Build Your Own Wind-Powered Water Pump One of the most important jobs when you’re growing your own food is ensuring that your garden is getting an adequate supply of water. If you are in a situation that requires you to grow a lot of your own food, keeping the garden watered by hand can be a time-consuming job. Following an economic collapse, electricity and other forms of nonrenewable energy will be very scarce, which means you won’t be able to rely on powered water pumps. Fortunately, there’s an alternative. Humans used wind power to pump water for centuries prior to the industrial revolution, and following an economic collapse, you can return to this technology – with a few modern additions. In fact, you can build a wind-powered water pump out of recycled bike parts and PVC materials. And you can do it cheaply and easily with these instructions. Step 1: Wheels & Gears Materials Bicycle gears Small bolts (must fit into the gears) Nylon spacers Teflon or electrical tape Two mountain bicycle wheel rims Metal brackets 1” PVC pipe tee 2-inch wooden dowel, slightly smaller circumference than the PVC pipe tee Tripod 1. Attach 2-inch bolts to every other hole in one of the two gears, and 1-inch bolts to the other gear. Attach nylon spacers to the 2-inch bolts using Teflon tape; this will be the vertical gear, while the other will be the horizontal gear. 2. Mount the horizontal gear on the axle of one of the bicycle wheel rims. 3. Mount the second bicycle wheel rim on the first to create an open “drum” using three metal brackets. 4. Install the bicycle wheel rim “drum” to the top of the PVC tee using the wooden dowel to hold the axle rod securely in place, but with enough room to allow it to spin freely. 5. Secure the PVC tee to the top of a tripod. 6. Attach the vertical gear to the horizontal part of the PVC tee, perpendicular to the horizontal gear. Mount the gear on a ball bearing to allow for free rotation. Shore up the sides of the gear to prevent it from wobbling. 7. Attach a ball bearing to the back of one of the teeth on the vertical gear; this will allow the pump connector to move freely on the gear (see below). Step 2: Making and Installing the Wind Foils Materials 5 Lightweight plastic (styrene is optimal) sheets, 10” x 18” Enough silk to cover one side of each panel Polyurethane adhesive Drill Sand paper Plumber’s epoxy Spoke nuts 1. Sand the dull side of the styrene sheets and coat with polyurethane adhesive. 2. Attach silk to each panel and trim off the excess. 3. Punch two holes on the long sides of each foil, large enough for a bicycle wheel spoke to fit through. 4. Drill five holes in the rim of each bicycle wheel at even intervals. 5. Insert spokes into the wheel rims from the inside of the rim and secure at the center with plumber’s epoxy. Let dry. 6. Slip the foils onto the spokes and secure with the epoxy. When the epoxy dries, screw spoke nuts onto the end of each spoke to further secure the foils. Step 3: The Pump Connector Materials 18” PVC pipe with elbow connectors 5 bicycle spoke nuts Plumber’s epoxy 1. Attach elbow connectors at either end of the PVC pipe. 2. Drill five holes at one end of the PVC pipe, one inch apart, and attach bicycle spoke nuts. Alternately, you can heat the spoke nuts over an open flame and push them into the PVC pipe. Secure the spoke nuts with epoxy. 3. An elbow connector will slip over the ball bearing on the vertical gear, allowing the mechanism to move freely between the windmill and the water pump. Step 4: Water Pump Materials 2x ½” or ¾” PVC pipe 1” PVC pipe PVC pipe cap 2x Metal washers 2x Foam washers 2x rubber washers 1” PVC tee 1” or ½” threaded reducer ½” nylon barb ¾” or 1” bushing Eye hook Ball bearing 1. Assemble pump according to the schematic. 2. Attach the eye hook and ball bearing to the top of the pump. Step 5: Final Assembly Materials 4”x4” post 2x screw clamps Hose 1. Sink the post into the ground at the location where you will place your windmill. Brace the lower part of the pumping mechanism to the metal rod for stability using the screw clamps. 2. Center the windmill above the pump, high enough that the pump connector can fully extend and contract. 3. Secure the tripod legs to the ground. 4. Attach the pump connector to the ball bearings on the vertical gear and the water pump piston. 5. Attach the hose to the base of the water pump and run it down to your water reservoir.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 14:33:17 +0000
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