@FreedomForYouAndMe Hello. Fortunately, where I'm located i don't have to do anything special to the system to keep it from freezing. The water is coming from a spring and only gets down to about 45 degrees at the coldest. Also, I'm located in zone 7b, so the lowest air temperature I'll see is about 15 degrees. As long as the water is flowing in the pipe, it won't freeze. If freezing was something i had to deal with, the only real option would be to shut down and drain the system.
I live over in Etna and would like to adapt a similar system but I am not sure I have enough drop in the stream I live on. How much drop do I need? Larry
@Lcush3 Howdy Neighbor! :) So besides the drop in the system, the other factor needed in determining power output is flow. In general, if you multiply the drop (in ft) by the flow (in gpm) and divide that number by 10 or 12 it'll give you an approximate power output in watts. This formula works best for flows above 30 gpm and a drop of at least 50 ft. If you try to cut costs by using smaller pipe or wire than is ideal, your output will be lower than calculated.
@Lcush3 Also, there are 2 type of turbines that you could use. If you have high flow but low head (vertical drop) you can use a reaction turbine. Alternatively, if you have high head and low flow (like my system), you use what's called an impulse turbine. So depending on your site parameters, you could produce usable power from a system with head anywhere from 6ft up to 300+ft.
@Lcush3 Go to the website for Home Power Magazine and click on the Advanced Search tab. Check the boxes for "Hydro" and "Electricity" and search for articles by Jerry Ostermeier. He's written some very good articles on designing a home scale micro hydro system. He's the owner of the company where i got my generator from up in Grants Pass, Oregon. I hope this info helps. If you have any other questions, just ask
You've got a small but important error in your description: instantaneous POWER is measured in watts or KiloWatts (0.475 KW in your case) and ENERGY production is measured in KiloWatt-hours (11 KWhr/day in your case, not 11 KW/day...which would be a rate of change in power.)
Also, I would recommend that you bury as many of those pipes as possible; even if there is no danger of freezing, it's a tripping hazard, a tree branch could fall and shatter PVC pipe, and sunlight degrades PVC pipe.
thanks for the video. do you know how it's working during this winter? did you have to drain the system before it snowed or were you able to make power in all conditions?
@relaxinginreno I didn't spend much time up there this winter, but i would have been able to run it the whole time. Since the water comes from a spring, its at a pretty constant 50 degrees F. It isn't snow melt, just above freezing point. Also, where Im at its zone 7b or 8a, so it only gets down to about 15 degree F at the coldest point in the winter. I've read that flowing water in a pipe can withstand 20 degrees F constant ambient temp or nightly lows down to 0 degrees F without freezing.
@04023088 So far so good. Every time i flip the switch on i get power. The only time it unexpectedly shut off was because the battery terminal got too hot. So it was actually just protecting itself from damage. i like that it comes with the remote display and that it can surge up to 4,500 watts. It should be mentioned that this is just a vacation property for now, so the inverter only runs for a couple weeks every 3-4 months. But it works flawlessly while I'm there.
Thanks. It's nice to be able to hear about one that has operated well for a while. My electrician swears by them and says they have the cleanest sine wave output possible. Im using mine in an RV application but it will be running off of a microhydro setup similar to yours. Thanks again for the video, by the way. You did a great job of clearly showing how the system works.
@zwabberdeflabber Hi Lars. When the batteries are full, all the incoming power is diverted to a 600 watt 12 volt heater element in a 10 gallon hot water tank. The hydro generator isn't like solar panels where its possible to block the incoming electricity when the batteries get full, without damaging the panels. If you tried this with a hydro system, it would severely damage the generator and create a very dangerous situation as a charge would continue to build at the generator.
This is a great design. Would this provide enough kwh to run my house? I average 15 kwh per day, with a peak of 20kwh on extreme days. I'm new to the off grid movement, and was wondering if this system would run my house?
@southerngardener79 Thanks southerngardener. The amount of power that can be generated is dependent of the volume of water available at the generator and the vertical distance between the intake and generator (aka head). My system can currently produce about 500 watts, 24 hrs/day, which is about 12kwh/day. If I used 3" pipe instead of 2" pipe, it would have produced about 900 watts or 22kwh/day. The generator can produce up to 1500 watts max, depending on site and system parameters.
Nice system. I appreciate the overview of entire system. Good presentation. What was cost of system(strainer, valves,pipe, tanks, electrical components, batteries, all in) and how long did it take to put in?
@MrHydrohead Thanks MrHydrohead. The cost of the system was about $6,500 and it took about a week to get up and running. In the description i said it cost about $5,000 because i already owned the inverter and battery bank for my 480 watts of solar panels. I did all the work myself, so there wasn't any labor costs. I tried to post the breakdown of cost by part, but the comment was too long. If you want more detailed info, just ask. Hope this helps :)
Now that you've used it for a winter, how do you keep it from freezing over?
FreedomForYouAndMe 2 months ago
@FreedomForYouAndMe Hello. Fortunately, where I'm located i don't have to do anything special to the system to keep it from freezing. The water is coming from a spring and only gets down to about 45 degrees at the coldest. Also, I'm located in zone 7b, so the lowest air temperature I'll see is about 15 degrees. As long as the water is flowing in the pipe, it won't freeze. If freezing was something i had to deal with, the only real option would be to shut down and drain the system.
