Wind charger wiring (1 Viewer)

[GJH]

what van is that Dave and are you bringing it to Shepton

Should have been at Malvern Roger - he changes his "fleet" more often than the rest of us change our socks

 

[chrisgreen]

Well,am just enjoying a can of Amstel outside the van,and the weather has picked up today,my solars are now working nicely and the batteries are back to a healthy 13.2 volts. Am sitting listening to nothing but the waves breaking on the beach some 50 yards away thinking how idyllic it is and how different it would be with a genny or motorised battery charger buzzing away in the background.Just a few photos so you can imagine what it would be like with the infernal combustion engine buzzing away.:Angry:
As I said Chris,your machine is very useful in an emergency to start a vehicle with a flat battery,but for long term use its as outdated as the stagecoach.
We must move with the times and alternative energy is the way forward.
I really don't see me carrying a genny or motorised battery charger with all the other bits and pieces that go with it ie,cans of petrol,oil earmuffs,but as said am happy that you are willing to carry it in case I have a flat battery:thumb:

alternative energy=snake oil:thumb:
not so much with motorhomes and batteries,but in the commercial sense its costing us a lot of money to subsidise this tecnoligy:Sad:

 

[Snowbird]

what van is that Dave and are you bringing it to Shepton

Its an oddbod roger, FFB Tabbert 660 classic. It came from ebay and was bought in Spain a few weeks ago,driven back and sorted here in the UK. Love the size and layout. It was the one Tabbert exhibited at the Dusseldorf show so has all the toys as standard.

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[GJH]

alternative energy=snake oil:thumb:
not so much with motorhomes and batteries,but in the commercial sense its costing us a lot of money to subsidise this tecnoligy:Sad:

In the sense that "us" means taxpayers, it has to cost us some time as there is a finite supply of fossil fuels. It's a pity more wasn't done in the last 30-40 years but rather now than leave it another 30-40 years for our grandchildren.

However, if "commercial" means that some businesses are paying rather than we taxpayers then thanks very much and carry on the good work

 

[Snowbird]

Spent the day wiring the wind charger up and am quite pleased with my efforts.
The machine seems very well made mainly from plastic,and it looks like the stuff they make the traffic cones from so should be indestructible. Have fitted a din socket on the skirt,wired to the leisure bank,so I can use it to plug my 12 volt compressor and a work light into when not using the wind charger.I didn't want to drill holes in the fibreglass roof so because the charger has magnets on the base thought this to be the best way of fixing it. After come thought I came up with the idea of sicaflexing a thin tin plate on the roof and putting the charger on this. Found an old paella pan in the garage,so with the handles removed its perfect. So in conclusion,the thing looks great,is well made,shows a charge when I spin it round and am now waiting for some wind.The blades double in size and it says this doubles the power,am a bit sceptical but am sure it must do something to help.

 

[GJH]

Great, Dave, I look forward to the next instalment

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[chrisgreen]

In the sense that "us" means taxpayers, it has to cost us some time as there is a finite supply of fossil fuels. It's a pity more wasn't done in the last 30-40 years but rather now than leave it another 30-40 years for our grandchildren.

However, if "commercial" means that some businesses are paying rather than we taxpayers then thanks very much and carry on the good work

energy supplyers are now all commercial businesses,with shareholder to feed,so the next time you gets a bill off these people,just consider how much you are paying toward's this snake oil,that they have you beleive is cheap and renewable?
as i said it's costing you and me lots of dosh,and will cost our grandchildren and their grand children and their grandchildren lots of dosh.
remember nuclear,free energy for all, the boffins said,a huge lie,costing us all a huge amount of money just to clean up.
please do some research,as i have done:thumb:
solar and wind is good for chargeing a few batteries but it's NEVER going to surpply the world's ever increasing population with power,you would have to cover the whole of the briten's green field's in solar panal's just to create anough power just for our domestic needs without any power left for manufacturing,we cannot and never will be able to rely on solar or wind to surpply our energy needs,it helps, but is expensive and making alot of people very rich.:Sad:
and harnesing windpower has been around for hundreds of years:thumb:

