Tower construction

[Keyman]

I am building (still) a Hugh Piggott 8 foot machine and I am presently working on engineering the tower. I need to get up about 55 feet to get clean air. There are a couple of trees that are taller,but one is sick and dying and the other is not in the line of our prevailing winds.

  I have a 16' section of 4" galvanized water pipe. A 20' section of 3" galvanized water pipe and 2, 20' sections of 2 1/2 inch galvanized water pipe. I have located here on campus several used 18' sections of 3" galvanized pipe that was used to circulate chlorinated water in an old pool that has been filled in. Not sure of the condition of the used pipe. Should the fact that it once carried chlorinated water be a concern? All the new pipe I have is labeled schedule 40

  I am looking for ideas as to how to configure the tower. It will be a tilt up.

Kent

[Airstream]

Using threaded pipe is a bad idea unless you forgo the threaded parts and use section joiner sleeve clamps and can weld various parts, the galvanized needs to be ground away to keep the weld fumes from poisoning anyone close by... Anyhow, can we get a little more information please on the setting? Rural private land with large set backs from any neighboring property is a good idea.

From the little bit of information in your post all I can imagine is you want to erect a galvanized pipe tilt-up tower on a busy college campus... right. Let's all get sued just for fun... college has lawyers on leashes waiting for things like this!

[zeusmorg]

 You're doing this on a college campus and the engineering students aren't involved?

 This sounds like a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of the grad students there..

 There are too many factors to determine the effects of chlorinated water on galvanized pipe. The chlorine content would not have a detrimental effect, however other elements present in the water can. A visual inspection would tell more.

[Keyman]

I work on a college campus as a locksmith in southern Michigan. I use any and all resouces they offer. But the tower will be constructed on my property. I have 40 acres and 600 feet of frontage on a lake. There is no power and I am trying to make my small cabin more usable as a weekend getaway. Unfotunatly I am on the south side of the lake with a southwestern prevailing wind.

   However there is an ECO club on campus and after hearing that I was building a wind turbine they asked for input as they wanted to buy one and install it at thier house on Campus. They bought a DanB 10 footer and have not been able to install it because of safety reasons and local politics.

[ghurd]

"make my small cabin more usable as a weekend getaway"?

An 8' is pretty serious for something like that.  Probably overkill (which I usually like).

After the windmill and tower comes enough battery AH to accept the power with any efficiency.

Then wire to carry it, a dump load large enough to handle it, switches, etc.

Might consider something in the 4 to 6 foot class?

Case in point, Cabin with a 20" box fan bladed windmill for lighting,

http://www.fieldlines.com/comments/2005/4/5/234628/6565/2?mode=alone;showrate=1#2

I wish the photo was still "somewhere", but as far as I can tell it is long gone.

G-

[Keyman]

I have a 12 volt ceiling fan and 12 volt CFL lights and two small (dorm size) refridgerators. There is a TV and DVD player. Dump load for the summer will probably go to a heating element or something during the winter it will hopefully go to some 12 volt battery heating pads. The cabin is not heated during the week. Wood burner only. I have a Gazebo with rope lights at night. I have a friend that will give me his old golf cart batteries. They are still working fine. I had planned to build the charge controller that is in the Hugh Piggott book for this turbine. How might you use the materials I have listed to build a tower?

[ghurd]

"and two small (dorm size) refridgerators"?

Only two?

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2007/10/22/182710/82

[Airstream]

I sure hope the tower-wise respond, but to start please accept this attempt at armchair engineering:

The 4" pipe halved as bottom angle to accept the tower pole and the gin pole welded into the pivot hinge;

The gin pole must not be too light construction, not less than 35% or more than 70% of tower height, if 50% is 28', so the 4" 8-foot hinge elbow plus a 20-foot 2-1/2" section gets close;

The main tower base of 8-foot 4" with the new 3" 20-foot and one 20-foot 2-1/2" section as main mast if using the materials on hand...

BUT Schd 40 pipe is not very strong as the sizes get smaller, 2-1/2" ought to be replaced with new 3" on the main mast, even the final stub that rises to mount the turbine to could benefit from 3" pipe since it will not be snubbed by cabling.