Hello,
I'm wondering, has anyone considered windmills to pump well water or irrigate? One of the oldest, and still made in America, is the Aermotor Windmill Co. They have a web site; www.aermotorwindmill.com Once you buy this machine, you always have water. They can pump 24/7. Even in a three mph wind, they will pump.
Check out the web site, and let me know what you think.
nobleknight
class 01-15-05
I do not have a commercial interest, but I do like the idea of free power. I sunk a 360' well on my property. I have a back up electric well pump, but how neat it would be to have such an old reliable low tech machine at my disposal. Once I save enough money, I'm going to buy one.
I grew up in Pennsylvania, and traveled that area a lot. I can still see these old windmills in my mind. In an emergency situation, wind power is silent and free.
nobleknight
class 01-15-05
I grew up in Alaska, where we didn't have windmills. My sister got married and left the state for the first time at 21; while driving across the west enroute to Texas, she asked her wiseacre husband what that was out in the pasture, and he replied "cowfans!" She bought it completely, and in a call back to my folks stated how well-treated the cows were, how they gathered around the cowfans to stay cool! My dairy-raised folks laughed about that to their graves! :lol:
I have been considering one of these windmills for in the future (15-20 years from now) for an off-the-grid home. My yet-to-be-tested plan was to buy a parcel that was sloped. The ultimate piece of land would have a spring near the top of the property, but a windmill wellpump would work too. Then I would bury a tank (a several hundred gallons at least) near the spring/pump to fill the tank. Next, I would to build my home 150 feet or more below the elevation of the tank, and run 2 inch or more poly between the tank and the home. The head pressure of 150 vertical water column should be 65 PSI.
Someone correct me if this is wrong. I don't want to go to the trouble if it wouldn't work. :lol:
If it is correct, then you'd have pressurized running water in your house without ever needing electric to get it. I realize that there will be a pressure drop with higher flow rate. I theorize that the larger the poly, the less the pressure drop.
Opinions please.
Just one thing about 'em ou ought to consider
They all make noise, and that noise increases with windspeed (I'm told some of the modern wind turbines sound downright alarming in a storm they "feather" to avoid overload and the airfoils, no longer inthe "right" orientation make a huge ruckus. Even in nice "power winds" they make a noise though, but whether it annoys you is a personal matter.
So you probably don't want them RIGHT by your house (or worse, attached to your house) , aside from the fact that the good places for wind turbines are usually rather windblown for a house site.
I have some friends in Maine that purchased a used windmill from a company in '99 (I don't remember the name of the company). What they found out was that what they purchased was the propeller and tower and that's all. The foundation, the batteries for storing the power and anything else that was needed to install, maintain or operate was not included. I don't remember the exact numbers, but the cost at least doubled from the original numbers they were given. They came away from the experience feeling as if they had just been taken advantage of, so please be careful and make sure that the company tells you all of the cost and what else you'll need to have the windmill operating properly at the end of the installation. Get it in writing!
Andy
We use these windmills to pump water for a hundred head of cows. We have a 2,000 gal tank and we have to shut it off quite often to keep it from overflowing and making a muddy mess. You would definitly want a good sized holding tank to supply water for no wind days. As far as the noise they arent that bad. I dont Know how much noise a wind turbine makes, and maybe im just use to it but these windmills arent that loud. In a matter of fact it reminds me of home and my cows which I like.
They make noise all right, but I never noticed it
as being that loud. Had one just about 25 feet
from my bed while growing up. The sound of it
turning was always comforting to me. Would like
to have a windmill just for the sound...the water
or electricity would just be an added dividend.
The windmill sat over the well and pumped water
up to a cistern about 25 feet above the house.
By the time we moved into the house around 1960
the well had been converted to an electrical pump.
My parents still own that house and was recently
told that this is the sole survivng windmill in the
central Washington area.
I fondly recall early summer mornings, leaving my
bedroom window, climbing over the roof and down
the windmill for breakfast or adventure. The summer
was spent daring each other to climb higher on the
windmill, making a raft and floating down the ditch to
the river. Fishing, hunting, and snorkling in the river.
Late night cycling, and a brief career as an amateur cyclist.
While growing up I didn't think my life was anything
special. In retrospect I can say that by the time I
was 18 years old I had already lived a lifetime when
compared to most people. I'd do it all over again...
I had a ball.
-Rick
Hey, folks--
Don't know much about regular old windmills, though I, too, think that they're cool.
But since this discussion did foray off into the bigger turbine style ones, I thought I would mention....
Lately, as more people are installing these to try and combat electrical costs, etc., (and Andy, what an experience your friends had! we felt the same about a solar set-up we had on a previous house... thanks for posting that note of caution!!!) there ARE starting to be complaints and zoning fights over them.
Recently in southern California, in a community of small acreages, quite rural in style and plenty windy, a couple of neighbors (only two, actually, from the sound of the story)banded together, and tried to get another neighbor's wind turbine disallowed by the local government.
I've not heard any resolution to the story, so not sure who's going to "win" this one. But it struck our elderly tenant and me that this was yet another case where "city" folks went to the "country" and then complained that it wasn't "like the city". This turbine was quite reasonable in size; there's a property in our similarly-sized and similarly-rural community that has two similarly-sized turbines which I drive by every day. They're kinda pretty, actually.
I personally couldn't see any reason why the one in the dispute ought to "bother" the neighbors, as they did not cite noise, and the thing was barely more "obvious" in the landscape than the local telephone poles. But as a number of members' stories have illustrated, even living in a rural area, one sometimes has a hard time being as "ruggedly individual" as one might like. :roll:
Sara :D
does anyone know what the gpm flow rate is for one of these in relation to windspeed or rpm's of the windmill :?:
There are entirely too many combinations of cylinder pumps, windmill diameters, and stroke settings to be able to give you a definitive answer.
But, this should answer your question . . . . maybe. :wink:
I don't know where he got his info about noise. My Grandpa had a few on his ranch of 2500 acres, they squeaked from needing oil but no noise other than squeaking. Yea I image you would have to shut them off nice problem. I was planning on getting one on my property-free water-after I pay for mill and drilling. I think he would stop it in heavy wind cant remember. I think he at least shut it off-the one by his house. They did not even have a phone until the 70's.
If you wanted to call them you had to call a neighbor and they would patch it in with CB radio. No inside toilet until the 60's. Yea you had to walk outside away's to get to the outhouse. Always thought my grandma liked it out there-said she hated it. She claimed she was a city girl. My grandma actually met Wyatt Earp-she was born in Dodge City Kansas.
http://www.windenergy.com/united_states.htm
I had a small airx to help provide power at night , not for pumping. It wasn't too loud. I think most of the manufacturers provide some sort of noise rating. My airx had a manual swith to shut it off, for high wind problems (like 75 mph that tore my solar tracker off.)
Joined: 2005-01-20