Water wheel

[bazza3034]

Has anyone built a water wheel of any scale or know anyone that has

 

[renewablejohn]

Has anyone built a water wheel of any scale or know anyone that has

Easiest way is to hire the casting mould and let your local casting smelter make the wheel for the timber to slot in. Cannot remember the name to hire the moulds from but I am sure it was a museum in North Wales.

Also have no personal experience of these but they do have a good reputation.

Hydro Power — Smith Engineering (GB) Ltd

Answers to questions we are often asked.

www.smith-eng.co.uk

 

[Gadget]

It may be an urban myth, but I was told of a man who used a water wheel to produce electricity. The only problem was, that when the water authority found out, the charge to use the water was more than his previous electricity bill!

 

[renewablejohn]

It may be an urban myth, but I was told of a man who used a water wheel to produce electricity. The only problem was, that when the water authority found out, the charge to use the water was more than his previous electricity bill!

Not an urban myth but a reality which Is why I am a great believer in the use of stealth.

This is why I get annoyed with the government when hydro could be a big part of the uk green solution.

Apply to build a new hydropower scheme

The licences and permits you need, the documents you must prepare, and how to apply to build a hydropower scheme.

www.gov.uk

 

[bazza3034]

Government are a shower always looking for a cut

 

[bazza3034]

Easiest way is to hire the casting mould and let your local casting smelter make the wheel for the timber to slot in. Cannot remember the name to hire the moulds from but I am sure it was a museum in North Wales.

Also have no personal experience of these but they do have a good reputation.

Hydro Power — Smith Engineering (GB) Ltd

Answers to questions we are often asked.

www.smith-eng.co.uk

How would you measure the flow of a stream to give me an idea of flow rate

 

[Av Gorritt]

This isn't a new thing by any means . Many years ago (60 ish) I went to do a job on a Welsh farm . He was at the lower end of a stream , he'd made a dam upstream and piped it down to his buildings , where it ran a small -ish turbine , the tail race going back into the stream . He had a set of "gallus" pulleys above with fixed and free pulleys . driving a straw chopper , a root pulper , and his milking machine . It certainly worked well , as he demonstrated it .

 

[br jones]

How would you measure the flow of a stream to give me an idea of flow rate

pipe ,bucket and time how long it takes to fill bucket

 

[Whitewalker]

Bit off topic but often wondered could you produce electricity from a mains water line , even in micro form . We certainly have good flow and pressure

 

[Welly Warmer]

How would you measure the flow of a stream to give me an idea of flow rate

You need to know the cross sectional area - width and then a series of equally spaced depth readings, mulitply by the speed at which the water moves - easily done approximately with poo stick method. Tape on the bank and drop in a float

 

[renewablejohn]

easiest method is a short length of pipe 100 mm upward and sand bags. Place sandbag in stream and lay pipe on top then sandbag round pipe to create a dam. If pipe runs full you have enough water for hydro scheme. if water goes over dam add additional pipes until flow stays below dam. then google flow rates for various size pipes and read off the 100mm rate and multiply by number of full pipes.

 

[KennyO]

Bit off topic but often wondered could you produce electricity from a mains water line , even in micro form . We certainly have good flow and pressure

I always think that someone should make microturbines for downspouts.

 

[bazza3034]

Looking at a 10 kW water turbine on alibaba 1200 hundred to 2000 quid any body ever bought anything of alibaba website

 

[glasshouse]

Has anyone built a water wheel of any scale or know anyone that has

Get a big tractor wheel and hub and build it out

 

[Wisconsonian]

Has anyone built a water wheel of any scale or know anyone that has

If you're thinking of a serious wheel to produce power, then buy the wheel even if you build the generator and housing. It will be a pelton wheel or similar for efficiency, not a undershot or overshot water wheel. First you need to know the head and flow you're dealing with. Head is easy enough with gps, surveying, or a hose and tape measure. Flow is easy if it's small enough to get it all through a pipe, or large enough to estimate the size of the channel and speed. If it's in the middle, then you want a v weir to measure accurately enough.

 

[ridger]

Have this to rise water out of a steam for cattle

 

[bravheart]

This isn't a new thing by any means . Many years ago (60 ish) I went to do a job on a Welsh farm . He was at the lower end of a stream , he'd made a dam upstream and piped it down to his buildings , where it ran a small -ish turbine , the tail race going back into the stream . He had a set of "gallus" pulleys above with fixed and free pulleys . driving a straw chopper , a root pulper , and his milking machine . It certainly worked well , as he demonstrated it .

Great and would still be fine today except some clipboard wielding wazzock will come along and shut you down cause you need an abstraction license and you are polluting the stream by allowing the water back into the watercourse.

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[BuskhillFarm]

I think Jack of Hood engineering was taking about doing this about 10years ago. Wonder if he ever did it. Would be fantastic use of resources. (As long as the government can tax the life out of it of course)

 

[Sausage]

Bit off topic but often wondered could you produce electricity from a mains water line , even in micro form . We certainly have good flow and pressure

To get any meaningful power out of such an arrangement I expect you will take all the pressure out of the downstream system, which would then cause a lot of problems. I’m sure the big pipelines have high flow on them, but clearly the flow rate is dependent on real time water use age.

 

[renewablejohn]

Bit off topic but often wondered could you produce electricity from a mains water line , even in micro form . We certainly have good flow and pressure

The water and oil companies do this instead of a pressure relief valve they can use that pressure to generate electric at remote locations.