Its all about energy, from renewable sources to energy-efficient usage. inShare Add to My MSN Homemade Wind Generator 7/3/2014 8:45:00 AM By RD Copeland Tags: off the grid , wind power , generators , home energy , wind turbine , Texas , RD Copeland DIY Wind Generator Are you headed for the beach or going camping in the mountains? Maybe you live on a boat, visit a remote cabin or youre living off-grid. Electricity is yours for the taking as long as the wind is blowing... And you can get it on the CHEAP with an easy homemade wind generator. Light up that storeroom, barn or use the generator to keep all your vehicle batteries charged too. My off-grid cabins electricity comes from solar and wind power, stored in 6-Volt golf cart batteries. A charge controller and battery minder keeps my system from under-and over charging. The whole shebang cost me less than $1000 and I have lights, fans, TV and stereo, refrigeration, and a disco ball that goes up for special occasions. If you can turn a wrench and operate an electric drill, you can build this simple generator in two days: one day of chasing down parts and one day assembling the components. The FOUR basic components include a GM pickup truck alternator ($40 new), a GM fan-clutch assembly ($35 used), the bracket for mounting the generator on a tower or pole ($25 galvanized pipe and fittings version), and a tower or pole ($20 for 15 feet of 2 tubing, used). If youre a Ford guy or a MOPAR gal thats fine, just make sure the alternator has a built-in voltage regulator. Youll also need some electric cable or wires to hook it up to your storage battery. I used 8 gauge, three-strand copper wire pilfered from the oil patch. (And they said the transition from fossil fuels to renewables would take years. Pfft!) My Wind Generator Parts List Car/Truck Alternator - GM 1988, 350 motor, alternator with built-in regulator (used in illustration). Almost any alternator with a regulator will work but use a new one. It should have a warranty. GM Alternator Car/Truck Fan Clutch Assembly - GM 1988, 350 motor -used GM Fan Clutch Assembly Bracket Assembly for Mounting Alternator/Fan If you have a welder, making a bracket is simple. I used 1 square tubing for all the bracket pieces and a 2-feet long piece of 1 pipe for the Rotating Stem that fits inside the pole. If you dont have a welder, fear not. The Bracket Assembly can be fitted up with 1/2 galvanized pipe and fittings. Heres a list of the pipe fittings youll need: 1/2 Tee (5X) 1/2 Elbow (2X) 1/2 X 12 Nipple (2X) 1/2 X 6 Nipple (2X) 1/2 X 1-1/2 Nipple (2X) 1/2 X 2 Nipple (2X) 1/2 X Close (2X) Galvanized Pipe Bracket A tail fan to spin the generator around lining it up with the winds direction must be attached to the 12 nipple at the back of the bracket. Cut a fan out of old tin siding or roofing with tin snips or a cutting torch. A right angle triangle shape works best. Drill three holes in the nipple. Use self-tapping screws (steel roofing screws work good) to affix the tail to the nipple. (See photo) Tail Tower/Pole - I used an old Television antenna tower 20 tall with a 2-1/2 diameter pipe top piece. Youll also need a Stop at the top of the tower which lines up with the Stop on your bracket assembly. This can be welded or bolted onto the tower. The Stops will only allow the generator to turn 360° clockwise and counterclockwise so your cable doesnt get twisted around and around the pole/tower. A joint of 2-3/8 oil field tubing anywhere from 10 to 20 in length (height) attached to a building or bolted to your truck bumper makes a good tower. Make sure it is secure and you may need to use guy wires. If you arent sure how to mount the generator, send me a message and Ill try to help. Fan Clutch to Alternator Attachment: The fan clutch hub can be welded directly to the alternator hub, just make certain the fan is perfectly straight in line with the alternator shaft. Make sure the alternators built-in wire plug ins are located on what will be the bottom of the generator. If you dont have access to a welder, create a union from the 3 washer and four bolts, which will fasten the two major components together. Drill four holes to match the holes in the fan clutch. Use a 1/4 tap to cut threads in the holes. Unscrew the alternator pulley nut, remove the pulley and small fan. Slide the union over the alternator shaft---bolts pointing away from alternator, then reattach the alternator fan and nut onto the shaft (leave pulley off). The large nut will hold the union in place. Attach the fan clutch assembly to the bolts now protruding from the alternator. Tighten nuts with lock washers in place. Youll need: 3 washer, 3/16 thick, 5/8 hole. Electric drill 1/4 steel drill bit 1/4 thread tap 1/4 X 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 bolts (4) and lock washers (4) Washer (To determine length of bolts, stack the fan on top of the alternator with both shafts in line, fan pulley on alternator pulley. Measure length along the two shafts from back of alternator fan to back fan clutch hub. Use this length for the bolts.) Tower of Power Once you have all the generator components fastened together, mount it on your pole or tower. Insert the pipe on the generator inside the larger pole pipe (or the top of your tower). Use two steel washers together to create a bearing between the generator and tower for a smooth surface for the generator to pivot 360 degrees. Attach the positive and negative wires to the alternator and secure with zip ties, baling wire and/or duct tape on the bracket and along the tower. It isnt really homemade unless it has a little baling wire and duct tape on it somewhere, now is it?! Youll need assistance standing the tower and generator upright as it will be pretty heavy. Ropes and a come-along will help if youre going up fairly high. If its always windy in your location, you only need to be high enough off the ground to keep the moving parts safely overhead. Securely fasten your tower in place. The wind can be deceptively strong so do not cut corners on this final assembly stage. Now that youve erected the wind generator connect the wires to your battery(ies) with a charge controller in between to prevent over-under charging. Now youre ready to hit the lights, crank up the jams and bust out those old disco moves I know youve been saving up for an electric slide on the beach with your family and friends. Build and use at your own risk. My generator works fine but you are responsible for your work. Good Luck and Power Up! Read more: motherearthnews/renewable-energy/homemade-wind-generator-zbcz1407.aspx#ixzz3GbBFhJKD
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 13:46:02 +0000
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