived in one for 28 Years of my Life. My Father was a Miller. Now the new Ökologik, Energie and Waterstream Laws will make a new small Powerplant nearly impossibel. The Turbine there is a" Fancis- Schachtturbine" You can save this one ! Get it out of the Montage and reconstruct it. So the renewed one will fit perfekt. It is cast iron and brass. Kind regards, Rudi 👍
Hearing you explain that moment when a plan comes together better than you could have possibly imagined. that accompanied joy and happiness gave me goosebumps. Some of the best moments in a tinkerer’s heart.
Dear snipersquad. On the contrary (unfortunately, sigh)! The German government/politicians will hinder you with everything they can to put up new water wheels or even use still existing structures. Best regards, luck and health in particular.
Dear @@insAneTunA 👍👌👏 Yes, that's it! It already looked so familiar to me! 😁 ;-) 2) "Das Kind muss nur einen Namen haben!" The child just has to have a name! Best regards, luck and health in particular.
@snipersquad100 While I agree in the main, even taking into account what others have said, installing a new hydro turbine is by no means a uncostly affair. A property I once owned had two (extremely decayed) waterwheels in their respective pits, side by side. Rebuilding them was an option, though it'd have been extensive and costly work. Just to get them out was in excess of £5k. The materials/work on top (doing the lion's share myself, being only bolts and steel really) came to 10k and reinstallation/balancing/metering equipment with hook up to the grid was ove4 15k and that was the cheaper option. Having two turbines/one large one (can't fully remember what was said because it wasn't allowed anyway being G2 listed) was something ridiculous like £80k for the turbine/s and metering equipment alone. It would have paid for itself within a few years admittedly, but I just couldn't get hold of the cash in time and a developer offered me what was then a ridiculous amount of money for the property. So I sold the lot and I'm still reeling from that decision even though it was my only real option at the time. They offered me the big house for cheap afterwards (they somehow managed to shoehorn 5 properties into that little complex - where I was just using the place to store stuff for one of my little businesses). I declined sadly but they've done wonderful things with the place AND the decaying but lovely waterwheels are still in their place and have been made into a feature of the property. We could've probably rerouted the water and put a turbine in the adjacent shed etc, but I'd have much preferred to rebuild the wheels and sacrifice a bit of power efficiency for the joy of having two working wheels... some things are just not meant to be I suppose. I apologise thoroughly for the rambling nonsense that is this reply. If you made it this far, you're a diamond!
In some countries it is literally a crime to generate your own energy - to protect the power companies of course. My friends built a BIG water wheel only to be told that they would suffer legal consequences if they connected it to the house!
That looked like a tremendous amount of work! Thank goodness it functioned properly when you tested it. I think you inspiring many people with your projects.
Amazing! Also interesting that you're able to drive this wormgear backwards. Normally wormgears are self-locking. It probably gets very hot and has low efficiency.
Not really normally true. Friction angle between the worm and the gear must be larger than the worm’s lead angle for it to be selflocking. Usually, multi-thread worm gears are used for non-self-locking, if I remember right.
@@Sixta16 somewhere around 25 degrees helix angle. choice of starts is more about tooth size/pitch over diameter. to get a fully formed tooth at a certain pitch it cuts past the center line and your cutting a "spring" instead. so same lead and half the pitch gives twice the teeth at the same ratio with shallower cuts, and a stronger shaft/worm. if its still too deep, triple starts, etc,etc. think of a bolt. compare a fine series to a coarse series. the depth of tooth... the minimum diameter of the shaft... just helical/spiral/skew gears taken to an extreme. or not so extreme in some cases... a leadscrew and nut can be likened to an internal worm gear...
We have a nice creek about that size on our small 20 acre farm here in western NC and I've wanted to do something like this for the last 30 years... You've just given me the encouragement I need to give it a go, Thank You!!! 🙂
I don't know if you will see this or not, but you mentioned an AC TIG machine. I got a PrimeWeld TIG225X about a year ago, and absolutely love it. It is an AC/DC TIG/Stick machine with everything but argon and filler metal to make it run. When I got mine, it was less than $1,000 US shipped to my door. It welds wonderfully. I absolutely love it.
Great work, Gerolf! That turbine seems to be working pretty well already, and I can imagine the satisfaction you felt when you watched it generating power in your friend's creek. However, I'm certain you have already thought about making a control system to change the angle of the blades to maximize power.
I love stumbling across videos like this. Your voice kept me transfixed. And great idea and something that should be used in towns and villages as green power. Thanks for sharing I'm now subscribed
It just finally occurred to me that you're a real life NPC from a game like Fallout. That guy who upgrades your weapons and turns scrap into machines. That's quite an accomplishment -- those were always my favorite characters, and you've done such an amazing thing with your channel and creations.
