suggestions re: my site accessment con't

[boarder girl]

I'm thinking a Banki turbine system utilizing a squirell cage blower fan.  What do you think?  I hope the pictures showed up this time!

[electrondady1]

oh, boarder girl that looks so nice, are you single ? what side of the boarder are you on!  

[picmacmillan]

you should maybe make the pictures a little smaller, maybe 400x600 pixels at tops...anyhow, not sure if you have  enough water running there..in fact that is not enough, but if you could get the water flow larger, may work....lots to do though before you see elecricity,,...good luck..pickster

[pyrocasto]

You can generate from that amount of water, you just wont get as much power. I would be better though to use the head from pond to the outlet with a drive pipe, instead of using those big ribbed tubes. I would ad a drive pipe to run you genny, then leave the big pipes for excess overflow.

[scottsAI]

The Banki you need is the one in the Hydro section on www.otherpower.com.

You can build one out of PVC, 12” dia, by 10-12” long. (No welding:-)

Will you build your own generator? Some nice examples here.

The otherpower example make the mistake of the nozzle area = pipe area. Nozzle must be half the area. Nozzle must convert PE to KE, for the Banki to work.

Have fun.

[nothing to lose]

I am to shy to ask myself so I will just wait for a reply to electrondady1's question.

That does look very nice, though I don't think that's alot of water to work with, might do a little though.

I don't think She could actually increase the flow, since it is comming from an overflow, lowering the pipe would most likely only increase the flow for a short time till the water level drops to the lower level, then back to the same flow as now once again. Just not as deep in the pond area.

 She would have to encrease the flow of the water feeding the area I would think and that probably would not be too easy to do.

Perhaps closing off about 1/2 or 3/4 of the pipe could help. Make a plate covering to seal the lower 3/4 area with a smaller opening at the bottom like for maybe a 2" pipe, possibly even smaller. I am thinking this might increase the pressure as water builds to a higher level in the pipe and it may come out in a water hose type stream with a little force. Directing this to the proper angle to a paddle wheel or squirrel cage may do something. It still would need a small power unit for low rpm, but it might make a little power 24hrs.

[TERRYWGIPE]

I agree, there's not enough water. I'd would put in a much smaller pipe in, at least a foot below the culvert pipe, using the culvert pipe as overflow. And, I'm Happily married so I'm not going to ask if your single.

     Terry

[henjulfox]

Beautiful pond.

What about downstream from the outlet? Might there be much vertical drop between the outlet and 50' or so downstream? Perhaps you could capture water at the outlet and pipe it downstream to build up some head.

Henry

[Peppyy]

From previous post.

 Overflow from the pond falls down a large vertical tube 9 feet to a large horizontal tube which extends maybe 20 feet before emptying into a creek. The horizontal tube is 1 foot above the water level of the creek (max head of 10 feet?). The flow from the horizontal tube is 150 gpm (30 gal. container filled in about 12 sec.)

I would think that would be quite a bit of power. What if you were to use a flexable pipe running through the corrigated. You could use an adapter through the side of the tube, just below the water level, possibly 2 inch. I know it isn't a lot of drop but it is pretty good volume. I would try something weather it worked or not but that is me

[henjulfox]

Maybe the flexible pipe through the corrigated, then up over the inlet lip and back into the pond, then get a siphon going. If you take it out, you're not stuck with a hole in the side of the overflow pipe. I don't think the siphon would hurt the water pressure you're building.

-Henry

[electrondady1]

i think you should construct some sort of screen on the intake to keep out the debris , perhapse a funnel shape and smaller dia, tubeing for more velosity inside the culvert. it would be important to take into account the maximum flow during storms spring runoff etc,and and make your mill capable of handleing that volume .the most important thing is that the water wheel/generator  make a pleasant sound .

[ghurd]

How about a 2" intake pipe, set 1/2 way into a notch at the top of the overflow?

Or 2 intakes into one pipe for more volume?

Pipe flow resistance would slow the water in the pipe, so maybe it could fill the pipe?

And it would not screw up the overflow much.

Or.

Trim 1/4" from 1/3 of the overflow, add a baffle (or funnel like above) to collect the water from that 1/3, to the turbine pipe?

