This is what I’m thinking. Buy my property, build my dam and power supply first so I can see how flooding will effect my land to avoid building and working on any potential flood area. I always imagined my house in more of a flat meadow but seeing your raw land has me wanting more of a mix of woodland and pasture.
That sounds like a great plan! It's important to consider potential flooding and how it could affect your property. The mix of woodland and pasture sounds like a lovely setting for your house. By the way, for your off-grid power supply, have you considered the Segway Portable PowerStation Cube Series? It's a versatile powerhouse that can provide ample power for various devices and appliances, with a massive capacity of up to 5kWh. It also has a waterproof design, making it suitable for outdoor use. Just thought it might be helpful for your off-grid setup!
You need to measure the Discharge of the river. Q(discharge) = V (velocity) x A (Area). Measure velocity simply by releasing an apple or orange upstream and timing it over a set distance (25m or so). Do all the calcs in metric then just convert at the end, saves a lot of faffing.
Jerry seems to know everything about building a house and build other outside things necessary for the house. TWO THUMBS UP for Jerry the builder hehe. I'm glad you're able to record/capture sweet family moments like these.
Loftis Party of Six - weROAM I love the concept of your cabin, perfect spot. If it's near here (Manila, Philippines) then I would rent it for a family get together.
A sweet moment when Daughter and Daddy made eye contact. Family handprints, memories for a lifetime. Good bless your family. P.S. pay Jerry double what you had planned to.😀
You don't see the family working together anymore, especially kids! You all have done an amazing job forming a family and teaching your kids the value of a dollar! :) It's refreshing. I earned everything I had as a child.
Smart Momma! I was hoping to myself that the kids got the concrete off of their hands before it damaged their skin to badly. Then Momma says,”go rinse your hands off”. Awesome job, let the kids participate in a time honored, probable worldwide tradition of marking with handprints, then wash your hands. Not everyone is the same but concrete eats my hands up
ATF Agent: So you want to keep local moonshine history alive with a waterwheel? Herr Loftis: Uhm, yes ATF Agent: Well here is a search warrant for the property, step aside please.
Number of litres per second times drop in meters (head) times 9.8 (gravitational constant) equals watts out put (usually you’d expect approx 50 % conversation to electric power. Most uk homes use between 2 and 2.5 kilowatts small steam may not be enough for a whole house but it is constant is very useful def worth doing as its effectively free once built
@@sifergy8412 Cost of manual labor (cutting trees, building dam, welding and manufacturing waterwheel, etc), equipment and materials (concrete, motor, electrical, gears, etc.), maintenance cost(constant clearing debris, rust, etc.).... When you calculate it all you will find out that it is not worth it as an investment. I like it as a hobby and a luxury thing, but it is not an investment.
Since there’s no longer any pretense that we aren’t a free people, is there going to be someone out there telling me that I legally can’t divert enough water off a hill to dam and create a water mill off of it?
You should build a fish passing at the side of the dam as well to avoid any big nature problems. Like a little fish stair - would also be a really nice project i think!!
Your way over thinking the rpm speeds on the wheel, just use a transmission gear box off of a riding lawn mower switch the pulley out and generate 3 to 400 rmp a minute with minimal water speed. You can also use the gears to slow down the wheel during days of heavy rain to not burn out your pma.
Wow unbelievable that only 2-3 guys built that cabin. Its absolutely amazing . Yours and Lains idealism to keep it rustic is also admirable. God bless you keep going strong!
For good, clean water, bury a bathtub upside down in the sand and gravel of a stream, and pump it out. The water will be naturally filtered, just as nature does it.
I have one question. Is Jerry an alien, or is he a robot? Is there anything he can't do? I can't tell you much I have enjoyed your journey building your cabin. You must be so proud of yourselves. What an amazing accomplishment, and so very rewarding. I anxiously await to see that finished product. I have been watching you since the beginning of your travels, and look forward to seeing you on the road again. You will need some time to rest. Some R&R...
You are going to want to know how much power, we will use watts since you are generating electricity, you can make with your dam. We will ignore any losses in bearings belts etc. Pure power based on falling water. With 300 gallons per minute and a three foot drop from the top of the dam to the top of the downstream flow you can make 40 pounds per second divided by 550 pounds per second per horsepower per foot, mulitplied by 3 feet to get horsepower. That flow and drop will make 0.218 horsepower. One horsepower is 750 watts. So you can make about 160 watts without losses. You will get almost 4 Kilowatt hours per day. If you need more horsepower, just raise the damn and enlarge the wheel. Just reply to me on this comment, if you need any more help with calculations like that. The nice part about this form of solar energy, sun evaporates water and moves it uphill as rain, is that it is 24/7 without interruption. Wind, air movement due to temp differences caused by the sun, is highly unreliable. Direct sun is only part time and can be very low with differing seasons and weather.