That spot with the channel and the turbine is .... well, dream-material. No matter Your Zuppinger wheel, an Ossberger or Ossberger-inspired wheel or, what I'd try at first, a restoration and re-commissioning of the original setup ... their electrical power needs should easily be met with that waterflow. Thanks for sharing!
You're definitely not the only one interested in building water infrastructure. Any time I see a stream I get the urge to dam it up. Any time I see non-running water I get the urge to create a drainage channel.
at the speed that is turning a number of magnets around the outside edge of the wheel and stationary coils, this removes many moving parts, gears, chains etc.. love it..
AC tig machines are expensive, but you can actually DC tig just fine - you just have to use Helium instead of Argon. Might be worth looking into if you can get a tank of helium locally. Another option is SMAW (stick) - this is the cheapest way to stick a couple pieces of aluminum together one time, but somewhat tricky to actually do.
i love saving everything i can from the trash! people are going to have to get back to the old ways, being more resourceful and not wasting so much, if we are going to find the harmonic niche within the ecosystem to, at very least, cause increase equal in measure to the amount one detracts. anything less is theft, and from our own children, no less. the future generations deserve a world as rich and full as we inherited, but i submit that we can leave behind a world more diverse and abundant than when we were born. thats why i love what you do on this channel, keep up the great work, and may peace and prosperity be found in all your endeavors!
As others have said, this video was a real pleasure to watch. I especially love how you remind people regularly that what takes seconds in the video took hours in real life - something I have to remind myself of regularly when I take a day to make an intricate part. Just a comment on something you mentioned - while I do have an AC TIG and I use it occasionally for aluminium, if I didn't have one I would just get a spool gun for a MIG welder. You might like to consider this as a cheaper alternative? I dont remember whether you have a regular (not gasless) MIG welder but if you do then you're half way there. The spool guns are generally quite expensive but in the UK there is a company called Static Arc which sell budget machines (but actually are quite good) and they have a spool gun for £50. I'm sure you could find one from China or in Germany too? All the best with your future generator development!
I have often thought that a "squirrel cage fan" from an industrial air conditioning unit would make a great water wheel, but since I live in a semi-desert region with absolutely NO streams or rivers, I felt that it would be a rather pointless endeavour! Love watching your efforts, though ! Cheers from rural South Australia.
Just as an interesting aside, I live near Sheffield, the great City Of Steel (I'd highly recommend visiting the Rivelin Valley in Sheffield, when you're next over here in England, as it was one of the most densely watermilled areas in the world, im told. However, (sadly, for me, possibly you too) it is now its a stunning, picturesque ruin). In Sheffield, because waterpower was so abundant and cheap, some mills continued into the 1950s, still using waterwheels rather than turbines!!
One of the problems i see is finding a creek with sufficient depth for the wheel Another idea is to build a compact wheel, or use your previous wheel, but carry a large diameter hose, take one end of the hose higher up the creek, with the other end pointing at the wheel, the wheel doesn't even have to be in the creek, you might need a nozzle too. btw, i spotted a centrifugal fan in the scrap pile, could have saved some time.
Dear sparkyprojects 👍👌👏 2) I spotted at least one defective aluminium ladder. Using old ladder parts makes great frames, rust free, lightweight and nevertheless very sturdy. Best regards, luck and health in particular.
One of the few feasible applications for ceramic bearings. I think you could get some pretty decent sufficiency here to this if you used ceramic bearings
You can increase the efficiency (ie the force exerted on the vane) by adding dividers to the pockets. Water is a fluid and it will go anywhere that is easy. By installing dividers in the waterwheel pockets, you are directing the energy to the vane instead of letting it slouch around.
Yes keep going with the waterwheel projects, hydro produces power 24hrs a day must be the way foward paired with other forms of electrical generation first class work 👌
I simply adore your mentality! Ive been following you for years, and beside the fact taht I enjoy watching your videoes - I ALWAYS learn something new! :) .. Thank you for that! Greetings from Denmark :)
Definitely a good idea to get that BLDC motor into the project eventually, that worm-drive geared motor will be introducing so many losses owing to the resistance from the worm drive being driven backwards that the wheel is probably capable of putting out much more in terms of RPMs and of course power... :)
What a satisfying outcome for a device you know for certain you'll be able to greatly improve! Thanks so much for your videos and your overarching project. 🙂
Well, that worked amazingly.....and you couldn't pick a better location for the test. Agreed, a funnel to get more water to the blades and a better motor(generator) and your friends could have a great source of off grid power.
New Zealands own Marty T here on RUclips has had a generator made from an old washing machine on his property for many years. Powers his house way out in the bush.
Well that's a nice spot for that wheel. And maybe also a permanent location for real use. The water height is not that big but with a buffer battery you should be able to rig together something useful. Thanks for sharing. And have a nice day.
Fantastic first result!! Whenever I look at a moving body of water I think of all the energy we are failing to harness! Love your Lathe, interest that the handle for the cross slide is wound anti-clockwise to feed in?? Here the the UK clock wise feeds in. I have a small Boxford, it’s a fantastic little lathe.
