animalfarm
Power Conserver
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2011
- Messages
- 161
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 49
I had (will have again) a wind turbine. A freak windstorm blew it down but with extenuating circumstances. (very shoddy improperly done installation). They work and work well in pretty strong winds. They will brake so as not to exceed maximum speed, and when the batteries are charged, they shut down if the heat dump is also working overtime. The heat dump is basically a heater which bleeds off excess energy to prevent messing up the batteries. This is a good thing in the winter as it keeps the basement/batteries toasty warm and cuts down on my heating costs.
The guy who you talked too is not someone you want to do buisness with. If he is already making excuses and trying to sell you something you didn't ask for, it is because he doesn't have any real experience with wind turbines and could care less about what you want but more about lining his pocket. Learned this the hard way.
My insurance company tried to make me use the same company again because they bid cheaper and I refused out right; I have that right. They are a take your money and run company and don't back up their work. If the guy couldn't be bothered to come to your place for a look see, he won't be bothered to come again once he has your money. You can bet on that, and there is a learning curve you have to go through with wind turbines. Communication is very important. You must also expect to maintain your own system as even with warrenties, its tough to get someone to do this for you and not hide when something is going wrong. (premature early wearing of bearings due to improper installation/missing bolts for example). No one will touch someone else's work if the thing is still under warrenty.
If you want the system for a back up for hydro, expect that there will be many days without wind, but also there can be many days without sun(solar panels) Thats what the batteries are for.
Only hook up the essentials to your off grid system so as to not drain the batteries too quickly. For example, run the fridge, water pump, lights plus furnace fan off the system, but keep the hot water tank and dryer and electric stove on hydro as your system will not be able to run these things, period. During hydro outages you don't use the microwave, toasters, and every light in the house or you will soon be back in the dark unless you have a good wind going. Also, if you have a yard light, put a switch on the pole so you can turn it off when you aren't out wandering about; its a real power waster too. I beleive its easier to catch theives if they are running around with flashlights and flashy thingys on their sneakers.
If I could only have one, I would opt for wind as the most wind is in the winter, when you are most reliant on hydro. You need at least a 3kw wind turbine. I am going to upgrade to a 6kw if possible, now that I have a do over. No, a wind turbine will not even come close to paying for itself; for us its about not relying on hydro.
The guy who you talked too is not someone you want to do buisness with. If he is already making excuses and trying to sell you something you didn't ask for, it is because he doesn't have any real experience with wind turbines and could care less about what you want but more about lining his pocket. Learned this the hard way.
My insurance company tried to make me use the same company again because they bid cheaper and I refused out right; I have that right. They are a take your money and run company and don't back up their work. If the guy couldn't be bothered to come to your place for a look see, he won't be bothered to come again once he has your money. You can bet on that, and there is a learning curve you have to go through with wind turbines. Communication is very important. You must also expect to maintain your own system as even with warrenties, its tough to get someone to do this for you and not hide when something is going wrong. (premature early wearing of bearings due to improper installation/missing bolts for example). No one will touch someone else's work if the thing is still under warrenty.
If you want the system for a back up for hydro, expect that there will be many days without wind, but also there can be many days without sun(solar panels) Thats what the batteries are for.
Only hook up the essentials to your off grid system so as to not drain the batteries too quickly. For example, run the fridge, water pump, lights plus furnace fan off the system, but keep the hot water tank and dryer and electric stove on hydro as your system will not be able to run these things, period. During hydro outages you don't use the microwave, toasters, and every light in the house or you will soon be back in the dark unless you have a good wind going. Also, if you have a yard light, put a switch on the pole so you can turn it off when you aren't out wandering about; its a real power waster too. I beleive its easier to catch theives if they are running around with flashlights and flashy thingys on their sneakers.
If I could only have one, I would opt for wind as the most wind is in the winter, when you are most reliant on hydro. You need at least a 3kw wind turbine. I am going to upgrade to a 6kw if possible, now that I have a do over. No, a wind turbine will not even come close to paying for itself; for us its about not relying on hydro.