i built a house about ten years ago for oxford brooks university,that house has a 4kw solar p/v roof,just spoke to the woman that lives there,and asked her how much power is your roof produsing right now?just under 400w
that roof cost £48000 fitted free by a german company as part of the experiment,so today as its dark and over cast she can run four 100w bulbs to be able to read how much she aint putting back into the grid
when the house was built,she told me that given good summers the roof would pay for it's self in 25 years,now been increased to 30 years,thats after ten years use,as i said snake oil:thumb:
are lunar panals the next big thing?.

 

[Snowbird]

Well Chris I have to agree,but my solar and wind charger is perfect for the motorhome. I wouldn't dream of filling the house roof with solars or putting a Vastas windmill in the back garden,but for my wild camping needs what I have is the perfect solution for MY needs. Its quite possible that I wont get my money back from what the cost of these alternative energy supplies are but I will be able to sit indefinitely wherever I choose without worrying about a flat battery or having to lug a generator and petrol around to keep my batteries topped up.Having just spent £250 on new batteries because the previous owner allowed them to deep discharge I want to look after them by keeping them charged up.This system will do just that....I hope.

 

[wizzer59]

Blimy mate, no sun, no wind, looks like you may have to drive around after all

Tim

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[Snowbird]

Blimy mate, no sun, no wind, looks like you may have to drive around after all

Tim

With a 440 amp battery bank I can afford to wait for both sun and wind:Cool:

 

[chrisgreen]

Well Chris I have to agree,but my solar and wind charger is perfect for the motorhome. I wouldn't dream of filling the house roof with solars or putting a Vastas windmill in the back garden,but for my wild camping needs what I have is the perfect solution for MY needs. Its quite possible that I wont get my money back from what the cost of these alternative energy supplies are but I will be able to sit indefinitely wherever I choose without worrying about a flat battery or having to lug a generator and petrol around to keep my batteries topped up.Having just spent £250 on new batteries because the previous owner allowed them to deep discharge I want to look after them by keeping them charged up.This system will do just that....I hope.

dont get me wrong im not knocking you at all:thumb:
a guy on a n/boat by me, lives fulltime on his boat,he has a huge battery bank,four solar panals,and a little wind genarator,he is an ex raf sparky,trying to live off grid,he tells me that what he has keeps him going all year no proplems:thumb:
now this guy runs a blog,and on that blog he has moaned that someone pinched his gennyand how was he now going to charge his battery bank up,so he can do his washing
doh i thought thats what your four solar panals are for, chargeing the batteries?.oh:
and also moaning that the duty has been added to red diesel for his boat,i know this guy has a 240v alternator that he can run off his boat motor,he can fire his boatmotor up and do his washing,no problem:thumb:
but if i speak to him he tells me he can manage on his solar,batteries,and windmill,when he clearly cannot,24/7 365 our country just aint in the right location on the planet to be able to do thisoh:
as i said i am not knocking you,but would like to ask 2 Q, can you!, given the set up you have at the moment survive off grid 24/7 365 without starting your engine or a genny to charge batteries?
and what set up would be ideal to be able to do this?
i think i know the answer to the second Q:thumb:

 

[Snowbird]

dont get me wrong im not knocking you at all:thumb:
a guy on a n/boat by me, lives fulltime on his boat,he has a huge battery bank,four solar panals,and a little wind genarator,he is an ex raf sparky,trying to live off grid,he tells me that what he has keeps him going all year no proplems:thumb:
now this guy runs a blog,and on that blog he has moaned that someone pinched his gennyand how was he now going to charge his battery bank up,so he can do his washing
doh i thought thats what your four solar panals are for, chargeing the batteries?.oh:
and also moaning that the duty has been added to red diesel for his boat,i know this guy has a 240v alternator that he can run off his boat motor,he can fire his boatmotor up and do his washing,no problem:thumb:
but if i speak to him he tells me he can manage on his solar,batteries,and windmill,when he clearly cannot,24/7 365 our country just aint in the right location on the planet to be able to do thisoh:
as i said i am not knocking you,but would like to ask 2 Q, can you!, given the set up you have at the moment survive off grid 24/7 365 without starting your engine or a genny to charge batteries?
and what set up would be ideal to be able to do this?
i think i know the answer to the second Q:thumb:

In answer to your questions Chris...Q1, My old Tiffin had 4 X 120 amp Hawker ex UPS batteries and 3 X 75 watt BP solars. No wind charger and I haven't had hookup all the years have owned it.The only time I started the genny was to use the microwave or power something heavy.
Have never said that alternative energy is going to be ideal,but nothing ever is.You can only do as much as possible to ensure your batteries are keept charged and yes there are times when you have to reduce your power requirements. For instance when the sun is shinning and at midday charge your phone and laptop,don't wait till its dark.
Q 2...There is NO ideal setup including a genny, or powered battery charger.

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[chrisgreen]

In answer to your questions Chris...Q1, My old Tiffin had 4 X 120 amp Hawker ex UPS batteries and 3 X 75 watt BP solars. No wind charger and I haven't had hookup all the years have owned it.The only time I started the genny was to use the microwave or power something heavy.
Have never said that alternative energy is going to be ideal,but nothing ever is.You can only do as much as possible to ensure your batteries are keept charged and yes there are times when you have to reduce your power requirements. For instance when the sun is shinning and at midday charge your phone and laptop,don't wait till its dark.
Q 2...There is NO ideal setup including a genny, or powered battery charger.

good reply:thumb:
your answer to Q2 was the same as mine:thumb:

 

[GJH]

energy supplyers are now all commercial businesses,with shareholder to feed,so the next time you gets a bill off these people,just consider how much you are paying toward's this snake oil,that they have you beleive is cheap and renewable?(snip).

My comment was jocular, Chris, which is why I used the grin smiley Obviously, everything costs and some solutions cost more than others.

Wind and solar sources may not supply all the needs of the world but, as said, the same is true of fossil fuels - simply because they will run out one day. I don't doubt what you say about the Oxford building but, as discussed at Malvern, solar technology has improved a lot over the last 10 years and payback periods of about 7 years appear to be the norm now from what I've read.

Different solutions are appropriate in different circumstances. The Bainbridge Screw project is a great scheme which could probably be used just as effectively in other places.

Necessity being the mother of invention we will, no doubt, see advances in renewable technology (hydrogen as well as sun, wind & water) in years to come. At the same time, reducing consumption will help to reduce bills. As posted a few weeks ago, we reduced our domestic gas consumption by a third simply by turning the thermostat down.

 

[Snowbird]

Well after waiting almost a week the wind finally got up today and guess what.................The thing WORKS......a healthy charge of...wait for it..............................2amps. But to be honest it wasn't that windy,I think if am on the coast and getting a good sea breeze it will double that amperage.
Well pleased as it does exactly what I want and is a good backup for my solar system.Whats more no noise or vibration.:thumb:

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[GJH]

Well after waiting almost a week the wind finally got up today and guess what.................The thing WORKS......a healthy charge of...wait for it..............................2amps. But to be honest it wasn't that windy,I think if am on the coast and getting a good sea breeze it will double that amperage.
Well pleased as it does exactly what I want and is a good backup for my solar system.Whats more no noise or vibration.:thumb:

Great to read, Dave.

Just to clarify. If I've got it right you sikaflexed a steel plate (what size please?) to the roof and the VAWT stands steadily on it with no risk of falling/being blown over. Might just invest myself.

 

[Snowbird]

Great to read, Dave.

Just to clarify. If I've got it right you sikaflexed a steel plate (what size please?) to the roof and the VAWT stands steadily on it with no risk of falling/being blown over. Might just invest myself.