I'm the same after learning about micro hydroelectricity installations, we're conditioned to think of hydroelectricity only on the very large scale and yet there's nearly endless energy to be harvested at small scales.
The idea and build is great, downside being that stainless and aluminum do not mix well and cause galvanic corrosion causing the aluminum to rot away into a powdery dust in wet/ humid conditions
i find the pelton wheel design more suitable, it eliminates the water drag and just uses the impact energy, but needs a funnel to concentrate and speed up the waterflow beforehand
Thank you so much for making these videos with details. I vicariously live through the DIY process as I dream of having a workshop with various tools and these interesting projects you do. I don’t have the space or money at this time to do such things because my wife already complains about my numerous other “hobbies” (including a vast board games collection and assorted electronics instruments such as a fairly non-compact CRT oscilloscope😂) so trying to have an actual workshop at home will indeed be my apocalypse 😅😆
You can always go back and weld the aluminum after you rivet the ass. If the metal doesn't get too dirty. Possibly just wire brush and add a few filler welds to hold the assembly! You could mount magnets to the wheel. And a trio of coils on the top of the wheel possibly 35--50 mm round magnets 3-6mm thick, or 30x50mm bar magnets. Also small bar magnets being 3-6mm and 30-50 mm/long laying on its side, to create a hb array supposed to create a stronger field, or concentrated field on the coil side. I'm hoping to build something similar, but hoping it's atleast twice as wide, and maybe tall. And 3x as wide. I'd love getting 25-500watts from it. Thinking about trying to use 6 microwave transformers, one per phase, boost the power to 500-600vac, at 2amps or less, so 18 gauge wire can be used for the 1000'-2000' it would need to travel, use 3transformers as buck transformer to drop the 500-600v to around 60-90vac. Build a large box outside to safely hold the transformer, running the 70-90vac into the house battery/control room to be rectified, and split into a batt charge control and a water heater dump load, heating the water going into my gas on demand water heater, using a small electric water heater. Likely 10gallon or less. 500v at 1amp is 500watts - losses hopefully the generator will be capable of 2-4amps or 5-6amps or less at times of rain, because there is usually no sun when it rains, it will be difficult to get that much from a under shot wheel of this size, if it was 12'-24' and 6' across yeah I could see2000-3000;watts possibly, Even 200watts 24/7 with solar is very useable,!
@jamest.5001 If you build it, please film it and share it, so we can see your vision come true. It look like a very good proyect! Gerolf, as always, you excibit a great piece of work, thanks for building it and shareing it!!
I know some will frown. But tapping with machine spiral taps and a battery drill with a clutch is great. Less breakage and easier to get square than by hand.
I just moved to a friends property in central/northern British Columbia and there's a creek on the property. Setting up something like this would be great although it's currently -10 and much of the creek is frozen over. Maybe a springtime project ;)
For thin aluminum like that, rivets are superior for longevity. The parts can still flex and move. Welds will crack easily under those conditions. That's why planes are skinned with rivets.
Your axis wasn't that far off for it being antique machine equipment and doing by eye without machine intervention I'd say it was definitely a fantastic proof of concept and look forward to more of seeing how you improve on it later that blower motor at the scrap yard you got some of the materials might also be a good thing for it as well due to the funnel at the entrance and then the opening out the side for expulsion of the water those do have belt drives and mounts already in place
I can totally relate to that. I always like to think that it should be possible to improve the traditional designs with modern materials and production methods, and even change the traditional design to a modern version. The old designs are created based on the available materials and production methods that hey had in those days. But now it is possible to make much more complicated shapes with new materials and production methods. After all F1 cars are still improved with the smallest modifications as well, so why should that not be possible with a water wheel? If people like to see a life size water wheel project I can recommend Kris Harbor Natural Building.
Just a few words, because people are so concerned about this: 1.) Yes you can turn SOME worm-gears in reverse (It depends on how much reduction the worm gear has) 2. I said very clearly in the video that I only connected it to the wheel for the first test. The efficiency o the gear motor is horrible, no question about it. If it weren't for the fact that I made this video of the project, I would have done the first test with NO GENERATOR installed at all and would later return once I had the time tobuild a proper reduction and fit a good generator to it. Nut If I had installed no generator, even more people would have complained!
But this project is just too big to get everything right in the narrow timeframe that a frantic place like youtube allows me ( five weeks = eternity). So let's just look forward to a follow-up video where we can test various generators with dummy loads, measurements and all that.
How can one enjoy these great videos whilst complaining to you is puzzling. Also building a prototype before a more useful or permanent solution is quite common in engineering. I'd say keep up the good work!
When you can build an entire generator in just 20 minutes, surely the follow up video will be ready by tomorrow, won’t it? 😉
I’m amazed by how you’ve built this generator literally from scrap!
