SinkScience #09 - Faucet Hydro-Electric Power

[subhankarkudghat]

This video contains quality information.

The concept of Tesla is similar to Magnetic Generator.

If you want to get Free Energy System to power your Home:

- Here is my advice for you:

-- There is a review of the current Magnetic Generators in the market

--- Go to Google and search for Top Magnet Generator

---- and.. Click the first results

[MrfixitRick]

@subhankarkudghat

This is a scam that I do NOT promote or endorse in any way.

Sites set up with "magnetic generator' and "Tesla magnetic generator" have been scamming all over the internet.

I have built an actual Tesla Turbine Magnetic Generator, but I am not ready to release it to the public just yet.

[te20band]

Cleo will get you someday, oh yes he will !!!!!!!!!

[pappybam]

excellent video. have you thought of maybe just having a system installed on the backside of the main coming into the house. guess you could do the math based on the faucet gpm and your daily water usage to figure if it would be worth it.  great idea though, and excellent follow through. keep up the videos!

[MrfixitRick]

@pappybam

The math works out to a couple of pennies a day of power for most families. It could save millions of dollars a year country-wide. But it would take billions of dollars to install it in millions of homes, and take 1000 years for payback of initial capital.

If the turbine could power a remote meter or other device, it may be worth it to install.

[pappybam]

@MrfixitRick thanks for reply. I suppose it makes sense, even with perfect efficiency you're not going to get out more energy than it took to put the water in the tower in the first place...and I've never heard municipal complaints regarding that particular energy demand. nevertheless, impressive exploration and execution. we need more people thinking like you. thanks.

[117cam]

only one watt!! this put me off makin one now lol what psi was it workin at??

[MrfixitRick]

@117cam

This turbine runs at about 30 psi faucet water pressure. The power increases significantly with more pressure and volume.

[OKMUNWURX]

@117cam  It was just a test run

[wyrrox]

I like the frictionles magnet connection.

[djdsfhakdfhlksdhklf]

check this video: go to user

gfcgamer, he do something easy to replicate, that rotate cups and weight from water in sink, creates a constant Spiraling-Vibrating motion.

[HeBreaksLate]

If it wiggles, it's biology. If it stinks, it's chemistry. If it doesn't work, it's physics.

[Dishfarm]

That's great man, I'll buy a trailer and add it on to yours! I work in a machine shop as well. So, how many projects can you think of that you either cannot fund or just don't have time for? Do you think we could find a couple geek chicks, one for you and one for me? Maybe you have a machine for that?

[MrfixitRick]

@Dishfarm

Haha...good attitude! Thanks for the comment.

As far as the ultimate "chick magnet" machine, that has to be the new Tesla Roadster !!

[MrRamraider]

@MrfixitRick OMG you are Vincent Price come back as "The Spinfinder General"

[Dishfarm]

Must be doing this in a trailer home. I should buy one and use it as my lab.

[MrfixitRick]

@Dishfarm

You guessed it!

My home is my lab and machine shop...not too many folks have a drill press in their kitchen, and a vice on their dining table.

Good thing I'm no longer married, otherwise I'd be divorced!

[fairyheli2]

free power!

[rickcperry]

The alternator will not create power unless you send power to the field first. Try an old 12 volt Generator from a 60's car, that will give you free power from simply turning.

[thefirstofthefirst]

use a blocking diode to stop the draw from battery to motor and i think it might charge a little bit faster not much at all if even noticeable at all. give me your oppinion i am just getting intrested with this subject and im 14 so glad to hear your input

[MrfixitRick]

@thefirstofthefirst

Great point! The turbine must rotate the motor/generator against friction, and back EMF (Electro-Motive Force) to attain enough voltage to begin charging the battery. Before it gets spinning up, the motor/generator is trying to spin backwards from the energy of the battery. A diode would rectify the problem...(so to speak!) and block the flow of current backwards.

I'm not sure if there would be a benefit with a diode above the battery voltage threshold rpm, however.

[mdivinc]

If you pay for your water and sewerage, your bill will go up for both. The water you are using goes right down the drain. If you don,t pay for those services,you at the very least are wasteing all that water. (somebody is paying to produce water under pressure to your home).

[MrfixitRick]

I pay only 5 cents an hour to run the well pump. There is plenty of water. I run the turbine for a few minutes at a time. It costs about a penny a time to run. That's the cheapest experiment ever!

