https://nooutage.com/aquair-uw.htm
I have the stream usable for 9-10 months out of the year.
Appears to be a DC electric trolling motor reversed.
A different manufacture says their same type of unit needs a minimum 4 foot depth installed to make the power. I only have that maybe 4-5 months.
S.U.
Oh thatâs a run of the river you have no head
Shucks I canât see much value in that
Exactly. This year around stream our property touches for 100 feet then has no Head-fall.
I cannot penstock length built th~1000 feet upstream to get a 40-80 foot head drop. Or the equivalent ~60 PSI for a 500-1000 watt system.
This stream is actually a known and registered as a seasonal salmon & trout spawning upper stream too.
So that; combined with my Washington States law not allowing the persoanal use; diversion or storage of more than 10,000 gallons of water mean no hope for a 4-6 foot drop diversion damming either.
But any Iâve shown this flowing stream energy flowing past me to visiters and they all say, Oh-My-Oh-My. Free-Energy.
So with no direct PV solar now; or stream flow now I make no Freedom energy from theses potnetials⌠Anything I would going-forward make, without going overboard elaborate; Big-System bought-in (Grid-Tied; with permits, inspections, approvals, public notifications - a WA State requirement) would be an added plus, yes, to our current zero.
2.4 kW-hours a day there for 200 day a year. 2-4 kW-hours a day for 100 days of PV solar. A TEG in-woodstove system using current technology, 1.0 kW-hours a day a day for 250 days . . .
It all adds up.
Anyhow that manual download is very needs-to-be informative, yes to do a trolling motor adapt. Their UK developed $1,000 base system was made for corrosive ocean and tidal basin usageâs, too.
The for-military system Iâd linked to previously, was painted and instructed for man packable remote conditions, to be installed very, very discreetly. For recharging communications equipmentâs.
Making-Do is in theme of your link that you put up
Regards
Steve Unruh
This is a project I had planned for our old rental and never got to, was going to pair it with the pv system for 24 hr charging capabilities. The basic design is very simple to build but i was stuck on what to use as a generator. One fellow built a version of this with i think it was a treadmill motor on each side, but this is another one of those prototypes that vanished and company doesnt exist from what i can find. I think this could be easily camouflaged as a stump or rock. Rolls with the current, rise and lower with water level fluctuations for our seasonal rain dumps here in washington
Ha! I found the military system back in my old notes. Bourne Energy out of Malibu California.
Hereâs the only light-info link still active:
This next link appears not-supported, inactive anymore. Shame. It showed illustrations on banks anchoring, no-see; best results, in-stream placement and such:
https://www.defensereview.com/tag-packable-power-system
A couple of others, even thinner on any real information:
https://inhabitat.com/portable-hydroelectric-generator-in-a-backpack-power-plant/
https://newatlas.com/bourne-energys-riverstar-current-electricty-generators-the-new-face-o/8922/
Anyhow probably pictured was a hand-built prototype system offered up for funding and contracts exploring. It was skinnier, longer with a set of three foldable downstream larger blades. And 500 watts capable then needed the weight of the depth of 4 feet of water to keep the flow energy focused going thru the blades and not backing up, and over and around by-passing.
S.U.
I have scrapped a few treadmill motors. Repowered my drill press. Repowered my WW2 era gunsmithâs lathe. I used the lathe real hard and burned out the control board. Grinding dust may have been a factor, not certain. Now am in the process of replacing the burned out board and the motor that went with it with another motor and board that came out of a more expensive treadmill, made in USA, Leeson. I was able to use the motor as a brake to stop the spindle quickly when I turned it off by shunting generated current through two ceramic resistors. I got a lot of work done on that old lathe and I count this as one of my successes.
Anyhoo, yes, you can use a brush dc motor from a treadmill as a generator. However, in your case I would try to use an automotive alternator: 1) they are made to run slower 2) they are ruggedized to the point where salt spray will go right through them without doing any harm.
Thatwas the issue I was running into is most alternators want to see at least 2000 rpm to start making amps, and there is no way to do that direct drive on that float. I was looking at stealing the gear system off a bicycle to get it up to the correct rpm, but was looking at other options so bike chain didnât have issue with rusting or gears not shifting and the like
The hydrocat doesnât use direct drive. They have a 2-step gearbox which you can see at 1:11 in this video hidden where the hub is. Since it is a boat, you may need to register it as a watercraft. They appear to be about the size of a paddleboat, so hiding it as a stump or rocks probably wonât work unless you downsize it. but you could âdock itâ against the shore without being to conspicuous especially if you put a seat on it, because ultimately you can reverse the motor and it would power the boat.
treadmill motors max at like 90v and 18 amps. They typically are belt driven so reversing the pulleys and using a belt might be closer to what you want. But really if you can use a belt around the outer diameter of the paddle, you will get a bigger gear ratio.