I’m looking forward to the follow up video, even if it would take you more than one day. 🤣
Happy holidays!
You couldn't find a better spot to run that generator. It performed just as you planned too, that was satisfying. This is one of your best series, it fits your channel perfectly.
I was looking at your test and saw a lot of water being flung off of the wheel which means energy is going into that water to fling it instead of into the generator. I was wondering if a hydrophobic coating could be applied to the wheel to make the water refuse to stick to the wheel and therefore get flung off. If the wheel comes just a little short of producing the power you need then adding such a coating might be what it takes to get a little more power out of it, but if it provides enough power then it's not worth bothering with it for power that's not needed.
You did an excellent job, and all of us who want to learn look forward to seeing more. Thank you for your efforts
Nice job building the hydro generator. That was a perfect spot you found for testing too. If that were my property, I would see if it was possible to use that waterfall to run a generator permanently, like was done in the past. Even if it only put out a small amount of electricity, it would help around the property.
Absolutely. I'm really interested in seeing how much power it can actually produce. You could definitely get more in this spot out of a purpose-built design, but that's basically free continuous power assuming supply doesn't dry up or lower too much. It's hard to say but that spot might be able to produce around 100W maybe?
Check out another recent RUclipsr waterwheel generator too, from Kris Harbour (1.5kW design - note: this is part 3, if you're really interested in seeing the whole build, there are two earlier parts): ruclips.net/video/DInwut0DzTQ/видео.html
I am so envious of your lathe and skills. It opens up a world of fabricated bespoke parts that, when not available, delay or stop projects. Well done.
What you need is one 9f those mini CNC lathe/mills where you do the drawing on reasonably simple to use software and teaching belts it out as fast as you can say 'Cats' Ass Trophy'. They're pricey little numbers but that's going down all the time as more people get into doing such things. Probably worth saving for though if you've got a lot of things you want to make.... Also, if you haven't already, get yourself a cheapo stick welder and teach yourself how to weld with some proficiency. Orrrr, just buy a MIG machine and start sticking things together tomorrow... They're literally like a hot glue gun for metal. You can be proficient after a day and you'll be straight uo and running. Though if you'd like to learn a bit and get an all-round better (self)education of welding, buy the stick machine first. You can get them for €60 and they last ages because its just a big transformer (not a Decepticon though, sadly). Most of all though, whatever you're doing, get stuck in, enjoy yourself and good luck! We all need a bit of that at tines :)
@@John-yf8qh CNC lathe not needed. CNC router capable of chewing aluminium is a definitive plus for an average diyer.
@@Sixta16 cnc for the homeshop/diy is completely unnecessary unless you wanna start production work , i got a cnc router that can cut up to steel but barely use it compared to the conventional mill and lathe i got which can do almost the same stuff and more as the cnc i would say a dro is a must but you can get around without.plus the conventional lathe/mill come with the benefit of a whole lot of new diy projects to make tooling for those machines which gets you more connected to those machines.
the cnc aint as easy as john thinks it is plus pricey is a understatement. you need proper cad/3d drawing software and cam software to make the thing work which for old software runs in the hundred's but come with the benefit of a single purchase if you want up to date software that now a days come with subscriptions costing you the same on a yearly bases.
After the revolution, there will be public workshops, comrade. ✊
In your October 2021 Repairathon, you were willing to sell me one of those toolboxes you restored prior to the batch you secured from your military connection-
For anyone interested in buying one, I have to say they're very well built, and are absolutely worth buying. I use mine all the time!
This channel is criminally underrated.
Another fantastic video Gerolf - I was amazed at the great result from your efforts. Can't wait to see a larger motor attached and the results from it. Sorry to hear you were sick for a while. Stay well brother ! _(I noticed one of your patches on your jacket!)_
"and let there be light!" Your research really worked out well, it will be interesting to see what modifications you include to make your generator produce even more power. I appreciate all the time and effort that you put into these projects for us - thank you.
So good to see your waterwheel project come to fruition. Also, I think a good many of your audience can relate to your wishes for a milling machine, but the majority of us just have to make do with the hand drill, pencil and a lot of patience.
Your tenacity, patience, thorough process, and pursuit of innovation are very noticeable; your form continues to improve.
Well done, Gerolf.
Hey guys, in case you want to support the channel, a great way to do that is to become a supporter on patreon: patreon.com/tpai
Sorry, I've already left two comments but your video has me somewhat excited. I know you were talking about welding aluminium and ac/dc TIG machines being expensive etc; however, you can buy an aluminium spool gun for a standard MIG machine. Though you need to used pure argon instead of argon/CO² mix. The end result is nothing to look at, but it's a very good way to weld aluminium for €80-100 instead of th3 thousands it takes for the TIG machine. Saying all that, I'm fairly certain you could BUILD an ac/dc TIG inverter if you put your mind to it. Your knowledge of electronics certainly holds you in ample stead for such a task, I'd wager. :)
Been watching Kris Harbour Natural Building for a few years. He has hydro, wind and solar all charging a second hand forklift battery that he can run his workshop on.
