Made a very good decision!

[Electron Pump]

  We've had some very heavy winds over the last coupple weeks. I knew she had been worked out. This morning was the only oppurtunity I was going to have to take her down and there was still enough wind to reach cut in but just barley.

  I was out in the shop checking batteries this morning and the windmill slowed down a long ways. Well when she was that slow I noticed a noise, a vibration. This brought up the anxiety about going ahead and taking her down.

  I came back in the house to ponder and I called up the weather page and it said calm winds increasing 20-30 by late morning. Tomorrow 20-35 40gusts. She had to come down now eaven with this wind.

  My daughters boyfriend was around to help hold this and that and the like and it all ended sliding down with out incident and I got her down and in the shop.

  The vibration was the hub. Where it is tapped to go onto the motor shaft. It had a little wiggle-wiggle. The tapps haddnt came loose they were thread locked down and still very tight breaking through the locker goop. But they had wiggled some extra space on the motor shaft.

  It wouldnt have survived another 40mph gusty day. I would have been e-baying for some new blades instead of talking to youz guyz.

  I'm going to leave her down for a while. At this height she needs a little heavyer guage tower tube. This tube was much less expensive than I was thinking so I will be able to come up with something easy enough and go a little higher also. This last bought of wind has bent the tower slightly. Just below the guy wire meeting point. We saw 58 mph gusts and it is possible for more here. So I need a little stronger stuff.

  My nervs are kinda cooked from worring about things. From watching a windmill about to through itself apart for the last plural weeks having to monitor and increase and decrease usage to keep voltage in the sweet spot. I added two more T-105's to the system yesturday. And the bank is FULL.

  I am happy to say that I still have a windmill though. I saved her.

[TomW]

pump;

Haha, I hear you on the "nervous hen and her chicks" mentality. Never hurts to keep things on the safe side. Also makes for good training taking it down and putting it up for that day it has to come down now!

My 30 foot tower is easy one man process, finally, with the winch and cordless drill to drive the winch. Nice to know you can go ahead and do what needs to be done.

Tom

[halfcrazy]

I understand the thoughts of taking down the turbine we had 30-35mph winds when i noticed something was wrong. My binoculars told me i was right all but one of the nuts holding the blades on where missing. My two partners in crime where game so we tilted down my 70ft tower in 35mph winds fixed the turbine and back up she went. Was actually no different then a still day but we where on our toe's

On the hub there is a pulley that is 2 piece that has a sleeve that gets sucked into the pulley and thus tightening evenly on the shaft. The name escapes me but could one of those be made to work with the blade hub?

[BruceDownunder]

Hi That fitting that "sucks in " is called a taper-lock ..

They are very handy ,especially when the shaft is "just that little bit loose" ,,but ,remember,a machine(tight) fit is allways best .

PS. I once broke a taper-lock insert,being cast-iron,they snap real easy if the fit is sloppy..

Good idea to take your pulley and shaft to the engineers shop so they can advise on the correct taper-lock..

Bruce

[Rover]

Also know as eccentric locking or cam lock collar

[bj]

   Electron--glad it lived to fight another day.  Towers take more of a

beating than most realize.   I lost one in a wind like that.  But, now

you know some of the limits, and can fix.

   Good luck

   bj

[Electron Pump]

  Yes sir, she lives on. I'm going to take the time to go over everything. I've made one up grade allready. My house is peer and beam and very easy to get under. There is a wall outlet in my living room right by my entertainment center. From under the house I can see where the romex goes up from under the house. The plug box is mounted to a stud in the wall. I punched a hole in line with the romex far enough over to allow me to mount another plug box on the other side of the stud and ran a line out to the inverter. Now I have a useable R/E power in the house. Big  statement for showing the miss what I been working towards.

  Now it is just a matter of upgrading. Strategically placing R/E plugs near grid plugs. So when batts are up powers free. And we dont have to go without, if powers low then you can move over and plug in to grid. Just a matter of upgrading.

  When I get to the point where I have multiple lines and plugs around the house I plan on putting in breaker box to distribute things and for safety.  

[wooferhound]

Nice little set-up you are going to end up with there.

You will score the biggest points with the wife when you can have lights and TV when the Grid power is off.

Been there, done that . . .

[Electron Pump]

  Hello Mr. Woof. I have been meaning to ask you a question. How did you get that little photo on your comment signature. I would like to do that. I have a tiny pic in my user files of me standing in front of one of my old three blade windmills.

  If this is privledged info I will understand.

[TomW]

I'm not woofer but all thats needed is to go over to the box on the right with your user name in it, click "User Preferences" include the html tags that will display your photo in your "signature".

Remember, photo posting rules apply to signatures as well.

Animated .sig pics tick off some folks, too.

Easy as that.

Good luck with it.

Tom

[Electron Pump]

  Thankx Tom. I'll give it a shot when I can sit down and pay attention to things.