All I know is that the hydro generator I purchased needs 500 RPMs for 24 volts. So we are rigging our pulley system to make that. Right now we are getting about 300 RPMs but adding more pulleys to get over 500.
The water wheel is very nice, yeah I would suggest leave it there and put in a micro Hydro unit. You certainly would have absolutely all the power you would need for that home with that water flow
Is there a reason y'all didn't use a concrete pump for the job? Seems like it would have made things much easier. I'm loving these videos, what a cool project!!
The reason you don't see overshot water wheels used in hydroelectric is because they're very inefficient. You'd be better off with an undershot wheel or a vortex since you have high flow but low head.
Many years ago my Dad took me and my brothers and my sisters to the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington state, A hydroelectric dam which powers an irrigation system and electricity I believe to several regions in the western states. Amazing how large the turbines were! (If you may the wheel of the system :-)
I came here looking for how to videos because I have a creek that I want to dam to build a pond for the family but also I’d like to generate power as well. What did you use for the power generator? Do you get decent power production?
I love what your doing and I want to do a similar think at our property in KY, but if you could show in the video what you are talking about, while you are talking instead of showing yourself in all the shots, your videos will be VASTLY improved. Nice job with your project though.
Yo bro next time take spray adhesive strong one use pond liner or tarp and u u also could just cause 2 by 2 boards and a tarp but thick one let it say in middle cheaper version if u ain't gotta flume laying round and less leaking
Its not about how much water, Its about the pressure produced. the other way would have been less intrusive to environment and still produced the same amount of power
This was an interesting endeavor that ended in disappointment. After building the dam and having 24/7 energy flow, the hydro project was abandoned because the water was underutilized. Well if what you have doesn't take advantage of your hydrologic energy, then you need to wipe the prototype clean and start over. With that much water, you should be able to harvest st least 1KW at any time. Solar is wonderful, but it doesn't provide 24/7 energy like hydro will. Please, please, please utilize this power and have a successful outcome.
I've seen a lot of those small inline micro turbines using siphon flow that could work with your dam and I've seen some produce some crazy wattage and you can fit like 20 of them.
How much power will you loose buy the time it reaches battery bank in house? If you produce 24v on wheel buy the time it gets to house it looks like good 100 meters, I’m planning to do similar but been told to expect to loose power in transfer thanks ps looking forward to see this project complete
Your place look really awesome, spring, forest and a really nice looking cabin. Just curious if the dam core goes all the way down to an impervious layer and how does your concrete dam is anchored in place? This is because I sort of see the concrete is just sitting on top of soil?
@@LoftisPartyofSix just curious, how to do you plan for the final outlook of the dam? make it like the olden days dam or make it look like natural rock?
this is so cool will look so nice next to the cabin cant wait to see it when its finished and working totally loving the hand prints did you put there names by there hands? so sweet love it thanks for sharing:)
@@LoftisPartyofSix awee your gonna have to maybe do a small pour circle like stepping stones with the hands and names to the fire pit that would be so awesome:)
Just checking, damming a source does not compliantly change the amount of water that is supplied down stream right? It’s still moving through the system and working as a controller so it’s more consistent right? Idk is someone can explain that would be great.
This is what I’m thinking. Buy my property, build my dam and power supply first so I can see how flooding will effect my land to avoid building and working on any potential flood area. I always imagined my house in more of a flat meadow but seeing your raw land has me wanting more of a mix of woodland and pasture.
Well, predict the flood area prior to building the dam.
Beavers flood a lot of land. Measurable.
That sounds like a great plan! It's important to consider potential flooding and how it could affect your property. The mix of woodland and pasture sounds like a lovely setting for your house. By the way, for your off-grid power supply, have you considered the Segway Portable PowerStation Cube Series? It's a versatile powerhouse that can provide ample power for various devices and appliances, with a massive capacity of up to 5kWh. It also has a waterproof design, making it suitable for outdoor use. Just thought it might be helpful for your off-grid setup!
