Restoring a Water Wheel! Hydro Power?
Exciting news - the water wheel on my off-grid land actually works! See how we connected it to the rain water tank. Producing electricity with hydro power is a perfect match for my land so I'm excited to explore it further in the future.
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Maya I think you will get more power from that wheel if you cut the feed tube shorter so the end is barely past the center pivot. This way more water enters the buckets & lengthens the power stroke of each mass of water. Kris Harbor just did a series on water wheel design & building worth learning from.
Kris does some amazing projects great channel.
Seems we all watch the same channels! :-) I agree that anyone doing hydro projects can learn a lot from Kris.
I don't watch that channel, but I wanted to give the same tip. I would describe it as using more of the height difference, but the water comes in splashing, so the energy isn't totally lost? Give everything you can lube some love, and it should run more easily. Even if it feels easy, I can't imagine Fresh Lube won't do some good. Look for grease ports.
shortening the feed tube should also make the wheel speed more consistent, because the water stays in the wheel for longer. Assuming 1 liter per second of water and 1.5 meters of water drop, 1 * 1.5 * 9.81 = around 15 watts of power continuous. It won't be a substantial contributor to Maya's needs, but it is still cool.
The only way to increase the power of the wheel is to increase the volume/weight of the water flow. At the moment the drag produced by the little electricity generator is greater than the weight of water on the wheel…
If you shorten the pipe feeding water to the water wheel to 10" before top dead center and you will get the the full 180 degrees of power from the wheel. Also the water should be applied as close to tangent to the wheel so it does not fall onto the wheel. The 10" before TDC gives the buckets time to fill so as they reach TDC they are as full as they will get. Initially it may take a helping hand to get going, but you will get more power from the wheel.
In a marginal situation like this, before TDC is not what you want - just not enough flow. I agree the supply pipe does need to be shortened though, but only so that it lands maybe 1-2 buckets earlier. I would also select the next easier gear down on the gearbox - you really want the system to be able to give a constant motion - not generate power for a few seconds, then nothing for 15-20.
@@RangieNZ There was one other concern it did not seem as though the wheel was balanced. Any repair plates that were welded or bolted on are going to effect the balance and an unbalanced wheel is going to make generating electricity difficult. Wooden water wheels that sit or run in backwater suffer the same issue as one side of the wheel becomes waterlogged and the wheel becomes unbalanced and unable to be regulated for electricity production.
@@chrisdaniel1339 It think those additions that were talked about being welded in, were done to give the wheel balance. It looked pretty good to me balance wise, before any output mechanism was connected.
10 degrees is ment I think. Good statement . Also v belts take power to drive a conventional chain drive consumes 2.92 watts on average, while the belt eats up 3.93 watts. Although the difference is just 1 watt - not enough for most people to care - this works out as a substantial 34.6 percent. . Two chains will be much better
My gut feeling would say fit new bearings either side of the water wheel & check the other bearings on all the setup, might suggest a LED lighting system lower current and thus less of a load on the motor generator assembly, another situation i would make sure the concrete box for all that water has a stable foundation, looks like the stone - brickwork wants repair re pointing for further stability, the bearings assembly look like there off a trailer so if you have to replace them its not that expensive for new, when you replace them you need to have everything tied up that wheel is heavy, Don't forget larger diameter pipe more flow, faster wheel more battery charge, if its never been maintained since built you need a full service, cover exposed paint with something like hammerite paint for painting metal, the motor bearings might need replacing or good suitable grease, if 3 wires from generator then it's probably 3 phase, if you want DC you need a 3 phase rectifier of suitable voltage & current 👍 I'm a retired Aerospace Defence Electronics hardware test engineer, I'm keen to see you get the very best from your off grid system, Victron Energy European company make great solar power equipment 👍
Maybe you would build a water wheel in the river?! Then you have lots of free electricity.
With a battery.
Look at the speed of the water wheel with only a dribble of water no need for the river 🤗
Such wonderful findings! It was a lot of hard work, but exciting discoveries everywhere! It is becoming an even more beautiful place❣️
and what if it doesn't rain?@@tomotoole7241
Maya! Try to use an old washing machine motor to generate electricity as cheap or free option, also you need to increase the water flow over the wheel to get extra force, because in physics the input force has to equal the output in your case the Amps.
Its good to have men around, they are very strong, objectives, analytics and like to find solution to the uncertain. Maya you are so lucky to have them helping you.
Maya, I remember when you cut back the overgrown area near the waterwheel and we saw a glimpse of it on that early video. Today's update is fantastic and thanks for it. I love to see these things restored. A couple of questions: 1. The waterwheel has another large wheel close by, what is it's purpose? 2. Also, when looking into amalgamating the waterwheel with your solar, consider using any excess solar to fill the rainwater tank, in summer, from the river. And in doing so, possibly creating a closed loop system not only for power but water for the gardens as well. Real integration and sustainability could be possible.
