Author Topic: turbine broken  (Read 4000 times)

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bob golding

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turbine broken
« on: January 26, 2013, 06:52:58 AM »
when i looked out of the window this morning i  noticed  my turbine  looking a bit sad. only 2 blades and no tail. far too wet to get it down at the moment. just going to see if i can find the bits. at least the tail didn't fall on the solar panels. we had a 65mph gust last night. suspect that was what did it. will have to decide whether to spend more  money on it or get more solar. as it is getting towards spring i might just get more solar for now and  fix the turbine later. any thoughts on this plan? stiil wil give me chance to try a differant profile blade. i have been using windstuffnow ed,s profile for years,may try hughs profile for a change.
if i cant fix it i can fix it so it cant be fixed.

DamonHD

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Re: turbine broken
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2013, 01:23:08 PM »
Well, you know I'm a big solar PV fan, so...

Rgds

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midwoud1

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Re: turbine broken
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2013, 02:48:37 PM »
Bob.

Pulling the tail square can be helpful in expected high wind.
Or pitchcontrol ,but that's more work.

Rgds - Frans -


bob golding

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Re: turbine broken
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2013, 08:03:28 PM »
could only find a few bits of blade. the problem was metal fatigue in the tail. it snapped off at the weakest point about 4 inches from the hinge. suspect what happened is the tail bent first and hit the blades as all 3 are thrashed,then fell off. landed about 2 foot from the solar panels. think i might move the panels out of the firing line a bit!! this set up has lasted 18 months with no problems so really pleased with that as i am right on the coast with the Atlantic throwing stuff at me all the time.
if i cant fix it i can fix it so it cant be fixed.

richhagen

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Re: turbine broken
« Reply #4 on: January 31, 2013, 02:56:44 AM »
Solar seems to be less labor intensive over the long haul, it is cheap right now, and your plan seems reasonable, still I would plan on fixing up the turbine eventually because, at least where I am at, they seem to compliment each other rather well, in that it is often windy in December and January when we get little sun, and it is often bright when it is calm.  For a battery system, I would think that having a bit of wind would require a smaller battery bank for the same percentage of operating time.  Anyway, no hard numbers, just my thoughts, Rich
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bob golding

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Re: turbine broken
« Reply #5 on: January 31, 2013, 06:30:53 AM »
Solar seems to be less labor intensive over the long haul, it is cheap right now, and your plan seems reasonable, still I would plan on fixing up the turbine eventually because, at least where I am at, they seem to compliment each other rather well, in that it is often windy in December and January when we get little sun, and it is often bright when it is calm.  For a battery system, I would think that having a bit of wind would require a smaller battery bank for the same percentage of operating time.  Anyway, no hard numbers, just my thoughts, Rich

 i do intend to repair it. i am making a new set of blades at the moment. i was planning to finish encapsulating the magnets on the rotor i haven't done yet. that will have to wait till the weather warms up a bit as well.
i am not intending to spend a great more money on the turbine after this,but invest in more solar. the combination of solar and wind  does work very well around here. just need something that works in the days and days of sea fog we get around here sometimes! that is where the genny comes in to its own, bob
if i cant fix it i can fix it so it cant be fixed.