phein
New member
I'm thinking of fitting a wind turbine and the two main models seem to be either Aerogen (UK) or Ampair (USA). Has anyone experience, good or bad, of either of these makes?
Wind turbines - any advice?
- Thread starter phein
- Start date
pvb
Well-known member
Advice...
Here's my advice, for what it's worth. If you have the slightest feeling of camaraderie with your fellow sailors, please spend a little time wandering around marinas listening to these devices! Some of them make the most awful noise.
Strangely, the areodynamic-looking ones often howl the loudest. In contrast, a boat near mine in the marina has a wind generator which looks to have the aerodynamic qualities of a brick, but which is absolutely silent.
Here's my advice, for what it's worth. If you have the slightest feeling of camaraderie with your fellow sailors, please spend a little time wandering around marinas listening to these devices! Some of them make the most awful noise.
Strangely, the areodynamic-looking ones often howl the loudest. In contrast, a boat near mine in the marina has a wind generator which looks to have the aerodynamic qualities of a brick, but which is absolutely silent.
Twister_Ken
Well-known member
Advice? Keep bodily parts out of the blades. My father lost part of a finger to a ventilation fan that was just idling in the breeze.
JerryHawkins
Member
Look at DuoGen
http://www.duogen.co.uk
This is a combined wind/water generator. I have one (see my boat, Fisher 25 in sample installations on this site).
Not had it long, so can't comment on its longevity as yet.
Jerry
http://www.duogen.co.uk
This is a combined wind/water generator. I have one (see my boat, Fisher 25 in sample installations on this site).
Not had it long, so can't comment on its longevity as yet.
Jerry
Douglas
New member
Re: Windgen
I have an ancient Aerogen, which has been in almost total use for 10 plus years. It used to be almost silent but rattles a bit now due to floppy bearings. The makers were very helpful when I had a problem a few years back. and even supplied a small part FOC. I would buy a new one without hesitation.
I have an ancient Aerogen, which has been in almost total use for 10 plus years. It used to be almost silent but rattles a bit now due to floppy bearings. The makers were very helpful when I had a problem a few years back. and even supplied a small part FOC. I would buy a new one without hesitation.
snooks
Active member
Stick em on a long pole out of harms way! But make sure you can stop them when you're in a marina, they do make a racket
I though Ampair were from the UK
YM did a test in Oct 2000.
It depends on what you'd like the generator to do...if it's topping up batteries while your boats on a mooring the article said go for the Rutland 503 around £300
here are the Web addresses:
Aerogen www.lvm-ltd.com
Rutland www.marlec.co.uk
Ampair www.ampair.com
A friend went for a big Aerogen on the premis that you can always waste power, but it's harder to make it up...bit like time really
I though Ampair were from the UK
YM did a test in Oct 2000.
It depends on what you'd like the generator to do...if it's topping up batteries while your boats on a mooring the article said go for the Rutland 503 around £300
here are the Web addresses:
Aerogen www.lvm-ltd.com
Rutland www.marlec.co.uk
Ampair www.ampair.com
A friend went for a big Aerogen on the premis that you can always waste power, but it's harder to make it up...bit like time really
ParaHandy
Active member
Re: Windgen
Douglas
How long do a set of batteries last you? Trying to find out if a (small-ish) constant charge extends their life. Be pretty good if you've not changed say a couple of 100amphr batteries in 10 yrs....or is that too much to hope for!
Douglas
Douglas
How long do a set of batteries last you? Trying to find out if a (small-ish) constant charge extends their life. Be pretty good if you've not changed say a couple of 100amphr batteries in 10 yrs....or is that too much to hope for!
Douglas
LadyInBed
Well-known member
I fitted a Rutland 913 this year. Its very quiet but does make (what I think is) a satisfying Woosh in high winds. But you do have to listen for it amongst all the clattering halyards.
bedouin
Well-known member
Having spent a couple of days moored next to it in a gale, I can vouch for the wooooooooosh 
G
Guest
Guest
I have the Rutland 503 installed,it has a the blades within an outer ring for safety.
When on board with high winds it does produce a noise which is more like a loud background hum a bit like when inside a jetplane. I would not describe it as a nuisance noise and you would have to be pretty close to the boat to hear it.
It does trickle charge the battery during the week. I have it connected to a dedicated leisure battery that I use via an invertor to power a medical air pump overnight at weekends. My only problem with it is that it does not sufficiently raise the battery voltage. it will take a battery up to about 12v wheras I believe a fully charged battery should be nearer 14v. This may be a problem with the makers rectifier unit which incorporates a shunt to a heatsink at a preset loading.