Besides, the water is not wasted. It fills the sink to wash dishes or for cleaning. What goes down the sink feeds the lawn.

[Idiotsmakemesad]

@MrfixitRick Where I live 1w of power would only cost you 0.016c an hour. So your generated 1w is costing you over 300 times more :) I know its not the point at all, but since you already brought the costs into it I couldn't resist. Have you got any figures on the amount of water used in an hour ? If so we can figure out the cost per W/h for a mains connection. Oh BTW do you know what RPM you were achieving there? I'm trying to design a linear alternator so it would be useful to know.

[MrfixitRick]

@Idiotsmakemesad

I figure, if water flows out the faucet anyway...why not extract at least part of the power required to get it there?

This Tesla turbine uses about 3 GPM which is 180 gallons per hour.

It runs at about 800-1200 rpm, depending on water pressure.

I calculated mounting one to the water mains to each house would save over 20 million dollars a year in power in the US...but the capital costs of setting up would take hundreds of years to pay off!

[Idiotsmakemesad]

@MrfixitRick OK cheers for the RPM info. With regards to the turbine I guess there's no point in wasting the power as long as your not in rush to do the dishes and can put up with the loss of sink space. Minor inconvenience considering your set to save over 0.00026 cents every single time you fill the sink! You might even live long enough to see your savings grow large enough to be held in your hand as a real coin.

[MrfixitRick]

@Idiotsmakemesad

Haha!

Granted, in this example the savings are not evident. However, using a Tesla Turbine generator as a pressure regulator in a large source-based water main, might not be a bad idea...

[Idiotsmakemesad]

@MrfixitRick I'm pretty sure you got it right with your first analysis. There's just not enough energy in household water supply at typical usage rates to ever pay back the capital costs of the instrument required to harvest it. Similar to low grade heat.

It may be more useful scaled up for high volume commercial users.Or for some other niche application like camping or powering remote equipment near mountains streams.

[maidkzz31]

hiii MrfixitRick!! I am Katherine and am interested in your experiment.,,, Well I just wanted to ask you if you can help me and my classmates to make one like yours?? Your work is so amazing.... I really liked it and hope you can help us.....

[MrfixitRick]

I will certainly help!

Have you checked out my Instructables page? It's in the links to the right in "more info". There you will find several types of CD Turbines. The "Turkey Time Tesla CD Turbine" is the Instructable that would be similar to what is seen in the above video.

There are many experiments that can be done from one basic turbine.

Note the CD container should be the Memorex kind that has the thick lip on the bottom spindle tray. That's the only kind I've got to seal properly.

[MrfixitRick]

You can either post questions here, or by Youtube mail, or e-mail me. Your choice!

[mitsuman007]

Have you ever tried one with the turbine blades mounted to a shaft, instead of using the magnets to transfer the energy?

[MrfixitRick]

There are no blades in a Tesla Turbine. It uses discs, and is known as the "Bladeless Turbine".

I haven't been able to afford to buy the special discs, shaft, bearings, seals and heavier case, all of which amounts to hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a quality Tesla turbine.

The question is, what advantage is there in using a shaft, bearings, and seals...all of which are problematic in any turbine?

If I can build a turbine without these items, then I think it is a major improvement.

[mitsuman007]

I understand the lack of actual "blades" in the tesla design, I just used the term for simplicity.

My idea is considerably more complicated, but I was thinking of making a tesla turbine with a shaft, and have a centrifugal clutch system (like what you would see on a twist and go moped) so the turbine could spin up freely before putting load on it.

[MrfixitRick]

That could work, as the Tesla turbine design makes best torque when it's running at over 1/2 of it's maximum rpm. (i.e. min 15,000 rpm for a 30,000 rpm turbine.)

There is also a possibility of incorporating a magnetic clutch directly into my magnetic coupler. For example, there are magnetic clutches available commercially.

[cedarpd]

wow cool u used 20 dollars worth of water to charge a 50 cent battery lol

[MrfixitRick]

Uh, no.

Since I'm on a well, I used 0 dollars in water and less than a tenth of a cent of electricity for the well pump, to charge a $8 battery.

Doesn't that sound better?

[bobmcgee7]

if you put a nozel on the turbine to increse the water presher you coud get more power a garden hose with a (jet) nozel will spin a fan at a good speed so a 1/8 nozle opening shoud do the trick

[MrfixitRick]

This turbine has a nozzle that tapers to 1/8 inch, and powers the turbine to a few hundred rpm under generator load, and 1200 rpm without load.

