Hydro power?

Question

I wanted to know a cheap way to create a simple hydro power plant (The age old spindle in a creek design), anyone know where I could find more info, or even a design to build one?

Answer 1

Andrew, I have studied what you want to do for many years hoping to build one myself. I have a plan in my head and even some professors at the Universty of Virginia said I was right with my designs and ideas.
My problem has been finding a tract of land that I could afford and fit the bill for hydro electric.
Most all of the books I have read, and I have read everything I could find, cover to cover, says and this is a qoute from them
"a turbine is more efficient than a water wheel, however a water wheel doesn't require as much water as a turbine"
That statement contradicts itself. How can a turbine be more efficient if it has to have more water flow that a wheel does.
Anyway, I would love to quide you through the building process if you have a large enough creek. According to where you live, I would love to help you with it, and not charge you anything. I just want to build one before I get tooooooo old. LOL.
They say a water wheel is inefficient because you must gear it up so high you loose power from the gearing.
If you have 12' of head, for a 12 foot wheel, that is 24 to one gearing if you run a belt on the perimeter of the wheel to a 6" pulley, from get go. Install a 30" pulley on a common shaft with the 6" pulley going to a 1 1/2" pulley on an alternator and you have a 480 to one ratio.
A water wheel built correctly can turn 12 rpm's so that gives you 5,760 rpm's at the generator which will produce juice.
The shaft sould be 2" cold roll steel because it is the cheapest shaft you can get that will carry the load and the bearings won't cost you an arm and a leg.
Cut two 12" disc from 1/4" steel plate and use a 12" steel pipe for a hub.
From there, you build something that looks like an oversized bicycle wheel useing 1/2" electrical emt counduit for the spokes and according to your buget, use 16 to 22 gauge sheet metal for the rim and buckets.
You can make your own belt, easier than the people that used water wheel 150 years ago because we have what is know as masons line. It is a heavey nylon line used for keeping the rows of brick and block in a straight line.
Old timers used to use hemp rope for the belt and could set the mill more than a football field from the water wheel. With electricity, that saves on the high priced wire and you don't loose the voltage you would either.
The rope is simple to make and you can buy the string in 1,000 yard rolls to keep the cost down. It is hard to explain on here, but if you are really interested in building a power site, I would really love to tell you everything I know about it and if you will e-mail me at [e-mail] I will give you my phone number and a time you can reach me.
I know I make it sound easy but I have been a welder/fabracator most of my life.

By the way, how much water flow and head do you have???

Answer 2

Interesting idea...
I haven't seen many under or overshot wheels, most hydro is by turbines. There may be legal issues about putting something like that in a navigable stream....if you creek is navigable.

This is some pretty good info...
http://www.solareco.com/articles/article.cfm/id/34

Answer 3

There was an article in Mother Earth News about two years ago, you could try checking their website. I think all their old issues are archived there.

Answer 4

Might want to check Home Power Magazine to start.

Answer 5

Try this site
Hydropower: Energy from Moving Water