Tying down a windmill

[Manoverboard]

Hi
I have and old steel windmill that pumps so much water during summer that I don’t need it 7-8 months of the year.
To avoid unnecessary wear and tear I would like to tie it down somehow.
Problem is during winter we get the prevailing strong winds.
I have once tried tying down with fencing wire from the wheel to a leg but it still moved with the wind about 90 degrees, didn’t spin though. I untied it the next day as I was afraid something would bend under heavy winds.
Is there any safe and effective way to tie down the wheel?

Thanks
Dan

 

[br jones]

How high ? Can you not get up there and take the wheel off ?

 

[Manoverboard]

Maybe 25ft, i have a 20 tonne excavator if required but i dont want to be taking it down and erecting every year.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

when tying it did you turn the tail fin through 75 degrees, as this would turn it side ways to the wind an less force on the blade

 

[Manoverboard]

Yes i have done that but it still pumps a lot of water, i need to stop it completely

 

[jellybean]

Can it not just put the excess water back down the hole?

 

[Fubar]

Hi
I have and old steel windmill that pumps so much water during summer that I don’t need it 7-8 months of the year.
To avoid unnecessary wear and tear I would like to tie it down somehow.
Problem is during winter we get the prevailing strong winds.
I have once tried tying down with fencing wire from the wheel to a leg but it still moved with the wind about 90 degrees, didn’t spin though. I untied it the next day as I was afraid something would bend under heavy winds.
Is there any safe and effective way to tie down the wheel?

Thanks
Dan

Ours had a brake on which pulled on when you turned a handle at the bottom. This action also pulled the tail round 90 degrees so the sails were not in the wind.
Unfortunately the shaft snapped on ours and the sails fell off and bent. I'd love to get it going again if anyone knows where I can get some from. It's lovely to see them working and a zero energy way of pumping free water.
I've wondered if I could pump the water to a storage tank at a head height and fit a water wheel turbine in the tank. The water would then pour over the wheel and generate electricity which could go into the grid. So I'd be getting water and electricity.
Have I just invented the ultimate in renewable energy . If so , consider the patent applied for!!
Or am i missing something?

 

[renewablejohn]

As others have said there should be a way of turning the tailstock through 90 degrees taking it out of the wind then ours was covered with an old hessian corn sack to stop it slowly squeaking all night. Wish we still had it and I would convert to electric.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

Just a thought, could you not as @renewablejohn says about electric, is it not possible to to have a change over gearbox fitted, so can change from pumping water to making electric as each was needed

 

[renewablejohn]

Just a thought, could you not as @renewablejohn says about electric, is it not possible to to have a change over gearbox fitted, so can change from pumping water to making electric as each was needed

Easier to replace the water pump with a hydraulic pump then you can just throw the valve between hydraulic water pump and hydraulic generator. Can also include an accumulator in the circuit to get over the intermittant wind problem.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

such s lot of power lost through hydraulics,
be better to mount a differential on its end at just above ground level, power from the wind mill in at the top, drive to water pump out the bottom and mount a PMA on the side,
fit disc brakes to both the bottom shaft and side shaft, lock disc brake in side shaft, this would put all drive to water pump
to make electric realise brake on side shaft, and then apply brake on bottom shaft, so bottom shaft stops, all drive would be out of side shaft driving PMA and due to gearing up through the diff that shaft will spin faster,
no clutch or anything sapping power would be needed

 

[Manoverboard]

Can it not just put the excess water back down the hole?

Thats not solving my question, i want to stop it altogether for 7-8 months of the year to avoid unnecessary wear and tear hence hopefully doubling its lifespan

 

[renewablejohn]

such s lot of power lost through hydraulics,
be better to mount a differential on its end at just above ground level, power from the wind mill in at the top, drive to water pump out the bottom and mount a PMA on the side,
fit disc brakes to both the bottom shaft and side shaft, lock disc brake in side shaft, this would put all drive to water pump
to make electric realise brake on side shaft, and then apply brake on bottom shaft, so bottom shaft stops, all drive would be out of side shaft driving PMA and due to gearing up through the diff that shaft will spin faster,
no clutch or anything sapping power would be needed

Would have agreed a decade ago but hydraulics have moved on with far higher efficiencies then they used to have,

 

[puppet]

Thats not solving my question, i want to stop it altogether for 7-8 months of the year to avoid unnecessary wear and tear hence hopefully doubling its lifespan

Have you ever put a stick through bicycle spokes as it stops pretty quickly.

 

[puppet]

I've wondered if I could pump the water to a storage tank at a head height and fit a water wheel turbine in the tank. The water would then pour over the wheel and generate electricity which could go into the grid. So I'd be getting water and electricity.
Have I just invented the ultimate in renewable energy . If so , consider the patent applied for!!
Or am i missing something?

I think someone missed out the water tank and just called it a wind turbine.
However there are hydroelectric schemes which pump water back up at night when electricity is cheap then use it again in peak daytime demand. They are using a loch rather than a tank

 

[Exfarmer]

Knowing how those pumps work, I would worry about two things if stopping it totally for 7-8 months at a time.
Firstly the flap seals will dry out. Secondly the whole mechanism may sieze
Take care

 

[Tomr10]

How about a quick release couple down low that can be connected and un connected can still spin but not pump water

 

[TripleSix]

I'd be welding a couple of flat plates to the hub and non rotating part and fit a nut and bolt for the winter.