[gilbondfac]

put a lamp 100 or 24 w to see the power ! or charge a battery. see the pressure and watt output.....efficiency?

[MrfixitRick]

I do show charging an AA battery at 5:40 in this movie, 1/4 amp x 2 volt = about 1/2 watt.

There is not much power available from faucet water pressure at 25 psi. Most of the energy goes into the resistance of turning the shaft of the generator, with only a watt or two of power available to use.

This turbine can run on higher water pressure or on compressed air, to get the big numbers of generated electrical power. The power increases sharply with the square of the rpms.

[jsmythib]

what a good idea...magnetic coupler..neato

[masterix6]

The dog!!!! How could you! He was your captive audience.... OK back to business. VERY NICE. Added to my playlist

[gianfavero]

great music

[dirtTdude]

i like the idea, would be a cool devise to have around when the power goes out, hopefully it would put out 12v so a guy could use an off the shelf inverter, throw in a few car batteries and a family could keep their refrigerator and hot water heater running.

[GManGT]

This is very wasteful of water and doesn't prove anything but move power around very inefficiently.

[MrfixitRick]

I live in a rain forest. A few gallons of water from my well, on a one-time basis is not a waste. You likely used a lot more in your morning shower.

This video arouses interest in the Tesla Turbine to those who need to know such things. It proves the Tesla disc design can work in many applications, and can produce power from faucet water pressure.

[djrobeat]

hey mrfix it ithink GMANGT Doesnt take showers xD

[MrfixitRick]

hehe!

[GManGT]

When does the toilet bowel science series begin?

[MrfixitRick]

Don't laugh...I have a design that works to turn the turbine whenever you flush the toilet!

[GrowThirdLeg]

Keep up the good work.

Love the music!

[sinformant]

your voice sounds like thomas haden church!!! awesome experiment!!

[pshinspections]

2:45 Your dog lapping water LOL

[UndeadMageBunny]

dang it man what is your water bill? my wife would kill me if i did this stuff!

[MrfixitRick]

I'm on a well pump and it only costs about a nickel an hour to operate! Cheapest fun I've ever had!

[coolguydave82]

What a waste of water

[spikeychops]

Have to agree...it IS a waste of water. Would be fine if it was connected to a gravity fed river or steam though. Just run a pipe downhill to build up head pressure and then run through the turbine.

[steveelson]

hiya, me again...what about linking 5 or 6 together? thanks for the reply bud, actually my plan is to buy a piece of land in NZ then build my own house from adobe, then make my own electricity, grow my own crops etc... so now the last part i need to learn is how to create my own electricty... i believe this could be the way

[MrfixitRick]

To make electricity from the Tesla CD Turbine requires a good head of water, at least a 100 foot vertical drop to get 50 psi at the turbine. To run 5 or 6 turbines at once will require about a 30 gallon per minute flow. These will be high-maintenance turbines because of the CD cakebox will deteriorate in the sun and weather. And it won't be too cheap...the supermagnets alone for 6 turbines will cost at least $400.

But it would be fun and funky!

[hoser4]

If you're willing to invest the man-effort, you could create a gravity-powered device like how a grandfather clock works (hoist a weight to some height, then let it drop under controlled conditions) to drive a set of magnets. No need for the turbine, obviously, but because you're working with a magnetic clutch, you could take the "attachments" from the turbine and connect them directly to the gravity-powered device.

[MrfixitRick]

The beauty of the Tesla Turbine is it can be reversed to act as a pump. Your idea would work great to use the weights through the magnets, to rotate the discs and use the turbine as a pump!

[bugsthatbite]

i'm gonna do the same in australia, either in desert like land or an hour away from an ocean, but i might not grow the food, my plans were started with electricity, solar collectors of sorts coupled with steam engines/turbines, as well as wind turbines, which is perfect cause theres lots of sunny, windy places in australia, water is gonna be made from vapour in the air, probably from a commercial device. no plans to produce food whatsoever.

[MoonSpyStudios]

you can get way higher voltage from just the water and some galvanized metal and some copper wire. I got a single led light to light for months straight just from water. but I did notice its more like a capacitor than a battery because you can only hook it in series or parallel if you try and go both they cancel each other out? try it with some ice cube trays to make cells and you can get about 1.2 volts from each cell in series thats about 15-20 volts.