This man built an entire Hydro Electric Plant to produce energy for a cabin
Props to you my guy
You need to measure the Discharge of the river. Q(discharge) = V (velocity) x A (Area). Measure velocity simply by releasing an apple or orange upstream and timing it over a set distance (25m or so). Do all the calcs in metric then just convert at the end, saves a lot of faffing.
Jerry seems to know everything about building a house and build other outside things necessary for the house. TWO THUMBS UP for Jerry the builder hehe. I'm glad you're able to record/capture sweet family moments like these.
Thank you 😊
Loftis Party of Six - weROAM
I love the concept of your cabin, perfect spot. If it's near here (Manila, Philippines) then I would rent it for a family get together.
A sweet moment when Daughter and Daddy made eye contact. Family handprints, memories for a lifetime. Good bless your family. P.S. pay Jerry double what you had planned to.😀
Thank you 😊
Me: "I've got this dam project..."
Mom: "watch your language, young man!"
Are you 6 years old?
@@walkaway6353 woosh
@@walkaway6353 lol
Boys, I think this dog is gonna hunt! Where there's a will, there's a way! Praying the creek don't rise! Good team work!
Thank you 😊
A wheelbarrow and planks would have been good. This is impressive….more people should be living like this.
I tell you what, it sure is fun seeing the kids experience this and putting in their handprints
They loved it. Thanks
You don't see the family working together anymore, especially kids! You all have done an amazing job forming a family and teaching your kids the value of a dollar! :) It's refreshing. I earned everything I had as a child.
Thank you 😊
Just found this channel, looks good so far but way too much talking and not enough footage of work being completed.
It's great to have a Creek or stream/river on your property
Smart Momma! I was hoping to myself that the kids got the concrete off of their hands before it damaged their skin to badly. Then Momma says,”go rinse your hands off”. Awesome job, let the kids participate in a time honored, probable worldwide tradition of marking with handprints, then wash your hands. Not everyone is the same but concrete eats my hands up
ATF Agent: So you want to keep local moonshine history alive with a waterwheel?
Herr Loftis: Uhm, yes
ATF Agent: Well here is a search warrant for the property, step aside please.
If I have to be honest, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms would be the best store
In the spirit of keeping the history alive, how about you make some moonshine while you at it😅🤠
There is enough energy in that stream ro power a WHOLE neighborhood!
Ohh so thats how powerful a stream can be
Nope. He has almost no head (fall of water). This project will not be profitable.
Number of litres per second times drop in meters (head) times 9.8 (gravitational constant) equals watts out put (usually you’d expect approx 50 % conversation to electric power. Most uk homes use between 2 and 2.5 kilowatts small steam may not be enough for a whole house but it is constant is very useful def worth doing as its effectively free once built
@@sifergy8412 Cost of manual labor (cutting trees, building dam, welding and manufacturing waterwheel, etc), equipment and materials (concrete, motor, electrical, gears, etc.), maintenance cost(constant clearing debris, rust, etc.).... When you calculate it all you will find out that it is not worth it as an investment.
I like it as a hobby and a luxury thing, but it is not an investment.
16 minute video with 22 seconds of useful information
Lovely kid's comments - Teams work ...makes a dream work... wou.! its awesome.
Since there’s no longer any pretense that we aren’t a free people, is there going to be someone out there telling me that I legally can’t divert enough water off a hill to dam and create a water mill off of it?
You should build a fish passing at the side of the dam as well to avoid any big nature problems. Like a little fish stair - would also be a really nice project i think!!
We don’t have any fish. It’s not that big of a stream.
The little one is not impressed with the cement mess on his hand! LOL
Great idea to capture that moment forever :~))
Your way over thinking the rpm speeds on the wheel, just use a transmission gear box off of a riding lawn mower switch the pulley out and generate 3 to 400 rmp a minute with minimal water speed. You can also use the gears to slow down the wheel during days of heavy rain to not burn out your pma.
@Erich Weiler lol i also misspelled rpm
Looking Good,that’s going to be so cool when you are finished !!!
Thanks
I so much look forward to your new videos each week. I love the Cabin project. Also looking forward to the RV future videos.
Thank You 😊
Tree killer!
😆
😂🤣🤣
Oh my gosh! My grandparents used to have a cabin on that lake, but I'm Arkansas I believe! Also, this is the first video I watched of yours!
One of the best projects for a off grid house ❤️👍🏻🇩🇿
Agreed! Thanks
Wow unbelievable that only 2-3 guys built that cabin. Its absolutely amazing . Yours and Lains idealism to keep it rustic is also admirable. God bless you keep going strong!