SiskiyouForest 2 months ago
generator 24 V site weeb discoide1451
discoide1451 4 months ago
I live over in Etna and would like to adapt a similar system but I am not sure I have enough drop in the stream I live on. How much drop do I need? Larry
Lcush3 4 months ago
@Lcush3 Howdy Neighbor! :) So besides the drop in the system, the other factor needed in determining power output is flow. In general, if you multiply the drop (in ft) by the flow (in gpm) and divide that number by 10 or 12 it'll give you an approximate power output in watts. This formula works best for flows above 30 gpm and a drop of at least 50 ft. If you try to cut costs by using smaller pipe or wire than is ideal, your output will be lower than calculated.
SiskiyouForest 4 months ago
@Lcush3 Also, there are 2 type of turbines that you could use. If you have high flow but low head (vertical drop) you can use a reaction turbine. Alternatively, if you have high head and low flow (like my system), you use what's called an impulse turbine. So depending on your site parameters, you could produce usable power from a system with head anywhere from 6ft up to 300+ft.
SiskiyouForest 4 months ago
@Lcush3 Go to the website for Home Power Magazine and click on the Advanced Search tab. Check the boxes for "Hydro" and "Electricity" and search for articles by Jerry Ostermeier. He's written some very good articles on designing a home scale micro hydro system. He's the owner of the company where i got my generator from up in Grants Pass, Oregon. I hope this info helps. If you have any other questions, just ask
SiskiyouForest 4 months ago
You've got a small but important error in your description: instantaneous POWER is measured in watts or KiloWatts (0.475 KW in your case) and ENERGY production is measured in KiloWatt-hours (11 KWhr/day in your case, not 11 KW/day...which would be a rate of change in power.)
Also, I would recommend that you bury as many of those pipes as possible; even if there is no danger of freezing, it's a tripping hazard, a tree branch could fall and shatter PVC pipe, and sunlight degrades PVC pipe.
joel4692 11 months ago
thanks for the video. do you know how it's working during this winter? did you have to drain the system before it snowed or were you able to make power in all conditions?
relaxinginreno 11 months ago
@relaxinginreno I didn't spend much time up there this winter, but i would have been able to run it the whole time. Since the water comes from a spring, its at a pretty constant 50 degrees F. It isn't snow melt, just above freezing point. Also, where Im at its zone 7b or 8a, so it only gets down to about 15 degree F at the coldest point in the winter. I've read that flowing water in a pipe can withstand 20 degrees F constant ambient temp or nightly lows down to 0 degrees F without freezing.
SiskiyouForest 11 months ago
I'm looking into using a prosine 2.0. how has this unit held up for you?
04023088 1 year ago
@04023088 So far so good. Every time i flip the switch on i get power. The only time it unexpectedly shut off was because the battery terminal got too hot. So it was actually just protecting itself from damage. i like that it comes with the remote display and that it can surge up to 4,500 watts. It should be mentioned that this is just a vacation property for now, so the inverter only runs for a couple weeks every 3-4 months. But it works flawlessly while I'm there.
SiskiyouForest 1 year ago
Thanks. It's nice to be able to hear about one that has operated well for a while. My electrician swears by them and says they have the cleanest sine wave output possible. Im using mine in an RV application but it will be running off of a microhydro setup similar to yours. Thanks again for the video, by the way. You did a great job of clearly showing how the system works.
04023088 1 year ago
@04023088 oh yeah. I haven't used the multistage charging feature it has, so i can't really comment about that part.
SiskiyouForest 1 year ago
Very nice made,i,d like to have.
But we live too flat in Holland.
Where do you need the dumpload for?
Greetings Lars
zwabberdeflabber 1 year ago
@zwabberdeflabber Hi Lars. When the batteries are full, all the incoming power is diverted to a 600 watt 12 volt heater element in a 10 gallon hot water tank. The hydro generator isn't like solar panels where its possible to block the incoming electricity when the batteries get full, without damaging the panels. If you tried this with a hydro system, it would severely damage the generator and create a very dangerous situation as a charge would continue to build at the generator.
SiskiyouForest 1 year ago
Comment removed
zwabberdeflabber 1 year ago
@SiskiyouForest ,thanks for the answer,So it runs 24/7,and heat up a watertank.
Good idee.(i thought stop the water with a elektric valve)
Greets lars
zwabberdeflabber 1 year ago
This is a great design. Would this provide enough kwh to run my house? I average 15 kwh per day, with a peak of 20kwh on extreme days. I'm new to the off grid movement, and was wondering if this system would run my house?
southerngardener79 1 year ago
@southerngardener79 Thanks southerngardener. The amount of power that can be generated is dependent of the volume of water available at the generator and the vertical distance between the intake and generator (aka head). My system can currently produce about 500 watts, 24 hrs/day, which is about 12kwh/day. If I used 3" pipe instead of 2" pipe, it would have produced about 900 watts or 22kwh/day. The generator can produce up to 1500 watts max, depending on site and system parameters.
SiskiyouForest 1 year ago
Highly Appreciated. Very nice and good system. I wish i ll do the same.
zeshanshan 1 year ago
very cool
Maxthemighty 1 year ago
Nice system. I appreciate the overview of entire system. Good presentation. What was cost of system(strainer, valves,pipe, tanks, electrical components, batteries, all in) and how long did it take to put in?
MrHydrohead 1 year ago
@MrHydrohead Thanks MrHydrohead. The cost of the system was about $6,500 and it took about a week to get up and running. In the description i said it cost about $5,000 because i already owned the inverter and battery bank for my 480 watts of solar panels. I did all the work myself, so there wasn't any labor costs. I tried to post the breakdown of cost by part, but the comment was too long. If you want more detailed info, just ask. Hope this helps :)
SiskiyouForest 1 year ago