A windmill is a device employed to alter wind power to workable energy by the use of a spinning movement and variable vanes or sails. Windmills were first utilized for milling grain however, as individuals have altered to being more concerned with protecting the environment and seeking reservoirs of natural energy, windmills have increased in popularity.
You probably think assembling a windmill of your own is too pricey but you have nothing to stress about since you can build a windmill yourself for about $200 and the long term savings a windmill will offer you will be well worth it. So if you are interested in building a windmill of your own here are some tips for constructing a windmill around 5 feet tall.
Required Tools
Saw
Sander
Drill
Required Materials
cement and sandbags
Plastic PVC pipes
Nuts and bolts
Blades
A generator
Hub
A mounting
Batteries and an electronic control system
2×4 board
Straps
Heavy sheet aluminum
Instructions
As with many other things you can buy windmill guides or kits to lessen your work. The plans will give you intricate steps for building a windmill and will include a detailed database of essential materials to build a windmill. A windmill kit will entail plans as well as all the materials you need to build the windmill so you will need nothing but a few tools. If however, you opt to create a windmill with no added help then here is what you need to do.
Let’s begin with the generator; some persons choose to build their own generator but an easier option is to buy a permanent magnet DC motor. You want a motor that will turn out good current at a low rpm level; a 30 volt motor rated at 325 rpm should produce about 12 volts therefore a motor like this would be perfect.
For sails/blades you can buy pre-made blades or make blades out of wood, aluminum or PVC pipe. To see exactly how you need to cut the PVC pipes visit one of the websites online such as yourgreendream.com that will provide you detailed guidelines on what to do. Once you have cut out your blades using a saw, use the sander to smooth the edges of the blades to make them even more efficient.
You will require a hub to bolt the blades to and to secure the motor to, just about any flat disk about 5 inches in diameter will do. Drill 2 holes, one below the other through the blades and drill matching holes through the hub, next use the nuts and bolts to secure the sails to the hub.
The windmill piece is now complete but you need a mount to secure it to. Strap the motor to one end of the piece of 2×4 board and use a piece of PVC pipe to shield the motor so it is sheltered from rain. Lastly fix the heavy sheet aluminum to the other end of the 2×4 board to function as a tail for the windmill.
For a tower use a PVC or aluminum pipe; bury it in the ground and concrete it into position, use sandbags to additionally secure the tower in place and then mount the windmill on the tower.
Purchase a wind power control system for transferring energy from the windmill to the batteries, from any Alternative Energy store. You need electrical cables to join the windmill to the power control; run the cables from the windmill down through the tower and join it to the power controller. Now it’s time to test out your windmill.
Tip
Remember that the taller a windmill is the more wind it will catch. As such you want your windmill to be higher than any possible obstacle.