The plate I stuck to the roof is a small paella dish,about the size of a dinner plate. I used that because it was handy and I had one
The charger comes complete with an aluminium bracket that you could fix to a TV aerial mast and then clamp to your rear ladder or bike rack. I don't have a rear ladder so that was out,although that would have been my first choice,being able to hoist it well above the van roof. I was a little concerned at first if the magnets would be strong enough but there is no vibration at all from the charger and it didn't move at all. Will have to try it in very windy conditions.

 

[aba]

you may get your chance real soon its blowing a real hooolie down ere in yorkshire

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[GJH]

you may get your chance real soon its blowing a real hooolie down ere in yorkshire

It's been a bit less than calm here today an' all

 

[Snowbird]

Have just checked the weather report for Shepton Mallet and I don't think solar panels will be much use there this week But there will be winds up to 20 MPH so the wind charger should do the biz
Anyone with a genny will need an umbrella to keep it dry
Who's a happy bunny then:thumb:

 

[GJH]

Let us know how it goes Dave :thumb:

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[chrisgreen]

solar might not work at shepton
your wind thingy will have no probs with this wind and it's 24/7:thumb:
i will come and rescue if neededat a price

 

[Snowbird]

OK....Here's the report. I woke at 7-30 this morning and the batteries are showing 13.7. The 12 volt cooler box has been on all night and although I have changed the light bulbs for LED I left the awning light on till I went to bed at midnight. So in conclusion I can say that 2 X 75 watt solars and a Maplin windcharger should keep on top of a 330amp battery bank without having to revert to EHU or genny. The field trials were successful.:thumb:

Oh and NO wind noise from the wind charger.

 

[John & Joan]

Hi Snowbird

We are full timing and thinking about this method of backup charging.

Joan wants to know how nickable it would be if we used your method of fixing on our Hymer.

Could the unit be pulled off the mag mount by pulling on the cable. She is thinking about it being left on the van if we go out and someone coming along and helping themselves.

I carry 4 poles of 1" upto 2" diameter that fix into each other on my trailer for a radio mast. What size is the mast clamp that is supplied with the kit.

John

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[Snowbird]

Hi Snowbird

We are full timing and thinking about this method of backup charging.

Joan wants to know how nickable it would be if we used your method of fixing on our Hymer.

Could the unit be pulled off the mag mount by pulling on the cable. She is thinking about it being left on the van if we go out and someone coming along and helping themselves.

I carry 4 poles of 1" upto 2" diameter that fix into each other on my trailer for a radio mast. What size is the mast clamp that is supplied with the kit.

John

Am afraid that the answer to if it could be pulled off by the cable is YES.
Am thinking along similar lines to yourself re,on a pole mount,that way I could get it higher and also it would be more stable in strong gusts. We are having quite strong gusts today and have had to reduce the height of the propellers to stop it blowing away.The clamp that comes with it will take about the same size as a TV mast I think,but it would have to be L shaped to take the bracket.Am thinking along the lines of clamping the mast to the bike rack as I don't have a ladder on the back of the camper.

 

[scotjimland]

OK....Here's the report. I woke at 7-30 this morning and the batteries are showing 13.7. The 12 volt cooler box has been on all night and although I have changed the light bulbs for LED I left the awning light on till I went to bed at midnight. So in conclusion I can say that 2 X 75 watt solars and a Maplin windcharger should keep on top of a 330amp battery bank without having to revert to EHU or genny. The field trials were successful.:thumb:

Oh and NO wind noise from the wind charger.

That's encouraging :thumb:

.. have you monitored the current output at any point ?