[spinafire]

Can you hook a generater like this to a rechargeable battery?

[MrfixitRick]

That's what I did in this movie. The generator can only recharge a AA battery from faucet water pressure. It would be possible to charge an auto 12 volt battery with enough pressure at the nozzle of the turbine.

[jamescgale]

1watt isnt so bad for a prototype project like this. You could run a radio or a small led type light off it.

[MrfixitRick]

You could say in an emergency, your life could depend on it!!

"Survival Turbine"...(I'm thinking of a new series of videos, showing different ways of surviving with this turbine ;)

[jamescgale]

Try this concept. Outside wind turbine with solar cells built into the turbine. It's yet to be done, but I don't see why that wouldn't work. "Survival mode" is a term I used for Hurricane Ike. 12 days without power, 10 days with out water. (Thank got for my generator) With out water pressure or water, there would be no way to run this. There has to be a back out plan always. Just some brain food for thought.

[MrfixitRick]

I've recently been considering survival mode situations and the applications of the Tesla CD Turbine, and the Tesla turbine in general.

I'm setting up a solar-powered air pump to deliver compressed air to a tank through the day. Later, I use that compressed air.

So I am making new kitchen turbine tools, powered by air or water, or preferably both at the same time! through solar power!

I also have plans to make a Tesla CD Pump, using a 12 volt motor from a Subaru fan. Solar-charged as well.

[flemmingh]

this is funny stuff =) cool.

[AdminOnDuty]

Kewl! Poor Cleo :(

How did you excite the fields on the Alternator?

[MrfixitRick]

I hooked the alternator up to a battery, but it didn't meet the minimum speed in order to put out power, and at about 100 rpm with the drag, it just wasn't happening. Most of the energy fron the faucet went into just turning the alternator unit. I need more pressure! ...perhaps one day the creek next door will do the job.

[unclewooly]

Purhaps if you offset the alternator to one side and use magnetic gearing. A small disk (cog) on the alternator with magnets on it and the existing magnets in the turbine would increase the RPM by who knows. With the luxury of remote magnetic gearing you could repeat this proccess, surrounding the turbine soure with multiple alternators? As for Torque? Drag? Resistance? thats where you come in.

[MrfixitRick]

Thanks for your suggestion. I like the phrase "luxury of remote magnetic gearing"...nice!

Although the magnetic gearing would be essentially friction-free, the turbine on faucet water pressure just doesn't have enough torque to turn more than one small alternator.

If I had 100 psi pressure from tying into the creek next door, that conclusion may change, and your idea becomes more feasible.

[Ofenbewis]

Oh, Rick, I love you. Yet another great installment in the series!

[MrfixitRick]

If only you were older and female...or at least female...!!

where was I? ...oh yes, thanks for the compliment on the SinkScience series!

[Ofenbewis]

Not to mention that I am talking to you over the internet.

[doughnutdoofus1]

XD i just noticed the airzooka ^^

[MrfixitRick]

Hehe, it's a perfect stand!

[markuks]

I thought you said you can't make a hydro electric powered turbine. Oh well I guess with the help of dismantling someone's subaru, you can...

I always tried to reverse a fan motor instead of electricity to move it, I want to make electricity by moving it. with this video it is possible.

Hey! why not try making a centrifuge! That can make for another sink science...

[hartnell114]

i dont quite understand how that works,the normal motor being used as a generator,i know the princible is about the same, but not quite,and i dont totally undertsand how you can produce negative enegry lol

[MrfixitRick]

It's not really negative energy; the minus sign from the ammeter simply indicates the current is flowing in an opposite direction. The windings of the motor cause a resistance or drag that must be overcome by rotating the motor above it's minimum charging rpm to increase the voltage.

A similar thing happens to an automotive charging system if the idle speed gets too low.. dimming lights would indicate the flow of current is changing to a draw from the battery instead of a charge to it.

[hartnell114]

lol,im really going to have to take your word on that :)

[MrfixitRick]

Haha, well I guess it's on a need-to-know basis! I needed to know stuff like this since I was very small...

Most folks don't really need or want to know the technical details of things; as a mechanic, when I try to explain mechanical details to some people, the eyes glaze over, then I know...oops, that went over their head.

But then again, if they were to discuss their speciality with me, it could likely go over my head, too!

