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DIY water wheel generator

7K views 19 replies 12 participants last post by  pastornator 
#1 ·
Anyone have any ideas about this ?????:sleep:
 
#3 ·
Inflatable pontoon raft (personal fishing platform) tethered in river curve by several strands of field wire (WD1TT). On board raft, a paddle wheel constructed of rear bike wheel with clip on boards, chain drive to an internally regulated self exciting alternator. Feed DC up the tether to base camp, enjoy LED light, computer, tunes, maybe even an electric blanket.

300' of 1" flexible plastic tubing deployed up creek bed for 75' of vertical head. Rear bike wheel with clip on pelton wheel cups. Chain driven internally regulated self exciting alternator. Pelton wheels are noisy so you should camp farther away, perhaps an inverter to AC with power carrying lines or rechargeable batteries.
 
#5 ·
Run a search for historic windmills in your area, and in the rest of Appalachia, and you'll find more pictures than you can use of overshot wheels, undershot wheels, and even the occasional drop-wheel rig. Then go take a long and serious look at a Ferris wheel at one of the spring carnivals and see how it is made light, simple and easy to break down. Then go for it....

Location will have to have good flow and a decent drop. A gallon of water weighs a bit over eight pounds, and a fall of ten feet will give you about eighty foot pounds per gallon. You won't get more energy out of the system than the water will put into it.

As to reduction fittings, they increase pressure, not flow. If you have a good drop with considerable volume, a reduction fitting and a pelton wheel will give you pretty efficient spin at generator RPMs.

6556, sound like some of the steam stuff?
 
#7 ·
In order to respond with any useful info a LOT of information is needed.

One could post.. "any thoughts on space travel" "any thoughts on building a boat" "any thoughts on painting' "any thoughts on gravity"


A waterwheel generator? Well... What would you like to generate? how much? Do you want to lite an LED or to supply all the electrical power for a town? What about location? is it a brook that's two three inches deep and a foot across? Is it a river that freezes for several months a year? Is it (by local government) a navigable water way that has boat traffic?
Does this water way flood?
Do you want to carry this waterwheel around with you? Will it be a permanent installation?
Do you already have some parts that you would like to use?
Do you have a budget? Do you have any craftsmanship skills? Electronics? mechanics? carpenter? what about Tools?

I could go on, and so could others.
 
#9 ·
In order to respond with any useful info a LOT of information is needed.
....

I could go on, and so could others.
Why do some of you people insist on berating and patronizing people in these threads? It's really out of control on these boards lately. I can't speak for the OP on exactly what info they were after with this thread, but I can be almost 100% certain it wasn't the dialog you contributed in your reply. Nor the implied condescending tone you used.

I have a suggestion for you and others that post similar types of replies. If, in the future, you happen upon threads that either (a) you don't like, or (b) aren't offered in the same manner you would write your own thread, simply ignore them and move along. You won't even need to waste your time writing the snarky replies like the one above. It's really quite simple to do.

However, if you simply cannot resist the urge to say something, then try to talk to people in the same way you would like to be talked to. Think about how you would talk to someone in a face-to-face conversation, and try to emulate that type of talk when writing your reply.
 
#8 ·
Ive seen a water generator thats not a water wheel but more of like a boat motor droped into the water with a cage around the prop. It didn't generate alot of power but it was a way to do with with out effecting the natural ecosystem. We have lots of salmon around here and the hippies go bonkers if you dam things up. Its also good for areas that freeze because you could remove it easily.

Might be something you could look into.
 
#16 ·
Thanks for the link to the free book pastornator.

Hopefully I can get the pelton wheel cups cast this summer and weld up the clamps to use with the draw knifed planks. Useful to be able to take advantage of either flow or pressure. More than likely will build my own small alternator or find a proper sized permeate magnet DC motor.
 
#17 ·
I live close to a river that is about 75 feet wide and fast running shoals. Perfect place for a floating water wheel powering a generator.
Large pulley cabled to a tree on the other side of the river, and a pulley cabled to a tree on my side of the river and a cable loop from pulley to pulley,(like an outside clothes line) up about 25' in the trees. Attach a 75' long cable to the "Clothes line"" cable and pull the raft with a 8' dia water wheel and a electric generator out in the middle of the fast running shoals. When not in use I could pull the raft back to the river bank and tie off. Power wires from the generator and run attached to the steel cable to the river bank to a small 6'X 8' shed that houses the batteries and AC inverter for 120volt AC to my house.
The only thing that is standing in my way is the Gov, Darn-- so I guess I will just have to buy more solar panels for my system. :( Pops
 
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