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Little mill not so funny now
By ghurd, Section Rants & Opinion Posted on Mon Apr 18th, 2005 at 03:32:03 PM MST
3 hour grid loss in the neighborhood

Power out means people out on the porch and sidewalks.
My cordless phone rings.
"How does that work with the power out?" they ask.
"Remember that funny little windmill that was in the yard?
The phone is running from the battery it charged" I answered.
Now they think it is great, after I moved it 40 miles!
Before it was an eyesore.
Honestly, it would win the "Ugliest Mill Contest", hands down.
But MY phone works!
Hehe.
G-

Little mill not so funny now | 15 comments (15 topical, 0 editorial)

Re: Little mill not so funny now (3.00 / 0) (#1)
by nothing to lose (nothingtolose175 at yahoo.com) on Mon Apr 18th, 2005 at 10:23:04 AM MST
(User Info)

Cool, maybe they learned something right about that time :)

Thank you also for reminding me, it is getting warm, I should expect to be without power for at least 2 hours 2 days in a row! Either later this week or comming weeks really soon. I geuss I need to go to the remote house and bring back the 5k inverter and get batteries ready here! I think it's normally a Thursday and Friday each year.

Happens every year, you watch though, I will go to all that trouble and this year they will forget to have the outage :(
.
nothing to lose

Spelin and tpying are my strong points, not electronics.

Re: Little mill not so funny now (3.00 / 0) (#6)
by ghurd on Mon Apr 18th, 2005 at 02:32:25 PM MST
(User Info)

This was more of an accident that I could not have planned better.
Everything was just handy.
I think they are used to me inverter charging the cell phone for a test load on various solar panels.

But I loved saying the phone was powered from the windmill that was not here anymore!

G-

[ Parent ]

Re: Little mill not so funny now (3.00 / 0) (#2)
by Norm (peppysue@suite224.net) on Mon Apr 18th, 2005 at 11:59:39 AM MST
(User Info)

That's what I'm after...quaint looking little
windmills ornamental looking...painted GardenGreen and Schoolbus Yellow! Whimsical...
power producing cute little powerplants.
Funny how those same people that think of these as eysores will run a power lawnmower at full blast...rusted out muffler dull blade junk
laying all around and wonder why you stand outside and glare at them. (then ask you if you
can fix it after it goes KLUNK!)

(One of these days maybe I'll be able to tell them
something like...
'See that windmill over there?...
That's part of your lawnmower engine that the
blades are spinning! ...notice how much quiter
it's running now?'

...Well maybe not...but it's fun just thinking
thoughts like that!
Havin' Fun in NE Ohio!
( :>) Norm.
( :>) Norm

Re: Little mill not so funny now (3.00 / 0) (#5)
by ghurd on Mon Apr 18th, 2005 at 02:28:07 PM MST
(User Info)

That little grey conversion I had will work in your yard.
Double up that ZubWoofer and you have 12v!
G-

[ Parent ]

Re: Little mill not so funny now (3.00 / 0) (#3)
by richhagen (richhagen (a t) Juno.com) on Mon Apr 18th, 2005 at 12:26:35 PM MST
(User Info)

Glad your phone and internet works. Did you get anything neat setup with the little blades? I used a 3/4" shedule 40 over a 3/8" schedule 40 for a yaw bearing on the second test one here, welded the 3/8" into a 3/4" below. I wired the stepper like Commanda (Amanda from the land down under) suggested to test the output. Seems to be working well so far, but as always when you put up something new, not much wind. Rich
'A Joule saved is a Joule made'

Re: Little mill not so funny now (3.00 / 0) (#4)
by ghurd on Mon Apr 18th, 2005 at 02:24:47 PM MST
(User Info)

Still no wind here.
Moved the little conversion last week.
The battery was handy, grabbed the 50w inverter from the car, presto- cordless phone. Phone calls mean money so I hate to miss them.

The little blades will keep turning in the 'gusts' after a little help.
I have a balance problem with them I did not get fixed yet, so they need the little help (I just slapped them together when they arrived- kid at Christmas)
Remember I am talking almost no breese here. They will not register on the RatShak meter that needs 6mph minimum.
But MAN, once they start they really get zipping!

Much faster than the fan blades in the same breese.

I also think my little conversion starts easier than the steppers,
but it could be the fan blades have much more torque.
Or it could be I got 3 suggestions for decogging and did them all.
Larger air gap, skewed, and staggered one pair of mags.

