Dec 15, 2025, 9:13:19 PM
|
Sweet Home 3D Forum » List all forums » » Forum: Sweet Home 3D bar » » » Thread: Off grid solutions » » » » Post: Re: Off grid solutions |
Print at Dec 15, 2025, 9:13:19 PM |
| Posted by ElfenM at Sep 14, 2015, 8:30:53 PM |
|
Re: Off grid solutions For heating using a fireplace, are you considering pipes in your fireplace? These draw in cold air from the bottom and shoots out hot air as the log burns within the recess area of the pipes. Though expensive here, you could probably make one for a lot less cheaper with the right tools: http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Fireplace-Acces...earance-Fireplace-4-Tubes There are fences one can use on "wind mill" generator if it is a vertical spinning turbine. If you use a Globe Style Turbine with external bracing (a few seen here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/321857326306 ) you can wrap thin chicken wire fencing around it with no wind loss. I've seen these (but as exhaust vents) all over NYC, with some buildings having as many as 10 on a roof, most used by restaurants for their kitchen exhaust. I've never heard of an animal crawling or crashing into one. Adding a shaft to a generator (some are built for that) is easy. The Wind generator noise comes from the gearing from the shaft of the wind blade to the generators. Direct drive units are practically noiseless. I forget the company name but there is a firm in Massachusetts that has an old style windmill connected directly to a car's alternator for its generator and has a braking system in case the RPMs get too high. It is noiseless and though it looks like an old style windmill, its about 1/2 to 1/4 the size; their small unit as a blade span of 4ft across. But their larger units which are gear driven are not noiseless but it low noise as it in a sealed transmission box. One thing I have not seen, maybe I skipped it, is have you figured out how much power you are going to need? Because no matter how much power you need, you need to generate twice as much. With Solar - 1/2 of it to run your daily needs and the other 1/2 to charge you batteries at the same time for night use. For wind for 24 hour usage, the same thing if not 4X as much as the wind is not always there for you when you need it. If you have a nearby stream, then you can go for Hyrdo-electric power with an old fashion water wheel, but you still need to make double of what you need. And don't forget the batteries. Last thing - upkeep and replacements! Ugh, a touchy subject here. With Wind and Water, they are basically maintenance free and last a life time if taken care of right. Just shut them down and clean and lube them up every 6 months or so - no more than an hour per unit. But solar? You need to wash them down every month, daily if it snows, and solar cells only last 10 - 15 years and then you need to replace them all! Over time their power output will drop and continue to drop to zero. Also one bad solar panel can screw up the others as they would try to run at the level of the damaged one, which I find strange but seen it demonstrated. Not saying that Solar is bad, it is great! But it is not as maintenance free as some people make it out to be. And batteries - they need to be replaced every 1 to 3 years, depending on the battery. The best solution is to mix all of these up and get a balanced output, and always have that gas generator back up. 1400W sounds like a lot, but I know hair dryers that use that much power! LOL! |
|
|
Current timezone is GMT Dec 15, 2025, 9:13:19 PM |