 

[chrisgreen]

WORTH A READ:thumb:
Sulfation

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Sulfationoccurs when a lead acid battery is deprived of a full charge. This is common with starter batteries in cars that are driven in the city with load-hungry accessories engaged. A motor in idle or at low speed cannot charge the battery sufficiently.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Electric wheelchairs have a similar problem in that the users might not charge the battery long enough. An eight-hour charge during the night when the chair is free is not enough. Lead acid must periodically be charged 14–16 hours to attain full saturation. This may be the reason why wheelchair batteries last only two years, whereas golf car batteries deliver twice the service life. Longer leisure time allows golf car batteries to get a fully saturated charge.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Solar cells and wind turbines do not always provide sufficient charge, and lead acid banks succumb to sulfation. This happens in remote parts of the world where villagers draw generous amounts of electricity with insufficient renewable resources to charge the batteries. The result is a short battery life. Only a periodic fully saturated charge could solve the problem, but without an electrical grid at their disposal, this is almost impossible. An alternative is using lithium-ion, a battery that is forgiving to a partial charge, but this would cost much more than lead acid.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]What is sulfation? During use, small sulfate crystals form, but these are normal and are not harmful. During prolonged charge deprivation, however, the amorphous lead sulfate converts to a stable crystalline that deposits on the negative plates. This leads to the development of large crystals, which reduce the battery’s active material that is responsible for high capacity and low resistance Sulfation also lowers charge acceptance; with sulfation charging will take longer.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]There are two types of sulfation: reversible or soft sulfation, and permanent or hard sulfation. If a battery is serviced early, reversible sulfation can often be corrected by applying an overcharge to a fully charged battery in the form of a regulated current of about 200mA. The battery terminal voltage is allowed to rise to between 2.50 and 2.66V/cell (15 and 16V on a 12V mono block) for about 24 hours. Increasing the battery temperature to 50–60°C (122–140°F) further helps in dissolving the crystals. Permanent sulfation sets in when the battery has been in a low state-of-charge for weeks or months, and at this stage no form of restoration is possible.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]There is a fine line between reversible and non-reversible sulfation, and most batteries have a little bit of both. Good results are achievable if the sulfation is only a few weeks old; restoration becomes more difficult the longer the battery is allowed to stay in a low SoC. A battery may improve marginally when applying a de-sulfation service but it may not reach a satisfactory performance level. A subtle indication of whether a lead acid can be recovered is visible on the voltage discharge curve. If a fully charged battery retains a stable voltage profile on discharge, chances of reactivation are better than if the voltage drops rapidly with load.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Several companies offer anti-sulfation devices that apply pulses to the battery terminals to prevent and reverse sulfation. Such technologies tend to lower sulfation on a healthy battery but they cannot effectively reverse the condition once present. Manufacturers offering these devices take the “one size fits all” approach and the method is unscientific. A random service of pulsing or overcharging can harm the battery in promoting grid corrosion. Technologies are being developed that measure the level of sulfation and apply a calculated overcharge to dissolve the crystals. Chargers featuring this technique only apply de-sulfation if sulfation is present and for only a short duration as needed[/FONT]

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[Snowbird]

That's encouraging :thumb:

.. have you monitored the current output at any point ?

Hi Jim, Yes have measured the current several times over the last few days and its read between 1 and 3 amps when turning. What I did find is that if its turning its charging,regardless of wind speed. Some other types have to be turning at speed before anything happens,giving the illusion that they are charging when in fact they are not.Have had to collapse the blades a little as I don't think the magnets are strong enough for big gusts. Once its actually turning there's no problem,its the initial gust that seems to send it off balance.
I think I could get the maximum of 4 amps today if I was able to open the blades fully,but then take the risk of it taking off.

 

[Snowbird]

I understand all there is to know regarding desertification Chris,as a matter of fact I have done several posts on the subject over a period of time. I do have a desulfator permanently wired to my battery banks and also one at home for recycling supposedly duff batteries.

 

[chrisgreen]

I understand all there is to know regarding desertification Chris,as a matter of fact I have done several posts on the subject over a period of time. I do have a desulfator permanently wired to my battery banks and also one at home for recycling supposedly duff batteries.

to be fair,how would i know that you know anything about batteries?oh:
and as a matter of fact,i know all there is to know about chargeing battaries useing alts,and now solar,i have over the last 25 years reconed alts for sale and have come across most problems involving alts.:thumb:
i will refrain from posting on your threads again as it seems you have every thing in hand,and need no imput from me:thumb:

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