Thank you 😊
Is there anything Jerry can't do? Good to see Laine and the kids
Thanks 😊
Nice project. I'm just starting our hydro project now. Thx for sharing this!
For good, clean water, bury a bathtub upside down in the sand and gravel of a stream, and pump it out. The water will be naturally filtered, just as nature does it.
I have one question. Is Jerry an alien, or is he a robot? Is there anything he can't do? I can't tell you much I have enjoyed your journey building your cabin. You must be so proud of yourselves. What an amazing accomplishment, and so very rewarding. I anxiously await to see that finished product. I have been watching you since the beginning of your travels, and look forward to seeing you on the road again. You will need some time to rest. Some R&R...
Thank you 😊! We are about to hit the road!!
You are going to want to know how much power, we will use watts since you are generating electricity, you can make with your dam. We will ignore any losses in bearings belts etc. Pure power based on falling water. With 300 gallons per minute and a three foot drop from the top of the dam to the top of the downstream flow you can make 40 pounds per second divided by 550 pounds per second per horsepower per foot, mulitplied by 3 feet to get horsepower. That flow and drop will make 0.218 horsepower. One horsepower is 750 watts. So you can make about 160 watts without losses. You will get almost 4 Kilowatt hours per day. If you need more horsepower, just raise the damn and enlarge the wheel. Just reply to me on this comment, if you need any more help with calculations like that. The nice part about this form of solar energy, sun evaporates water and moves it uphill as rain, is that it is 24/7 without interruption. Wind, air movement due to temp differences caused by the sun, is highly unreliable. Direct sun is only part time and can be very low with differing seasons and weather.
All I know is that the hydro generator I purchased needs 500 RPMs for 24 volts. So we are rigging our pulley system to make that. Right now we are getting about 300 RPMs but adding more pulleys to get over 500.
The water wheel is very nice, yeah I would suggest leave it there and put in a micro Hydro unit. You certainly would have absolutely all the power you would need for that home with that water flow
Thats a pretty cool project. Looks like you will have plenty of free power!
Thanks 😊
I like people who are constructive
This is looking so good! Love it! Is there anything Jerry doesn’t know how to do?? You guys working are totally amazing!!
Thank you 😊
Team Work makes the Dream Work! LOVE IT!!! One thing about kids, they love big trucks! :) : )
Yep they sure do!
Overshot waterwheels are tricky....controlling pond , levels , outflow and wheel rotation...VERY TRICKY INDEED....GOOD LUCK
I was thinking a culvert pipe direct from spring connected to a inclosed water turbine for Efficiency!
Now that's the way to power a remote cabin.
Jerry he is a genius ❤️👍🏻🇩🇿
Yep 👍
Is there a reason y'all didn't use a concrete pump for the job? Seems like it would have made things much easier.
I'm loving these videos, what a cool project!!
The reason you don't see overshot water wheels used in hydroelectric is because they're very inefficient. You'd be better off with an undershot wheel or a vortex since you have high flow but low head.
But the wheel looks cool and old fashioned.
Calibrating the low water output of the spring will give you a base value.
Amazing! The bigger dam ,bigger the wheel, more power :-)
👍
Many years ago my Dad took me and my brothers and my sisters to the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington state, A hydroelectric dam which powers an irrigation system and electricity I believe to several regions in the western states. Amazing how large the turbines were! (If you may the wheel of the system :-)
The difference between waterwheel and Pelton wheel is volume and pressure. Water wheels are more picturesque.
Grand life ya got, how cool are you, inspiring
I came here looking for how to videos because I have a creek that I want to dam to build a pond for the family but also I’d like to generate power as well. What did you use for the power generator? Do you get decent power production?
I love what your doing and I want to do a similar think at our property in KY, but if you could show in the video what you are talking about, while you are talking instead of showing yourself in all the shots, your videos will be VASTLY improved. Nice job with your project though.
Did you guys had any problems with beavers blocking the flow over your dam?
Much love from Southern Missouri
Did you know they make a screw generator that you lay in the creek of running water and it generates electricity?
Are you talking about an archimedes screw?
I’m in the process of making a water wheel as well amen brother
Really cool. I want free electricity!
Prayers for you and your amazing family:)🙏👼
Thanks 😊
KID: That's awesome!
Me: I agree. (reminiscing my childhood)
wow your place looks like my ideal setup
Yo bro next time take spray adhesive strong one use pond liner or tarp and u u also could just cause 2 by 2 boards and a tarp but thick one let it say in middle cheaper version if u ain't gotta flume laying round and less leaking
That is awersome. I am very interesting when see you pouring concrete for a small dam, you can get a concrete quality if you used a vibrator.