Kinda cool to see another guy I follow going down the same rabbit hole. 😁
I too was thinking of Kris' recent water wheel as we watched TPAI test his new project 😄 Which in turn made we wish that we could watch the temperatures of the generator. Although at this stage it's not such a concern. @@mickenoss
If instead of paddles that allow the water to go towards the axle (where it imparts less force on the wheel), you made buckets to contain the mass of the water at the perimeter of the wheel it would make more efficient use of the water. Also, overshot wheels are more efficient so that new location would be perfect to modify with a short sluice.
Stahlwerk has super cost effective AC/DC TIg welders for ~700 Euros. I have 3 of them and they are great and also great service in Germany.
Hi you are a Maker ! Hopefully the People who live in such Places did not forgett to renew the Waterpermission. The old Waterpermissions cannot be denied, if correctly asked for at the Untere Wasserbehörde. But it is not easy to run a Powerplant. I lived in one for 28 Years of my Life. My Father was a Miller.
Now the new Ökologik, Energie and Waterstream Laws will make a new small Powerplant nearly impossibel. The Turbine there is a" Fancis- Schachtturbine" You can save this one ! Get it out of the Montage and reconstruct it. So the renewed one will fit perfekt. It is cast iron and brass. Kind regards, Rudi
👍
Hearing you explain that moment when a plan comes together better than you could have possibly imagined. that accompanied joy and happiness gave me goosebumps. Some of the best moments in a tinkerer’s heart.
It's a crime not to have a turbine in that spot.
Dear snipersquad.
On the contrary (unfortunately, sigh)! The German government/politicians will hinder you with everything they can to put up new water wheels or even use still existing structures.
Best regards, luck and health in particular.
@@Chr.U.Cas1622 It is not a water wheel, it is a water oxygen supplier that has passive electronic brakes for enhancing the water quality.....😁😁😁😉
Dear @@insAneTunA
👍👌👏 Yes, that's it! It already looked so familiar to me! 😁 ;-) 2) "Das Kind muss nur einen Namen haben!" The child just has to have a name!
Best regards, luck and health in particular.
@snipersquad100
While I agree in the main, even taking into account what others have said, installing a new hydro turbine is by no means a uncostly affair. A property I once owned had two (extremely decayed) waterwheels in their respective pits, side by side. Rebuilding them was an option, though it'd have been extensive and costly work. Just to get them out was in excess of £5k. The materials/work on top (doing the lion's share myself, being only bolts and steel really) came to 10k and reinstallation/balancing/metering equipment with hook up to the grid was ove4 15k and that was the cheaper option. Having two turbines/one large one (can't fully remember what was said because it wasn't allowed anyway being G2 listed) was something ridiculous like £80k for the turbine/s and metering equipment alone. It would have paid for itself within a few years admittedly, but I just couldn't get hold of the cash in time and a developer offered me what was then a ridiculous amount of money for the property. So I sold the lot and I'm still reeling from that decision even though it was my only real option at the time. They offered me the big house for cheap afterwards (they somehow managed to shoehorn 5 properties into that little complex - where I was just using the place to store stuff for one of my little businesses). I declined sadly but they've done wonderful things with the place AND the decaying but lovely waterwheels are still in their place and have been made into a feature of the property. We could've probably rerouted the water and put a turbine in the adjacent shed etc, but I'd have much preferred to rebuild the wheels and sacrifice a bit of power efficiency for the joy of having two working wheels... some things are just not meant to be I suppose. I apologise thoroughly for the rambling nonsense that is this reply. If you made it this far, you're a diamond!
In some countries it is literally a crime to generate your own energy - to protect the power companies of course. My friends built a BIG water wheel only to be told that they would suffer legal consequences if they connected it to the house!
That looked like a tremendous amount of work! Thank goodness it functioned properly when you tested it. I think you inspiring many people with your projects.
Amazing! Also interesting that you're able to drive this wormgear backwards. Normally wormgears are self-locking. It probably gets very hot and has low efficiency.
Not really normally true. Friction angle between the worm and the gear must be larger than the worm’s lead angle for it to be selflocking. Usually, multi-thread worm gears are used for non-self-locking, if I remember right.
@@Sixta16 somewhere around 25 degrees helix angle.
choice of starts is more about tooth size/pitch over diameter. to get a fully formed tooth at a certain pitch it cuts past the center line and your cutting a "spring" instead. so same lead and half the pitch gives twice the teeth at the same ratio with shallower cuts, and a stronger shaft/worm. if its still too deep, triple starts, etc,etc.
think of a bolt. compare a fine series to a coarse series. the depth of tooth... the minimum diameter of the shaft...
just helical/spiral/skew gears taken to an extreme. or not so extreme in some cases...
a leadscrew and nut can be likened to an internal worm gear...