(kind of like an up side down drain pipe for the dishwasher drain tube)

Looks to me like a well built pond.  With an overflow pipe that large, it must sometimes need most of it.  So it probably often runs a lot faster than the photos show.

I have been married for a whole month now!

G-

[Vtbsr]

Hi BG, After looking at the pictures i know what i would do if i had you site. I have a working Harris system that i have been runing for 4 years. All these quess ideas might not be to good that you are getting. First don't touch the pond overflow system you have. You need that to work in a 100 year flood that you might get.If you put things in the big pipes it would jam up with sticks and wash out the dam. It does not look like you can get much vertical drop going above the pond, but you might go down stream some from the outlet of the pond. You want to setup a pentstock 2 to 3" dia" PVC sec 40" off to the side of the pond getting as much drop as you can. On my penstock i had to go 1000' so if going longer you might get the  pelton closer to the house. The intake should be 1" lower than the pond overflow with a screen The distance to the house will determine the volt system you need (line loss). On mine every thing is under ground so i can run in winter. The banke wheel is for more flow than you have so pelton is the way to go. Have you looked at www.harrishydro.com  . Let the board know what you think and good luck with it. vtbsr

[finnsawyer]

The first thing is to get rid of those trees on the back side of the dam.  Each tree root forms a possible conduit for water to flow and eventually cause dam collapse.  I suggest you consult with an expert (extension service?) on that before you do anything else.

[boarder girl]

You guys are killing me! (laugh out load).  I guess I shouldn't have put "girl" in my user name...Here's the thing.  My HUSBAND and I don't own the property but it is 927 feet from our home.  The farmer who owns it is a very close friend and with this in mind I will not be tinkering with any part of the dam itself or resticting the flow because I know the pipe was not intended to handle pressure.  Besides, I don't think our friend will mind if we're able to aerate the pond off this experiment!

I'm going to use whatever I have available (and I have access to a lot of stuff).  In fact, I am a designer at an appliance manufacturer and I just came across a fan/housing out of a clothes drier.  It's looking alot like a turbine to me!  I was also thinking along the lines that some of you mention - if I could only worm some flexible tubing down and out the throut and attach it to a funnel type cap over the intake! (Don't worry, I've lived here 20 years and when it floods it overflows the banks of the opposite shore - and that only happened once. On top of that I'm planning an easy to disassemble design in the event of an emergency!) I wonder what's available as far as larger diameter smooth flexible tubing??? For 150 gpm I'm thinking 4" dia. or several smaller diameter will do.

There sounds like there is interest in how this turns out so I will try to keep you posted but please think of me as just one of the "guys".

[nothing to lose]

"My HUSBAND and I don't own the property "

Hello Mr. Husband, pleased to meet you.

"but please think of me as just one of the "guys"."

We do of course, at least I do.

I liked the land/pond, and was more of a joke of course, like want to meet nice lady with fishing boat, send picture of boat

Since it's not your pond I  see that you would not want to make permant changes.

My suggestion of blocking off the lower section of the pipe to raise the water a little in the pipe and use a smaller hole in the bottom would not create much problems there. The top area being open still would alough more than normal flow to occure as needed, and the cover could also be spring loaded so in event of large flooding situation it just pushes open by the force of excess water. The lower cover would also help prevent animals from making an unwanted home inside the pipe.

 Such a simple cover could easily be made using just a piece of rebar, a spring, and some metal or plastic for the cover if anyone ever wanted to try such a thing.

[ghurd]

There is a black flexable pipe. Don't know what they call it.

Connects with barbs and hose clamps usually.

It takes quite a bit of pressure, I saw over 125PSI temporary (for a year).

Doesn't bend quite as easy as it looks, but it bends.

Seems 3/4" was $17 for a 100' roll.

I have seen it in 1.5 and 2".

Just thinking a couple of those could snake from the water (top) past the

lower 90' to the main (level) pipe.

Be kind of easy to bend around to stop the flow in emergency too.

(easier than hacksawing 4"PVC in a 100 year storm)

Just one of the guys.  

Except you have... Uh...

Well... You have... Ummm...

Access to a nice POND!!!

G-

[finnsawyer]

Just another case of not providing all the information to start.  Grumble.  Tie a float to a rope and drop it down the pipe.  Then tie your pipe to the other end and pull it through.