Its not about how much water, Its about the pressure produced. the other way would have been less intrusive to environment and still produced the same amount of power
Don't forget to put in a weighted dump excess water when it rains hard
This was an interesting endeavor that ended in disappointment. After building the dam and having 24/7 energy flow, the hydro project was abandoned because the water was underutilized. Well if what you have doesn't take advantage of your hydrologic energy, then you need to wipe the prototype clean and start over. With that much water, you should be able to harvest st least 1KW at any time. Solar is wonderful, but it doesn't provide 24/7 energy like hydro will. Please, please, please utilize this power and have a successful outcome.
Awesome and stay safe, God bless
Thank you 😊
If I had go through will all that work I would have a AC motor and not fiddling around with DC.
great video and beautiful property!
I've seen a lot of those small inline micro turbines using siphon flow that could work with your dam and I've seen some produce some crazy wattage and you can fit like 20 of them.
Hope you have putting rebar into that dam.
You can see it just before they pour the concrete.
Just came across your video. Def an awesome project. Ty for showing it to us.
Thanks 😊
It’s going to be awesome 👏🏻
Thanks 😊
Great video, I watched 1 & 2 and subscribed, can't wait to see more of your off-grid journey.
Awesome! Thank you!
Love love love that dam❤❤❤❤❤
Great plot of land!
Just curious how is the hydro project going ? (this reply is powered by falling water) LOL free power is not cheap !! I have been off grid 30+ years
great work!
You go to use the water for off grid cottage use? You have indoor plumbing in the house?
The last part of the water fall was therapeutic..
Sure was!! Thanks
Timber!!!
Doesn't anyone else in the world have a DNR to contend with?
That is so cool!
Thanks 😊
Dam thats cool
Need a pump truck!
Cool
Cool, off-grid stuff kicks balls! Intresting channel, you got yourself another subscriber.
i love your dam so good
Nice cabin
This is so great. How did he build the flume? I would love a how to video.
How much power will you loose buy the time it reaches battery bank in house? If you produce 24v on wheel buy the time it gets to house it looks like good 100 meters, I’m planning to do similar but been told to expect to loose power in transfer thanks ps looking forward to see this project complete
I was told anything under 250 ft is minimal lose
Awesome work
Thanks 😊
Never could build that dam in Minnesota
No problem in Missouri! #redstate
@@LoftisPartyofSix
Lucky dog. I have a Idiot for leadership
Unless the concrete has additives to prevent excess water damage to the concrete, the sand and cement gets separated into their component parts.
The rest of the world: "Oh, an off grid cabin, ah how lucky to live in peace with nature"
Americans: "Let's pour the concrete!"
I mean with how much water is going thru you would have a broken dam every time it rains if u didnt use concrete
Oh damn neighbor, I was thinking the same thing hear in gainesville.
Your place look really awesome, spring, forest and a really nice looking cabin.
Just curious if the dam core goes all the way down to an impervious layer and how does your concrete dam is anchored in place? This is because I sort of see the concrete is just sitting on top of soil?
We did go down to solid rock for the foundation of the dam.
@@LoftisPartyofSix just curious, how to do you plan for the final outlook of the dam? make it like the olden days dam or make it look like natural rock?
this is so cool will look so nice next to the cabin cant wait to see it when its finished and working totally loving the hand prints did you put there names by there hands? so sweet love it thanks for sharing:)
Thank you 😊. Turns out that area where the hand prints are got covered up with dirt🤦♂️
@@LoftisPartyofSix awee your gonna have to maybe do a small pour circle like stepping stones with the hands and names to the fire pit that would be so awesome:)
I HAVE A BEAVER IN MEEEEE DNEEEE I NEED TO LET HIIIIM UUTTT
Just here to leave my dam comment
😆
Pure 🧠💪🏾 free living.lovely done bro..self living bro real free and helthy living.👏🏽
SO COOL 🤗
Thanks
Donut be surprised if you substantially increase head .. you could lose your spring to somewhere that it finds less resistance ?
Just checking, damming a source does not compliantly change the amount of water that is supplied down stream right? It’s still moving through the system and working as a controller so it’s more consistent right? Idk is someone can explain that would be great.
You are correct.
@@LoftisPartyofSixthanks, I couldn’t find anything concrete online. Super cool build