We have a nice creek about that size on our small 20 acre farm here in western NC and I've wanted to do something like this for the last 30 years... You've just given me the encouragement I need to give it a go, Thank You!!! 🙂
I think your mind works much better than most people. You see finished products in lots of scrap. I envy you your brain. You do marvelous work.
Nice job! I did notice that steel and aluminium are in contact, which leads to galvanic corrosion, which goes much quicker than normal corrosion.
Yeah the alloy acts as an anode and causes huge "bites" to appear in the alloy.
I don't know if you will see this or not, but you mentioned an AC TIG machine. I got a PrimeWeld TIG225X about a year ago, and absolutely love it. It is an AC/DC TIG/Stick machine with everything but argon and filler metal to make it run. When I got mine, it was less than $1,000 US shipped to my door. It welds wonderfully. I absolutely love it.
Great work, Gerolf! That turbine seems to be working pretty well already, and I can imagine the satisfaction you felt when you watched it generating power in your friend's creek.
However, I'm certain you have already thought about making a control system to change the angle of the blades to maximize power.
I love stumbling across videos like this. Your voice kept me transfixed. And great idea and something that should be used in towns and villages as green power. Thanks for sharing I'm now subscribed
I'm only 40 seconds in and I'm so excited for this. That's pretty much every video from this channel. I love this channel
Wonderful job on that waterwheel. Thanks for sharing.
It just finally occurred to me that you're a real life NPC from a game like Fallout. That guy who upgrades your weapons and turns scrap into machines. That's quite an accomplishment -- those were always my favorite characters, and you've done such an amazing thing with your channel and creations.
That spot with the channel and the turbine is .... well, dream-material. No matter Your Zuppinger wheel, an Ossberger or Ossberger-inspired wheel or, what I'd try at first, a restoration and re-commissioning of the original setup ... their electrical power needs should easily be met with that waterflow. Thanks for sharing!
Still so incredibly jealous of your access to scrap yards like this!
Von ganzem Herzen.
Vielen vielen herzlichen Dank.
Deine Videos sind für mich persönlich, wirklich sehr wichtig.
Eine absolute Inspiration Quelle.
You're definitely not the only one interested in building water infrastructure. Any time I see a stream I get the urge to dam it up. Any time I see non-running water I get the urge to create a drainage channel.
I can't wait for the next episode, I have a fascination for DIY hydro systems! I want to know how much power you can generate with this one.
at the speed that is turning a number of magnets around the outside edge of the wheel and stationary coils, this removes many moving parts, gears, chains etc.. love it..
AC tig machines are expensive, but you can actually DC tig just fine - you just have to use Helium instead of Argon. Might be worth looking into if you can get a tank of helium locally. Another option is SMAW (stick) - this is the cheapest way to stick a couple pieces of aluminum together one time, but somewhat tricky to actually do.
Awesome you share the same thinking as another tuber Kris Harbour Natural Building.....kudos
I would say this is very professional work as no CNC machine is used for cutting or welding with all left-over junk materials. Well done job bro.
i love saving everything i can from the trash!
people are going to have to get back to the old ways, being more resourceful and not wasting so much, if we are going to find the harmonic niche within the ecosystem to, at very least, cause increase equal in measure to the amount one detracts.
anything less is theft, and from our own children, no less. the future generations deserve a world as rich and full as we inherited, but i submit that we can leave behind a world more diverse and abundant than when we were born. thats why i love what you do on this channel, keep up the great work, and may peace and prosperity be found in all your endeavors!
Thank you for the latest episode. I will be back next time. Happy holidays from North Dakota!
As others have said, this video was a real pleasure to watch. I especially love how you remind people regularly that what takes seconds in the video took hours in real life - something I have to remind myself of regularly when I take a day to make an intricate part. Just a comment on something you mentioned - while I do have an AC TIG and I use it occasionally for aluminium, if I didn't have one I would just get a spool gun for a MIG welder. You might like to consider this as a cheaper alternative? I dont remember whether you have a regular (not gasless) MIG welder but if you do then you're half way there. The spool guns are generally quite expensive but in the UK there is a company called Static Arc which sell budget machines (but actually are quite good) and they have a spool gun for £50. I'm sure you could find one from China or in Germany too? All the best with your future generator development!
I have often thought that a "squirrel cage fan" from an industrial air conditioning unit would make a great water wheel, but since I live in a semi-desert region with absolutely NO streams or rivers, I felt that it would be a rather pointless endeavour! Love watching your efforts, though ! Cheers from rural South Australia.
Just as an interesting aside, I live near Sheffield, the great City Of Steel (I'd highly recommend visiting the Rivelin Valley in Sheffield, when you're next over here in England, as it was one of the most densely watermilled areas in the world, im told. However, (sadly, for me, possibly you too) it is now its a stunning, picturesque ruin). In Sheffield, because waterpower was so abundant and cheap, some mills continued into the 1950s, still using waterwheels rather than turbines!!