G-

[ Parent ]

Re: Little mill not so funny now (3.00 / 0) (#7)
by richhagen (richhagen (a t) Juno.com) on Mon Apr 18th, 2005 at 04:33:10 PM MST
(User Info)

I've been adding washers to the bolts on the hub to balance them. Also, ordered the blades from heaviest to lightest, and put the closest matching pairs opposite from each other - of course I could have just sanded them some more to even them out. Rich
'A Joule saved is a Joule made'
[ Parent ]

Re: Little mill not so funny now (3.00 / 0) (#8)
by nothing to lose (nothingtolose175 at yahoo.com) on Tue Apr 19th, 2005 at 03:16:33 AM MST
(User Info)

What kind of small blades are you guys ordering and sizes?

My last motor conversion was junk, time to do something else again. Still thinking about replacment tops for those rattle trap yard ornaments people buy. need to stay about 2' blade for those I geuss, maybe could work a 3' but probably pushing it.
.
nothing to lose

Spelin and tpying are my strong points, not electronics.

Re: Little mill not so funny now (3.00 / 0) (#9)
by ghurd on Tue Apr 19th, 2005 at 09:18:11 AM MST
(User Info)

They are 12" carved blades, 24" dia.

The neighbor has a rattle trap. About 1 or 2 times a year, we get these huge winds, like 60-70mph. Shredded a $200 boat cover in an hour.
Maybe 10 years and his rattle trap has not tipped over even once.
I believe the multi blades like those push back pretty hard, but 3' is a lot more area than 2'.

[ Parent ]

Re: Little mill not so funny now (3.00 / 0) (#10)
by nothing to lose (nothingtolose175 at yahoo.com) on Tue Apr 19th, 2005 at 12:56:01 PM MST
(User Info)

"Maybe 10 years and his rattle trap has not tipped over even once.
I believe the multi blades like those push back pretty hard, but 3' is a lot more area than 2'."

Must be a differnt type of rattle trap than I reffer too, better made or something, most of them I think fly apart in less than 2 years if they make that. There is half of one :) I pass every time I go anywhere, I think it's maybe 2 years old. By half of one I mean half the blades are gone, tower is still just fine though it's only about 6-8' tall.

"They are 12" carved blades, 24" dia."
Are these something to buy, or did someone just make them up?
If they are to buy, how much they selling for, and where to order if I want some later if you don't mind posting it. Maybe not something that is supposed to be posted so that's understood too if that's the case.

As time goes on I am looking for alot of things. Only buying some of them, but always looking.
.
nothing to lose

Spelin and tpying are my strong points, not electronics.
[ Parent ]

Re: Little mill not so funny now (3.00 / 0) (#11)
by BeenzMeenzWind (Grotbagseatssnails@lineone.net) on Sat Apr 23rd, 2005 at 12:46:55 PM MST
(User Info)

One of my neighbours (our local councilman, actually) has one of those stupid wind ornaments in his back yard. It makes a hell of a racket if the wind gets up, as have mentioned in his earshot on a few occasions.

Anyway, I was happily bolting a meccano bracket to the wall (7 feet up and with a 10" model aircraft 3 blader and Lego motor as a genny) , to power a NiMH cell and a pair of white LEDs as nightlights for my porch.

The same sanctimonious ba... bloke strolled by and commented, 'You need planning permission for that. Take it down, or I'll report you!'

I think I may have used a couple of expletives.

I checked, by the way, and he's wrong. There are no planning regulations (in North Wales) concerning any 'mainly decorative' items that are attached to your house provided they pose no danger of injury to passers-by. Happily, the same rule applies to balconies, so I'm currently welding a pretty one together. That should annoy him.
'....If I even knew that I know nothing, that'd be something. But I don't!'
[ Parent ]

Re: Little mill not so funny now (3.00 / 0) (#12)
by nothing to lose (nothingtolose175 at yahoo.com) on Sat Apr 23rd, 2005 at 05:25:55 PM MST
(User Info)

Yes in many places as long as it is a pain in the butt and severves no usefull purpose you need no permits or anything. It the same thing is usefull forget it, you have to pay fees and get permits, zoning codes etc...

Large ugly nasty filthy bird bath is fine,
Nice airiated shallow fish pond you got to have a permit. Meet codes etc..
Raise fish in bird bath!

I know someone this happened too :(

Everyone in his nieghborhood would rather have the pretty fish pond now instead of the ugly concrete eyesore. But he built what was easy and aloughed, and made it really ugly for spite.

That's why I'd like to design some small useable gennies that just look like an airplane for a wind vane, and hide wires, for the city folks. They could fly those without question as long as no-one knows it's really usefull for something.

I don't have that problem here in the middle of no-where, yet!!!
.
nothing to lose

Spelin and tpying are my strong points, not electronics.
[ Parent ]

Re: Little mill not so funny now (3.00 / 0) (#13)
by BeenzMeenzWind (Grotbagseatssnails@lineone.net) on Sun Apr 24th, 2005 at 08:42:47 AM MST
(User Info)

Nice to know it's not just my neighbourhood!