[hartnell114]

haha thats a nice analogy :) i understand some parts but not everything but its still a pretty nice thing, infact you may be able to help me, is there any way i could set up a step motor to run at 120 rpm? lolor was it 160...great,i forgot lmao!

[BikerTrashWolf]

Ok, I know this is just for demonstration and the hell of it, but I was curious if you had figured how many $ worth of water it would take to produce say 1$ worth of electricity

[Fuzzy192006]

Nobody said that:

- you have to use tap water

- you'd run water just for the turbine. it could just aswell be waste water.

[BikerTrashWolf]

good point, but most waist water is not under very much pressure. Possibly if the supply line was the main supply for the house and the exhaust fed into the house to act as the new supply then it would be able to work like that if the flowrate stays high enough for long enough to get it spinning at a good rate?

[MrfixitRick]

The turbine cuts down on water pressure so it wouldn't work so well for certain places that require more pressure, such as a shower or garden hose sprayer.

Also, if the outlet flow from the turbine is restricted, it cuts down on power a lot.

But the concept might work under a sink, or to fill a pool.

The gadget is mostly to spark awareness that energy is available to "tap" into all around us.

[ButterflyDragon9]

But how much energy was used to "tap" into this energy? I'm sure the water pressure supplied is powered by "something" (most likely a water pump that used far, far more energy than you acquired through your generator). Now, acquire that energy from something "free" and you'll have a winner.

[MrfixitRick]

Exactly! That's why I plan to tie into the mountain creek beside me for 100 psi.

I admit it requires way more power to pump the water than I get out of it. (I figure it's well worth the 5 cents an hour operating costs for such a fun and versatile experimental platform!)

However, the pressure from a well pump or city water is being mis-used in most cases...we don't need 30 psi out of a faucet to brush teeth or fill a sink. The excess pressure could be utilized.

[ButterflyDragon9]

Now, if you were to tie into the creek, that would be way cool. (And hopefully a video to go with it)

[unclewooly]

Now your talking. It's not about the energy cost it takes to provide the power. The point is the water pressure is supplied to us by the government. Why not generate power from what is already there. We pay for the water supply via rates anyway. Any saving is a good saving.

[MrfixitRick]

Good point! Furthermore, I calculate there is a potential 10 million dollars a year in energy savings in North America alone. (at about 10 cents a year per household..;)

[b0r3d2006]

He's running it from a tap yes, but to get more creative and avoid the "costs" of running the water he could run in a large enough bucket with a pump to create the needed PSI and recycle the dropped water back into the bucket and create the loop with just few liters of water.

I believe a water pump would get you the psi you want too depending what fitting you use and the type of pump

[gerrycampion]

yeah except that called perpetual motion and i'm pretty sure that doesn't work too well...

[lzcracker]

Converting mechanical to electrical energy is not perpetual motion...

[gerrycampion]

Yes but converting it back and forth in a loop, while assuming a zero or positive gain in energy is.

[spikeychops]

Oi, Izcracker -  stop wanking, it's frying your brain dipshit. Nobody said fuck all about P.M. If you can't use your own tiny brain, and have to parrot other wankers on youtube, at least do it in the correct context. Sheesh.

[dirtTdude]

with enough pressure from the creek and enough battery storage, you should be able to power your house, of course there would be a little math involved but it should be doable

[MrfixitRick]

I was going to run one from my creek. It requires at least a 80 foot vertical drop to get about 40 psi pressure. It is doable, but for leak-proof longevity, a stronger case is required.

[MrfixitRick]

It's not efficient if you consider dollars worth of water to get dollars worth of power.

(about a 1000 to 1 ratio!) The correct question might be... How much energy was lost today by opening a tap ?

The average family uses 365 gallons a day...enough to run the CD Turbine for about 3 hours. That's 3 watt-hours per day or over a kilowatt per year of energy savings. About 10 cents worth. Multiplied by a hundred million households, would equal about 10 million bucks a year in energy savings.

[BikerTrashWolf]

Hmmm... I guess it all depends on just how broad your view is. I was thinking small, but if you look at it like that it is much more impressive.

About what I was saying about using it inline with the houses supply water. Will the turbine work with that much backpressure or does it need to exhaust to an open source?

[MrfixitRick]

It works much more efficiently without backpressure. I hooked up a garden hose to the exhaust hole and lost about half performance.

So it will work, but not as effectively. A vacuum (i.e. low pressure) at the outlet would be the best.