I should also mention, I donât think they are getting very much power from it. I suspect one treadmill motor is about all it can handle.
On that inhabitat siteâs search box using âhydroelectric generatorâ the Bourne Energy article shows up listed.
Also another article on a mini-Japanese system: Ibasei-Cappa.
It is also an in-stream flow submersible reaction turbine type. But this one a ducted housed system with a right angle driven PM generator head. This allows it to be a larger diameter, lower RPM, with more poles for less clogging. And then can have an optimized geared ratio drive for the blades versus the generator:
https://inhabitat.com/mini-hydropower-generator-creates-clean-energy-without-building-dams-accross-rivers/
Worth finding this article as they have a pictures-graphics slide show embedded. Shows a flows pressure-speed cross-sectional.
Load the link above. Type in âhydroelectric generatorâ into the Search box. Hit the green SEARCH button.
S.U.
My pv charge controler is tapped out at 40 amps ( renogy rover li 40 mppt) and my panels on their best day get 12-30 amps, so at the time I would have been happy to get 15-20 amps night time charging capabilities a little over trickle charge would have been enough with my theb small battery bank to run all the 110v in the house overnight. Now my bank is larger, but no year round stream to play with and dont see enough wind to try that route as suplemental charging so pv for the wifes hobbie shop is whatever I can get until I go with a bigger charge controller and more panels but that wont be needed till I find a piece of dirt I can call my own and by then I expect washington will find a way to penalize for being off grid. Already have to have power wether you use it or not so they get their service fees. Other more inviting option is finding a proper generator to run off one of the trucks systems
Iâm going to slip this in here because Marcus is mentioning PV. I am not interested in getting gaslit here. If you are not a prepper just skip this. I do not invest in PV because it is not going to remain functional in a coming time of volcanic ground and atmospheric ash. You will have Acid rain. Sulfer Dioxide and it is corrosive to the aluminum frames of your panels. This is just in case you have not considered these things.
Not joking, the service fee and gouging claims/battle has been going on for literally about a century. It isnât a simple formula, and they are heavily regulated. It doesnât mean arenât but their costs are higher then most anticipate as well.
The big change is the Federal government wants people to do home generation. Because it could significantly reduce the amount of infrastructure that needs to be built by trillions of dollars.
The states arenât necessarily on board with it, nor utilities which have more influence at the state level (there are like 3000k utlities and 200 are utilities that do distribution, the rest do generation or own power lines.)
You will be able to find a way to use your truck gasifier on your grid and well into the future. There really isnât a âproperâ way. It just depends on whether you want to still drive it or not. And what you are comfortable doing and of course how much money you want to put towards the project, and I donât think it ends up to be cheap anyway you do it. There are basically only a couple of ways. You do a standalone unit. If you want it driveable, you either convert directly to electric and use an electric drivetrain, or you keep the existing drivetrain in tact and pony something off it. OR have a physical disconnect say disconnect the driveshaft.
This could just as easily go in the wood supply thread, but in a attemp to use my own generated power ill put it here
Got a load of 2x6 and 2x4 cull lumber from one of my yards this week 8 and 10â flavors. The wife has been running her workshop off the new bi-mart on sale deep cycle battery bank for a few weeks up to this point
I cant say that was exactly a gallon of gasoline worth of energy the math is over my head to figure it exactly, but the wood pile has passed first stage of processing and is now easily handleable size for chunking. The extra irony being the to-be revived generator on the bed sitting many years with no fuel pump headed to the shop for repairs and to live again. Step dads will be tractor bucket mobile energy source he needs for back 40 projects. Only time investment for wood supply today, unfortunately chunky is dino powered for now at the premium non ethanol price of 5.35 gallon. Will take close to half a gallon to chunk this pile by my estimates and in turn power a truck a good few miles
Iâm curious about the cups.