The same pr&$k I mentioned before has recently bought a Toyota Corolla. It's a horrible green colour. I asked him about it and he said, proudly, that he'd chosen that particular car as it supported local workers.

Now, in principle, he'd be correct. Toyota have a huge engine plant across the river from me, employing 2000 local people. Unfortunately, the model he's chosen is the 1.6 litre. THAT engine, and the entire car it's fitted to, is made overseas!

I have a fishpond in my garden, made from an old plastic water tank, scrap ply and leftover logs. It looks great! (he says modestly)It's less than 3 feet square, attached to the front of my house, and is in a shaded corner. I have so far had 5 complaints because it has a little solar powered water pump on it that sucks up about 3 litres an hour and trickles it down an array of ivy leaves made from thin copper sheet and fishing line. I'm sitting 6 feet away as I write this, with the window open and I can't hear it. The complainers claim it is noisy at night and keeps them awake. Not one of them is within 50 feet of the thing and the flow slows right down at night as the NiMH battery runs down.

There are also complaints made about the smell of my van. It runs on biodiesel, made from FREE used vegetable oil that I periodically collect from local restaurants. I quite honestly pay the UK government the 27.1 pence per litre tax I'm supposed to and enjoy my cheap, trouble-free motoring. The neighbours comment, sometimes nastily, that it smells like the back of a McDonalds.

Could it be that my neighbours are upset about my pleasant pond cum water-feature because they haven't got one? Or that they resent my cheaply run van because they don't have the intelligence to build a simple, £200 conversion unit to make the fuel and instead have to pay upwards of $6.00 a gallon for the stuff out the pump?

I'll be glad to move! We have a plot picked out. No neighbours for 1/2 mile.

I just need to get the last few jobs done on this house, so I can sell it, and I'll be out of here. Call it 2 years. I have a baby due, so don't expect to get much done for the next few months.

I'm counting the days!
'....If I even knew that I know nothing, that'd be something. But I don't!'
[ Parent ]

Re: Little mill not so funny now (3.00 / 0) (#14)
by nothing to lose (nothingtolose175 at yahoo.com) on Tue Apr 26th, 2005 at 03:34:02 AM MST
(User Info)

"Could it be that my neighbours are upset about my pleasant pond cum water-feature because they haven't got one? Or that they resent my cheaply run van because they don't have the intelligence to build a simple, £200 conversion unit to make the fuel and instead have to pay upwards of $6.00 a gallon for the stuff out the pump?"

Most likely, many people never like the stuff other people have if it is better than their own!!

Perhaps offer to help them build thier own pond sometime when they complain of yours.
Explain a few benifits, cleans the air etc, makes a nice fresh rain type smell..

And either offer to make cheap diesel for them at cost $2-$3 gallon instead of the $6 they pay now (cost includes your time and trouble a bit too if they been complaining too much) Or else get a second diesel and run it out of tune as nasty as you can a few times right by thier house, maybe sit and talk to some-one with the engine running also for a few minutes. Make sure it's a nice day and thier house windows are open and the breeze blows that way. Then latter when your driving the Veggie Van they will be much happier about it! :)

I would preffer to convert them to cleaner RE Veggie fuels, but if that can't be done, then blow em away with stinky diesel smoke in a junker and make them happy you mostly drive the veggie van instead.
.
nothing to lose

Spelin and tpying are my strong points, not electronics.
[ Parent ]

Re: Little mill not so funny now (3.00 / 0) (#15)
by BeenzMeenzWind (Grotbagseatssnails@lineone.net) on Wed Apr 27th, 2005 at 01:33:53 AM MST
(User Info)

I might try that.

Not sure you could convert them to anything round here, though. They'd have an objection to beer-flavoured nipples! lol.

I have the clunker covered already though. My friend Dave comes round a couple of times a week and his cars always have a rusted muffler and a really rough idle. He always sits there chatting with the engine running, cos it usually takes five minutes before they've warmed up enough not to die when he tries to pull away. He's recently bought a Toyota Yaris diesel, a brand new one, and it already sounds like a tractor. He says he can't be bothered to take it back to the dealers to have it looked at. Better than creating my own annoyances, can't get blamed for his! lol

Another guy told me you can get some kind of deodorizer that you mix with the fuel when you're processing it. Takes most of the smell away. Have to find out about that.

I've got my porch-light windmill sorted out, though. I did what you suggested and covered it in a little balsa airplane body. Need to wait for the dope to harden now and I'll paint it bright, cheesy colours and put it back up. See what happens.

'....If I even knew that I know nothing, that'd be something. But I don't!'
[ Parent ]

Little mill not so funny now | 15 comments (15 topical, 0 editorial)

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