THE ANSWER IS BLOWIN' IN THE WIND
(Page 6 of 10)
November/December 1973
By James B. DeKorne
In the case of our infamous first adventure, we tried to lower a tower and generator with a line tied to the back of my pickup truck while two men "steadied" the assembly by holding lines perpendicular to the lowering line. The photograph (No. 4) was taken only an instant before the rig got out of control and crashed into the ground ... bending the tower, breaking the cast-iron generator housing and gear box in several places and plowing a big hole in the soil. It was a lesson that could have been tragic ... anyone struck by the failing tower would have been killed instantly.
RELATED CONTENT
With a little bit of time, basic mechanical skills, and some inexpensive and recycled parts, you ca...
James B. DeKorne explains his unique homemade ecosystem: a solar-heated combination fish tank and g...
Build a bicycle generator with a bicycle, a battery, and an automobile alternator, and you can prod...
This low-investment wind plant is a backyard tinkerer's dream....
Idea, design, templates and instruction for this energy generator, including the collector, digeste...
All right then: how do you get wind generators down? After talking with farmers who remember putting them up, and having the rare good fortune of obtaining an operating and installation manual for an old Wincharger, we were able to construct a device from two-inch water pipe which served the purpose (see Drawing No. 3).
This device is securely bolted to the tower with enough room above the generator to lift it free of its mounting with a block and tackle. Remove the propellers, vane and any other easily removable parts from below with the help of an assistant on the ground who handles the block and tackle. The generator itself will, of course, be the last and heaviest load.
Bear in mind that many of the nuts and bolts you'll be working with are likely to be quite rusty. A can of Liquid Wrench or a similar product will help considerably in loosening them. Be most careful of parts under tension ... it's a hair-raising experience to have a spring-loaded tail vane pop loose on you when there's no place to duck! Wear a hard hat in any case: I wish I'd had one when I was up there (see Photo No. 3 and learn from my mistakes).
You'll also find that a carpenter's tool pouch, or a pouch such as telephone linemen use, will be a good investment. It's most inconvenient to have your pockets bristling with screwdrivers, wrenches and hammers . . . and a constant bother to have to worry about the possibility that a tool may fall from your pocket and brain your buddy on the ground.
GET IT DOWN AND TAKE IT HOME
Once the generator is off the tower you're ready to haul it home and tear it down to see what makes it tick. If you didn't buy the whole tower, be sure you take the "stub" . . . the top five feet or so which contains the generator's pivoting mechanism and the all-important slipring collector. (This is the device which allows the generator to turn in any direction without twisting the wires which lead to the battery bank.)
Be double-sure to ask the former owner for any wires and control boxes which go with the generator. If you're fortunate, he'll have them stashed away in the toolshed . . if not, you'll just have to have an electrician make up a control box for you (see the wiring diagram—Drawing No. I—reproduced from an old Wincharger manual). If your generator is a 32-volt model, and you don't plan on installing a device which converts 3 2 volts DC to 110 volts AC, remember to ask the seller if he has any old 32-volt DC motors lying around. He'll have no more use for them but you'll certainly find them handy for powering tools, etc.
Page:
<< Previous 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 | 6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
Next >>