Thats my wife hobby business she buys blank coffee tumblers and creates whever a customer wants for design onto them. I have a couple that are woodgrain 
blonde for maple, real dark ones like burnt oak. She has a etsy store where she sells them and has several coffee shops here in washington that she does cups for in large batches with company logos she has a real artistic creative mind this is what she came up with for a hobby. Only downside is the glitter from the real detail cups gets everywhere. And I mean EVERY-WHERE. I have found it has made its way to my office at work from my clothes and shoes its in my trucks⌠but she comes up with some really cool ones. And I get to excersise my solar system with it
Canât be that bad. I havenât noticed your beard glittering in the videos. The two deer cups you showed are really nice. Are these all plastic cups or can she do the same on coffee mugs.
She has done plastic cups for kids sets (cheap to do) but mostly she does the heavy duty stainless steel coffee tumblers. Couple of her customers have sent Yeti cups that she did up too and some of the heavy plastic starbucks style ones
Hi All,
Yesterday I finished the most important baseline tests on my new H.F. 9500/7600 Inverter-generator.
Run times on common one gallon US E-10 gasoline at maximum electrical wattage and still in a lower RPM Eco mode. ~2800 RPM.
Two runs averaging 1.8 hours each at a 4000 watt loading 240vac per gallon.
This approximately simulates the continuous electrical power to run my deep well pump.
So in a wildfire forced Grid-shutdown; forced mandatory evacuation, I could gasoline fuel up and have wetting sprinklers around the house going unattended for 12 hours.
And in a true Grid-without, no-more -gasoline I could fuel this woodgas made, batch cycled, based on my hopper size, for almost 4 hours. Matching our off-Grid slimmed down electrical usages. And matching my old-man ability to daily process the wood fuel neededâŚ
Interesting exchanges going on here now.
SeanOâs very astute push and pulling between what our US Federal GovâMint wants versus what the actual current electrical energy suppliers and distributors want.
I, we; kinndaâ cheat them both. Pay out monthly for Grid connect services. Then minimize the consumption usages as much as possible down to their minimums. Appear to be conventional. Appear to be societal bought-in.
But then, we DO use out own wood for seasonal heating needs at least 80%.
Able to immediately step-in with our own made power, if, and when, they would fail us.
And this is just me, the wife and a few others we value . . . IF we go PV for some seasonal electrical will be directly bought, owned and controlled by us.
No Big-Grid buying in supporting from us other than that monthly service fees is our goals.
We did not ask for, or receive a single one of the GovâMint Covid borrow-from-China wet-ink funny-money checks.
And then Marcus and his Wifeâs PV system being used, refined, expanded for a real use, NOW.
Be really easy to just pay more out to Big-Grid. Then having to work out sweat-out for the $'s to sink-in, more dependent.
Thatâs what âtheyâ want you to do. Brainiac inventors cashing-in; Investors making money âgrowâ; social-politicoâs âgrowingâ their powers and influences.
Instead. Do what you want to do.
Wood-for-Power, as actually self-replenishing stored solar power so is a valid way.
Steve unruh
Hi Norman , first can i say your wife is a very talented artist what a great idea , now i hope you donât mind but i noticed your battery bank , its a little passion of mine and never being able to afford brand new batteries have always had to make do with someone elseâs cast offs , to which there is no shortage of them coming into Brians scrap yard and over the years i have managed to get life back into a whole heap of these mistreated or mis diagnosed batteries due to the owners not taking care of them , i looked at your wiring of your battery bank and i have a recommendation that will help extend the life of your batteries if you look at one of many sites that show the reason behind what i mean .
I am not sure if they mention it on this site but its critical that all connecting wires and lugs are the same lengths and size so they balance the resistance equally .
IF you look at diagram number 3 i think this is how yours is wired , and then look at number 4 .
Hope this makes sense , Dave
Ps Tom did you manage to sort out your battery problem ?
https://www.windynation.com/jzv/inf/how-configure-battery-bank
I have seen that before but did not have a full understanding of it, it makes sense basically 4 batteries banked in pairs and then together. I have only before done the same as you random mis diagnosed batteries picked up here and there when available this is my first bank more then 2 batteries, and first time they are a new matched set. Only was able to afford then after saving up and waiting for the sale to come on and had to buy then through a friend since they sold out of my store very quickly before i got there. My last bank of 2 heavy truck batteries 10 years old when I got them lasted 7 years before they would not hold a load I was pretty happy with that they were free after all. This was the recommeneded wiring in the rover manual so I just went by the directions given
