Hydro-electric?

[kevthebassman]

I always see folks talking about solar, wind, etc, but does anyone toy around with their own hydro-electric power?  It seems to me that if done right, it could be more reliable than either source.

[moxgrove]

I think it would work in a warm weather state. Here in MN most water freezes over for almost half the year. I wonder how sensitive it is to varying water levels. It was the first source of power for grain and sawmills so it has quite a bit going for it though. It just might be seasonal up here.

[Graybeard]

Ya need a free flowing at least most of the year stream to make it work. How many of us have that on or as a property boundary on our land? I sure don't but do kinda wish I did. I do have a pond but it depends on rain water and run off from nearby land to fill it and while it does from time to time over flow the actual time water flows from it on an annual basis is quite small.

[kevthebassman]

Here in Missouri where I live, it's rare that running water freezes, maybe once a year.  If the global warming folks are right, it shouldn't be much of a problem.  I live near a small river that's always got a pretty good flow, but I'm not near enough to it that I could actually use it.  In the future though I would like to buy some property and build on it, and use home-grown energy instead of having to pay to run electric.  We get a lot of ice storms, and rural folks are lucky if they aren't out of power for a week of more at least once a year.  I figure in a situation like that, having your own source of energy just makes sense.

[moxgrove]

I moved back to MN from Nixa,MO a couple years ago and I agree back up energy is a must. I am also interested in biodiesel generators or even ethanol. I know a propane grill and wood burning fireplace can make the difference when the city utes go out when it is cold.  A buddy also does the corn stove thing. He has one in the shop and one in the 3 bedroom house. last year he burned a little under 750 bushels in Minnesota.

[Totenkopf]

I use it to irrigate my land. I have a creek that flows year round. Initially I built  a water wheel with car piston  in PVC pipe to airate trout pond. I toyed around for some time on an irrigation system because I had been given 10- 6' rolls of 3/8" tube that could not sustain enough pressure to sell at a friend's company. I poked holes in the tubing and set out burying it. I couldn't figure out a mechanical devise to run off the wheel  with enough pressure to pump the water more than an acre or so.
 I finally  decided to go electric. I just put a pulley on the existing water wheel. It is just a 6' spool the rubber tubing was on. Then mounted two 6v ford generators to a lawnmower deck so I can engage or disengage belt to generators. Generators are ran together for 12v then wired straight to a 600 gph 12v pump. A 3/4" 5 psi regulator is on the output of the pump. I run it for 1 day then off for 6. I have roughly 18-20 acres irrigated. Total cost was $100 for pump, $5 for regulator and $28 for a case of 3/8" Tee fittings. And I had to buy a ditch witch, but sold it for a bit of profit. So in reality I guess the whole system was free.

[bilmac]

I like. I had always understood that you had to have a lot of head to get any energy from water. I assume then that your wheel is just the equivalant of the wheel on a paddle wheel boat, the bottom dips in the current. If you are irrigating, your system doesn't need to work in the winter.

[Badnews Bob]

Thats the problem with hydro around here, Plenty of water but none of it moves fast enuff nor drops far enuff. You might get a very small hobby system working but it wouldn't put out enuff to be really useful. Same with wind Ky is well below the average for wind turbines. And not real good for solar.

[victorcharlie]

Around here the EPA doesn't play nice when altering a stream.  Sterling Marlin got fined 10,000 dollars for pushing the bank out of a small branch so he could get his tractor into his other field.

The watershed act, from what I've been told, requires an environmental impact study before approving any such changes.

Seems a fellow can't just go out and dig a pond or dam a stream anymore.

[Totenkopf]

I like. I had always understood that you had to have a lot of head to get any energy from water. I assume then that your wheel is just the equivalent of the wheel on a paddle wheel boat, the bottom dips in the current. If you are irrigating, your system doesn't need to work in the winter.

I just built a cradle with sealed PVC pipes underneath to get the right buoyancy. The wheel's centerline is about a foot above the water. A trough was built 45 deg to left and right to increase pressure on wheel. The gens are huge from old ford tractors. The paddles are all the way from the center to the outside edge on the spool. Output is 14.4 volts and 10-40 amps depending on flow. The gearing ratio is 50x faster at the gens. I do not use in winter but wheel has never frozen in current. Electrical output could be used. My irrigation is only buried 12" so it freezes in winter. Just a simple design, you guys could do better, I don't know a whole lot about this stuff. I live 100% off the grid, but paid to have a system installed. I am currently working on projects for my cabin so this forum will help me a lot.

[Graybeard]

Once upon a time in the days of my youth and even into my 20s and maybe 30s I was pretty good at abstract stuff but these days for some reason my mind just doesn't seem to comprehend in the same way as it used to. Could you post a photo or some photos of the way you have the rig set up at the water. I just cannot picture it in my mind from your description the way I once could do such things.

[Totenkopf]

 Sorry no digital camera, dog kicked it in lake off of boat not to long ago. I found a similar setup. He uses a gear drive and a 12v gen. Mine is just in the middle of the creek on a raft with hole cut out for wheel and a pontoon setup with the pipes for extra buoyancy. The setup on this link is a lot simpler to build than what I did, wish i would have searched first.
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Hydro/UnderShot/WaterWheel.htm

[Cornbelt]

For what its worth, efficiency wise, the best is the turbine, then overshot, then undershot. To figure head pressure, you get an extra 2.31 lbs per foot height (at sea level). There is another gadget that makes sense if you have any amount of fall, which is a ram pump. Works on water flow and can pump a lot higher than the fall itself. Of course the higher it pumps, the less goes out, but could fill a pond, or tank, on higher ground from which to power your equipment. Has a couple vacume bulbs with a foot valve, and needs no other source of power than water flow.

[Ahshucks]

http://www.otherpower.com/otherpower_hydro.html



http://www.focusonenergy.com/data/common/dmsFiles/W_RH_MKFS_Turning%20water%20into%20electricity.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/energy/library/hydro/layman2.pdf

http://www.waterwheelfactory.com/