'To build a cowling or not to build a cowling?'

[Mickel]

Hi There again

I am in the midst of different stages of building my first genny and I keep having various ideas popping up in my head. I was thinking of the exposed nature of the alternator and wondering if its a good idea to build a cowling around it for protection from the elements. I was wondering if any body else has thought the same thing?

I live in Vermont and we get every kind of weather that there is!

I will be building it on a tilt up tower so the maintainance is not really an issue.

Thanks in advance!

[Flux]

I assume you are building an axial machine. It would be nice to keep the weather out but you will need to consider how you are going to cool the thing. Most of the cooling normally comes from direct exposure to the wind. If you can incorporate a fan in the design to force air past the stator it should be possible to add a cowl.

Flux

[coldspot]

Cowling,

Mainly for looks I'd think.

Flux has a very good point about cooling!

"incorporate a fan in the design to force air past the stator"

 Something I've thought about, a LOT!

So, I've salvaged a few "impeller's" from vac's and such so maybe I can incorporate one to help force air thru.

$0.02

[Mickel]

My main concern is how to keep the alternator from deteriorating to rapidly from the weather! Id be curious to know what kind of life expectancy a typical unprotected genny might have, in the kind of conditions it will have to face here.

I appreciate your comments!

[Flux]

Depends on how well you can prevent rust on the steel discs and the magnets. If you can solve these problems there should be no trouble. If the magnets corrode and decrepitate then the life will be short. If you have freezing fog and icing problems then a cowling may be worth thinking about as the open construction may be prone to freezing.

Many of these machines are probably working in a fairly mild environment but Hugh Piggott seems to manage on the wind swept marine climate of Scoraig without too much trouble.

Flux

[Mickel]

Thanks Flux

I think Ill just use a combination of rustoleum and epoxy paint for the rotors and try and find a product for the magnets to seal them. Ill see how that goes and take it from there.

[harrie]

only thing I could add to this, is use a light color paint on the stator and the rotors, not a dark color due to the expancion and contraction from the heat of the sun. Light colors reflect the heat, dark colors absorb.

[Dave B]

This nose cone I made does not surround the alternator but it does cover over the hub bolts and trims it up a bit. It looks green from reflecting the trees but it's the aluminum paint. If you use a good paint the weather isn't going to hurt much of anything. Seems like the open design clears itself out of ice and snow as it melts and centrifigal force does the rest. Cooling could be an issue if your pushing your alternator near the max to begin with and you enclosed it, especially in the summer. I've thought of molding a shroud and glassing things for a more finished look but I don't think I will, I want as much air circulating as possible. Just my thoughts on it.  Dave B.

[Mickel]

Good feedback !!! The two main things Im concerned about in the Vermont winter is the freezing rain and the snow we get from the nor east. Combine this with a month of sub zero temps ( this winter we had about a month of temps ranging from 30 down to 15 )and I wont be able to make use of the winter storms we get. Im thinking of forming a shroud from aluminum and finding some way to fix it to the stator so that it covers the stator and rotors. The shroud will only cover the top half so as not to affect the cooling of the alternator. 'Thats the theory any how. Maybe the way to go is to see how it runs for a winter and decide then what is necessary.

Thanks again for all your great advice , its an awesome website