Very good result.
After months of arduous cutting ,lathing ,drilling and tapping,you must have had a grin as wide as Paris to Berlin .
bamboo for structure, canvas for blades. inflatable bladders on either side. make it collapsible.
with such energy and advice, I feel you should lead by example
@@triedzidono i agree!
Well done on the waterwheel. Definitely would be interested in seeing more on this project. See you in the next one!
One of the problems i see is finding a creek with sufficient depth for the wheel
Another idea is to build a compact wheel, or use your previous wheel, but carry a large diameter hose, take one end of the hose higher up the creek, with the other end pointing at the wheel, the wheel doesn't even have to be in the creek, you might need a nozzle too.
btw, i spotted a centrifugal fan in the scrap pile, could have saved some time.
Dear sparkyprojects
👍👌👏 2) I spotted at least one defective aluminium ladder. Using old ladder parts makes great frames, rust free, lightweight and nevertheless very sturdy.
Best regards, luck and health in particular.
One of the few feasible applications for ceramic bearings. I think you could get some pretty decent sufficiency here to this if you used ceramic bearings
Good job !
Congratulation brother !
😮😮😮
😊😊😊
❤❤❤
You can increase the efficiency (ie the force exerted on the vane) by adding dividers to the pockets. Water is a fluid and it will go anywhere that is easy. By installing dividers in the waterwheel pockets, you are directing the energy to the vane instead of letting it slouch around.
Excellent! Have a Creek on the ranch I work at that I want to do this on. Am motivated again, thanks!
yes i'd really like a long, advanced and ambitious waterwheel project!!!
i hope i can move to germany and find a spot like this.. and spending time on different experiments..... i love your channel
I absolutely love this channel, and it would be awesome to see an updated workshop tour.
Very interesting, what a great result. Good job
Yes keep going with the waterwheel projects, hydro produces power 24hrs a day must be the way foward paired with other forms of electrical generation first class work 👌
Oh, yes please for more water-powered generator video(s). Regards from UK, Les
I got a tool box from you the first time you had a batch. It's such a cool tool box and I use it all the time. Keep it up dude! I love your channel.
I simply adore your mentality! Ive been following you for years, and beside the fact taht I enjoy watching your videoes - I ALWAYS learn something new! :) .. Thank you for that! Greetings from Denmark :)
Gerolf, I really enjoyed this video. I love what you do, and can't wait to see any follow up videos of this project.
What a great project. Very interesting. Maybe you should consider getting that frame galvanised for a long, long life in the water.
Definitely a good idea to get that BLDC motor into the project eventually, that worm-drive geared motor will be introducing so many losses owing to the resistance from the worm drive being driven backwards that the wheel is probably capable of putting out much more in terms of RPMs and of course power... :)
It must be crown or bevel geared.
You can't drive a worm gear backwards.
or a direct drive e bike motor
Very clever how you temporarily attached the vice to work bench,... 👍
Wow! That round block made my the repaired lathe is super impressive!
What a satisfying outcome for a device you know for certain you'll be able to greatly improve! Thanks so much for your videos and your overarching project. 🙂
Well, that worked amazingly.....and you couldn't pick a better location for the test. Agreed, a funnel to get more water to the blades and a better motor(generator) and your friends could have a great source of off grid power.
Nice work!
It is always encouraging to me to see that I'm not the only one who ends up with bandages on my fingers while working in my shop. 😄
There is nothing like thinking of something and setting it up to create even more ideas and possibilities.
Always satisfying seeing an idea in your mind being realized in real life.
New Zealands own Marty T here on RUclips has had a generator made from an old washing machine on his property for many years. Powers his house way out in the bush.
Likely minds halfway across the globe.
That was very very cool, perfect place to set up too!
This video was totally awesome! I have always wanted to harness the power of a stream. It was so great to see you do it.
Well that's a nice spot for that wheel. And maybe also a permanent location for real use. The water height is not that big but with a buffer battery you should be able to rig together something useful. Thanks for sharing. And have a nice day.
Excellent video! Can't wait for future episodes
Fantastic first result!! Whenever I look at a moving body of water I think of all the energy we are failing to harness!
Love your Lathe, interest that the handle for the cross slide is wound anti-clockwise to feed in?? Here the the UK clock wise feeds in. I have a small Boxford, it’s a fantastic little lathe.
I'm the same after learning about micro hydroelectricity installations, we're conditioned to think of hydroelectricity only on the very large scale and yet there's nearly endless energy to be harvested at small scales.
The idea and build is great, downside being that stainless and aluminum do not mix well and cause galvanic corrosion causing the aluminum to rot away into a powdery dust in wet/ humid conditions
Congrats on a successful first test! I look forward to seeing what kind of energy you can pull out of those repurposed street signs. 👍
i find the pelton wheel design more suitable, it eliminates the water drag and just uses the impact energy, but needs a funnel to concentrate and speed up the waterflow beforehand
Tip for parting off. Use some Tig filler to catch the piece, so it will not drop to the ground.