Hi, we don't know the purpose of the other wheel, any suggestions welcome! About the water tank in the summer: Solar is so strong in Portugal that I don't have any problems filling the batteries in the summer at all. I avoid keeping still water because it breeds mosquitoes, and I am so grateful to not have any mosquitoes so far because the water is always moving. But in sunny winter days I can for sure fill up the tank with solar!
I think those wheel convert the output to more torque and lower gearing I suspect there could also be another wheel location or water source from older days. The setup seems to large for just a rainwater waterwheel.
@YbborNetsrek the smaller metal wheels look like they were from a previous system before the large wheel, maybe. There used to be another pipe coming from elsewhere which provided power to the factory next door, Maya correct me if I'm wrong 😊. When i looked at it all it seemed the smaller metal wheels were not in any kind of alignment to ever have been connected to the big wheel 🤔
@@mrpe2929 this is really interesting. We will have to await and see what Maya can discover. Thanks so much.
@davidfellowes1628 yes it really is! The old pipe that went to the big black wheel got destroyed in a fire and was a much larger diameter and came from elsewhere. I don't think the pipe we connected to was originally for the water wheel as it was nearly a foot too low, but with a little digging and bending we got it high enough to use. I think with modern gearing and generation, there's a real chance to create a trickle charge of electricity to top up the main batteries all winter!
Perhaps there is a spring that could furnish water to the wheel that would provide infinite water to the wheel. Congrats on working on creating free energy for your river retreat. You are an incredibly hard worker! Your actions are very admirable. You have accomplished a great deal. Wade in Alabama, USA
My hunch is that you are overshooting the sweet spot to fill the buckets of the water wheel by 2 to 3 feet. My suggestion is to locate the best position for the pipe to end by cutting it one foot shorter in increments. Using your Architect eyes, the water should start to fill the buckets as soon as the bucket can accept water and not spill it out the back of the bucket. So by the time the bucket leaves the arc of the flowing water, the bucket should be full. I hope you will try this experiment and post a future video 😊 You can also investigate the various shafts and lubricate the shaft and bearing with light oil or grease. They are likely very dry and producing a lot of friction because the wheel has been silent for so long. I was VERY happy to see the water from your french drain draining to daylight YEAH! 👍
Yes the pipe definitely does need trimming back. We put the pipe extension on and cut it roughly whilst the tank was being repaired. I didn't want to cut it too short before there was a regular supply to gauge the fall 😊 It was amazing to see that even though it had been sat still for years and years, the bearings on it were still greased! It moved so easily it was unbelievable!
@@mrpe2929 I'm surprised there were not dry bearings. When it was stopped it must have been fully greased and oiled - in anticipation that some day you would come along. Very exciting to see 👍
@@mrpe2929 You have to feel good watching the wheel turn and seeing the light turn on. Nice work!
@@mrpe2929 Based on the shape of the buckets/wheel, it appears to be a Fitz or Fitz copy which would mean the flume/pipe should terminate 10" before top center. It also appears the design should support one or two CFS of water which would require a much larger pipe diameter. There isn't much power available with only the amount of water you show in the video, I would guess there was much more water available in the past somehow. It looks really nice.
@@kenbutcher5158 I think the original pipe that was damaged in a fire in the last was quite big from what Maya showed me, so that would make sense
I'm sure you've figured this out by now... but that rainwater reservoir, as you call it, is like a water battery. Big countries are building HUGE reservoirs to act as water batteries. They use wind and solar to keep the water battery full (pumping water into that reservoir) and then by controlling the rate of flow, they have a never ending source of water wheel power. Depending on how long your drop is, you can have several catchment basins and several water wheels turning generators to keep a whole bank of electric batteries charged. Depending on your location and your water source, this is the best source of electricity. The water reservoir can be kept full constantly with windmill pumps and solar-powered pumps and you get a constant flow energy source. Nice job restoring this water wheel... but think big with it... You have quite a drop there that you can take full advantage of.
Your slowly getting to moving into one of that cottage and having the electric and water you need to survive there all year. I dont know your long but your term plans but your turning your riverside into an Oasis. Your an unstable force of hard-working determination. You are pretty amazing. X
Love your videos but they are too short. 😊 It’s nice to see you have such wonderful helpers. They really seem to care a lot about fixing and solving issues for you. I look forward to your videos Maya. Such a lovely young lady.
Schicke dir ein dickes ❤. Die Welt braucht Menschen wie dich, danke für deine Inspiration.