If anyone has a solution to this your advice would be appreciated, as the invertor I use cuts out when the battery drops to 10.6 volts which does not take long with the equipment I am running.
I am now in the process of altering the set up so that my dedicated medical battery is charged from the engine alternator,and I shall use the wind generator to top up my No 2 automotive battery which I use for boats lighting,instrumentation etc.Incidentally there was an interesting article in a recent PBO (Ithink) about batteries from someone in the know that basically said don't bother with leisure batteries.Anyone any thoughts!
When on board with high winds it does produce a noise which is more like a loud background hum a bit like when inside a jetplane. I would not describe it as a nuisance noise and you would have to be pretty close to the boat to hear it.
It does trickle charge the battery during the week. I have it connected to a dedicated leisure battery that I use via an invertor to power a medical air pump overnight at weekends. My only problem with it is that it does not sufficiently raise the battery voltage. it will take a battery up to about 12v wheras I believe a fully charged battery should be nearer 14v. This may be a problem with the makers rectifier unit which incorporates a shunt to a heatsink at a preset loading.
If anyone has a solution to this your advice would be appreciated, as the invertor I use cuts out when the battery drops to 10.6 volts which does not take long with the equipment I am running.
I am now in the process of altering the set up so that my dedicated medical battery is charged from the engine alternator,and I shall use the wind generator to top up my No 2 automotive battery which I use for boats lighting,instrumentation etc.Incidentally there was an interesting article in a recent PBO (Ithink) about batteries from someone in the know that basically said don't bother with leisure batteries.Anyone any thoughts!
Douglas
New member
Re: Windgen
I have had my larger c100Ah battery for about 5 years and it is going strong. Impossible to guess how long it will last though.
The Gen will deliver a strong charge well over 13v on a multimeter, though this is a very rough check, I know.
I have had my larger c100Ah battery for about 5 years and it is going strong. Impossible to guess how long it will last though.
The Gen will deliver a strong charge well over 13v on a multimeter, though this is a very rough check, I know.
Chris_Robb
Well-known member
Re:Rutland and its Regulator
I had the Large Rutland for one season:
The regulator either boiled the batteries at 15 volts or would charge - ie cut out at 12 volts - which is less than fully charged. The regulator went back to them no less than 7 times for readjustment, They came back with varoious excuses that they had not allowed for the voltage drop on the diode etc.
Whilst the regulator was away for repair (for months on end through the winter the blades were teathered, and by the end of the winter the bearings made a noise like a bag of nails - amplified by the mast on which it sits. The cause - my fault because I left it teathered and the water got in because it was not pointing into the wind.
Whole lot packed up and sent back - got money back after arguements, and sepnt it on a large alternator - don't need a wind generator now.
A voltage at the batteries of 12 volts is a total waste of time!!! you should be seeing 14 to 14.2 volts.
Noise wise - before the bearings went, the noise was a whooooooossseeee and quite acceptable.
I had the Large Rutland for one season:
The regulator either boiled the batteries at 15 volts or would charge - ie cut out at 12 volts - which is less than fully charged. The regulator went back to them no less than 7 times for readjustment, They came back with varoious excuses that they had not allowed for the voltage drop on the diode etc.
Whilst the regulator was away for repair (for months on end through the winter the blades were teathered, and by the end of the winter the bearings made a noise like a bag of nails - amplified by the mast on which it sits. The cause - my fault because I left it teathered and the water got in because it was not pointing into the wind.
Whole lot packed up and sent back - got money back after arguements, and sepnt it on a large alternator - don't need a wind generator now.
A voltage at the batteries of 12 volts is a total waste of time!!! you should be seeing 14 to 14.2 volts.
Noise wise - before the bearings went, the noise was a whooooooossseeee and quite acceptable.
ParaHandy
Active member
Re:Rutland and its Regulator
Does blueprint mean that the battery voltage is at 12v not that the generator only delivers 12v. He might misunderstand that a fully charged battery is 12.7v (I think, as mine are 80% charged at 12.5v). Blueprint: Is that the case?
Otherwise, you're right. The generator is absolutely useless unless it delivers +14v to the battery.
Does blueprint mean that the battery voltage is at 12v not that the generator only delivers 12v. He might misunderstand that a fully charged battery is 12.7v (I think, as mine are 80% charged at 12.5v). Blueprint: Is that the case?
Otherwise, you're right. The generator is absolutely useless unless it delivers +14v to the battery.