Cheered me up 😊😊. Thanks Gerolf.
If I were to try the same construction, with the same tools, what an asymmetric mess it would turn out to be. Incredible work.
Awesome build, it fit perfectly in there!
That water wheel looks great, can't wait to see it's full potential. 🙂👍
Thanks Gerolf, excellent result, Cheers
Thank you so much for making these videos with details. I vicariously live through the DIY process as I dream of having a workshop with various tools and these interesting projects you do. I don’t have the space or money at this time to do such things because my wife already complains about my numerous other “hobbies” (including a vast board games collection and assorted electronics instruments such as a fairly non-compact CRT oscilloscope😂) so trying to have an actual workshop at home will indeed be my apocalypse 😅😆
I continue to enjoy this very unique channel. Thank you!
Thank god you didn't use 3d bullshit again, the whole reason I like your channel is because you're keeping it real brother
👊😎🥃
You can always go back and weld the aluminum after you rivet the ass. If the metal doesn't get too dirty. Possibly just wire brush and add a few filler welds to hold the assembly!
You could mount magnets to the wheel. And a trio of coils on the top of the wheel possibly 35--50 mm round magnets 3-6mm thick, or 30x50mm bar magnets. Also small bar magnets being 3-6mm and 30-50 mm/long laying on its side, to create a hb array supposed to create a stronger field, or concentrated field on the coil side. I'm hoping to build something similar, but hoping it's atleast twice as wide, and maybe tall. And 3x as wide. I'd love getting 25-500watts from it. Thinking about trying to use 6 microwave transformers, one per phase, boost the power to 500-600vac, at 2amps or less, so 18 gauge wire can be used for the 1000'-2000' it would need to travel, use 3transformers as buck transformer to drop the 500-600v to around 60-90vac. Build a large box outside to safely hold the transformer, running the 70-90vac into the house battery/control room to be rectified, and split into a batt charge control and a water heater dump load, heating the water going into my gas on demand water heater, using a small electric water heater. Likely 10gallon or less. 500v at 1amp is 500watts - losses hopefully the generator will be capable of 2-4amps or 5-6amps or less at times of rain, because there is usually no sun when it rains, it will be difficult to get that much from a under shot wheel of this size, if it was 12'-24' and 6' across yeah I could see2000-3000;watts possibly, Even 200watts 24/7 with solar is very useable,!
@jamest.5001 If you build it, please film it and share it, so we can see your vision come true. It look like a very good proyect!
Gerolf, as always, you excibit a great piece of work, thanks for building it and shareing it!!
I never hit like on your videos because my liked playlist is full (5000) but i look foward to see your new upload literally every day 👍
I know some will frown. But tapping with machine spiral taps and a battery drill with a clutch is great. Less breakage and easier to get square than by hand.
I just moved to a friends property in central/northern British Columbia and there's a creek on the property. Setting up something like this would be great although it's currently -10 and much of the creek is frozen over. Maybe a springtime project ;)
Sorry this video sneaked by me somehow! You are living the dream that so many of us had! Thank you for all you do! Happy New Year! 🎉👍🎉
What an awesome piece of property. Seems like every forest you go to has a dilapidated piece of industry on it
For thin aluminum like that, rivets are superior for longevity. The parts can still flex and move. Welds will crack easily under those conditions. That's why planes are skinned with rivets.
Another great project moved forward
Great video as always. You must feel very satisfied with this experiment. Good stuff
You might look into getting an aluminum spool gun to convert your regular MiG welder to do aluminum welding a lot cheaper than an AC Tig unit.
Perfect install, it was very illuminating 😅
I like the idea ❤
use biofriendly doped canvas as turbine blades. also try edge emf pickup, for more torque.
You can weld aluminium also with a MIG/MAG welder and aluminium wire
Great project, thank you sir.
Your axis wasn't that far off for it being antique machine equipment and doing by eye without machine intervention I'd say it was definitely a fantastic proof of concept and look forward to more of seeing how you improve on it later that blower motor at the scrap yard you got some of the materials might also be a good thing for it as well due to the funnel at the entrance and then the opening out the side for expulsion of the water those do have belt drives and mounts already in place
Gerolf, such an excellent job sir! Well, Done indeed!
I can totally relate to that. I always like to think that it should be possible to improve the traditional designs with modern materials and production methods, and even change the traditional design to a modern version. The old designs are created based on the available materials and production methods that hey had in those days. But now it is possible to make much more complicated shapes with new materials and production methods. After all F1 cars are still improved with the smallest modifications as well, so why should that not be possible with a water wheel?
If people like to see a life size water wheel project I can recommend Kris Harbor Natural Building.