It wasn’t so long ago that finding a decent home wind generator was very difficult. It’s not the kind of thing that you would want to attempt to make on your own unless you are very handy with tools and have a good knowledge of how to build wind generator at home. There are now variety of models available in the market that will deliver a decent amount of power to you if you need to use it in a remote location or for a backup to power a house that comes off the grid.
If you want to get windmill whole house generators that work effectively, you should look for ones that have furling devices on them. This usually comes in the form of a tail on a small wind generator and it will keep the device pointed in the right direction so that is getting the maximum amount of wind power delivered to the unit. Ones that are stationary and need to be adjusted manually will not give you the optimum power output.
One of the issues with using wind power generated for homes is that you get the best results when your unit is well above the ground. You will want to keep it at least 15 or 20 feet above anything else and if you don’t you are not likely to get the kind of wind speed that you’ll need to generate electric power. Most units will require at least 8 miles per hour to start generating electricity and even at that level they will not provide a lot of power quickly. When shopping for a unit, make sure to take note of what materials are used in construction. Lightweight aluminum models can make set up much easier and will be resistant to the elements over time. To buy a unit for use in a number of different locations then it will be wise to purchase a mast that you can set under a vehicle tire or a similar object to keep it steady.
Just like other generators, home wind power generators come in a variety of different sizes. You’re not going to get a whole lot of power with the smaller ones, and if you want something that is quite portable then it’s going to be more suitable for very small electrical devices. It helps to then have a battery that can hold enough electric power to then recharge your small electronics or similar items.
Small wind generators are usually used to trickle power into a car battery or a marine battery are also some time used as a complement to a residence.
How Does Windmill Generator Compare to Other Types of Home Power Generators?
The uses for home wind generators are fairly similar to that of a solar generator but obviously the advantage is that you don’t have to wait for the sun to come out from behind a cloud to start getting a charge. You can also use them 24 hours a day, provided you have some wind. There is no possibility of using a solar power generator at night so for many applications, the home wind power generator might be more useful and still has the benefit of transforming green power of mother nature into something reusable. If you really want to set yourself up for outdoor excursions look at getting both wind and solar types.
There are some advantages and disadvantages to using a whole house wind generator. Obviously, you are not going to get the kind of power that you would expect from a diesel or gasoline powered generators. You might get more than solar, but you still cannot rely on it to be able to power larger appliances for the whole house.
Not all landscape configurations will work for windmill generators. Those who reside close to mountain areas or by the sea might get a much better chance of obtaining decent wind power than others who live in the city. The demographic of the house is one of many significant characteristics to consider before installing wind turbines.
Even when you have strong wind condition in place, its hard to reduce the size of your home wind generator in order to provide enough electricity for the house. Proper installation by professionals are usually required to make sure wind turbines work smoothly and to optimal performance. This is often not cheap, if not say quite costly if you can’t build a home made wind generator yourself.
Should You Build a Homemade Wind Generator?
Are you really good at house projects and think you can confidently build a wind generator yourself? Than the video below from the MakerMagazine will demonstrate to you step by step on how to make your own wind generator at home from ordinary power tools and reusable materials that can be found in many hardware stores, like treadmill electric motor, PVC pipes and others. A fun project that will both save you money in electricity bills and get some experience in making of wind power turbines to generate free electricity for your family. However, it is generally not recommended to undertake these kind of projects by yourself, as you might find yourself fixing up dozen of things before the windmill generator even starts to work. The frustrations and technical issues that might arise with home made stuff is enough for many people to not even consider the route of homebuilt wind generator power.
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