Loving the progress. 🎉 The watermill is an amazing kind of romantic-nostalgic-useful-crafty feature on the land. 😍
Obrigada, I agree 🥰
@@mayafelizWonderful to see your enthusiasm and energy (Rain dance ? ) did work 😂. I am retired white South African Boer and have endless God given Technical knowledge to help you get your place beautiful and basically running only on the energy of what I see available on your property but sadly South Africa is very long distance from you. I subscribed to keep an eye on your future developments and I wish only the best ever for you.
You could add a ram pump to pump water from the river to the tank. A ram pump does not require any electricity to run. There are a lot of you tube channels showing how to make one. Very simple
If you want to fill the basin in the dryer times too. You can use a ram pump. It's completly mechanical and pumps the water constantly out of the river in the basin without using electric energy. :)
You need to grease the system starting at the pillow blocks that support the wheel shaft on both sides. Use marine type lithium grease . Also change oil in the gear box. Build a simple cover over assembly to keep off rain and keep chain and belt dry and clean .
Yes that Marine grease is great, it migrates over the whole bearing and surrounding area after a few weeks. A friend of mine had an exposed roller bearing, open to the rain, he covered it with marine grease and it ran OK for over ten years.
Maya, always busy ... always moving ... love your tenacity! 💃 and dancing! 😊
When I see this, I get so curious about who has lived and worked on your farm before. Do you know anything about it? Would be nice if you could tell us something about it if you know. What kind of farm it was? What did they grow? When it was built, etc. I love seeing how you restore it bit by bit.
Thank you!! It was a home for the workers of the mill and later factory next to my land (the house behind the water wheel) 🙌
if you are near a river you could use a hydraulic ram pump to keep the reservoir full - without need for power.
How exciting! The water wheel is going to bring you even more independence. Love watching your progress and seeing your happy smiles! You truly are an amazing person, not afraid to try new things, learning and working hard to make your dreams come true.
Yay, becoming self sustainable is so much fun.
Hi Maya! A warm hello from the Philippines. Perhaps adding a ram pump to fill your tank to add a lil' more water to run your water wheel. Keep up the good work!
That waterwheel is great. 😀 But you need more waterflow to keep it turning steadyly. Create more waterstorage, because it is all gone before you know it. And/or connect it to your well, for a more constant suply. And get a new generator that works more economicaly, otherwise your output is too low for storage. But yes, this can be great for charging your batteries when there is not enough sunshine. 👍👍😀
Your videos are full of creative thinking and practical solutions🏝
So cool that you found the water wheel, cut the pipe feeding the wheel about another foot or slightly more.. for future improvements, and rather than all the gears chains and belts, all add resistance, how about fitting loads of large magnets around the outer diameter of the wheel, the more magnets the higher the frequency, then mount several coils as near as possible to rotating magnets and no gears, chains, or belts.. and only bearing are on the wheal itself!.. great stuff love it..
it would be to use the large circumference of the wheel, a driving wheel of an electric scooter with a brushless motor and then power an MPPT solar regulator which automatically goes to the optimal working point, for charging one or more lead batteries between 1 and 2 KW can typically be achieved
Maya 😍 Mais uma fonte de energia renovável! Adoro o progresso do teu paraíso!! Saudades! 😘
My OCD wants the grey sealant up the wall of the tank too and for the outside to be painted white like the main tank. 😂 But that is just me, I still think you have done an amazing job. Well done, I love the wheel.
Konnte deinen Beitrag kaum erwarten diese Woche! Maya, du kannst jetzt, wo der Bach ein reißender Strom ist, schon aussuchen, wo du im Sommer ein tieferes paradiesisches Schwimmbassin ausbaggern könntest, oder? Wenn mal wieder ein Bagger da ist… oder viele Hände schaufeln und versetzen Steine… Du machst das großartig und ich freu mich, dabei sein zu können und so viel zu lernen.
Hi, Over time the water falling from the drain into the tank may wear the concrete away, you may want to consider placing a "sacrificial" rock on that spot in the tank.
Weird dance moves rock.......they are the best
Maya, Wow, this waterwheel is SO COOL!!!!!! I think it adds so much value to your property and a HUGE amount to your channel == it's so unique and also what a valuable resource, to be able to turn rain into power! May that little light shine on! ❤ Lee
Life is easy,is just that still too many people not apreciating how nice it will be living off Grid with own sourse of ENERGY.i found the way to make electriciy from dirt .very efficient...one single cell 2 cm gave me more than two voltage and last a lot .actualy i used melty snow as ele trolite too and is realy great one.better voltage will get it with better electrode...sharing things with people that love live like that.❤
Hi 👋 Im thinking maybe time after 30 years to replace the trailer bearings on the main wheel, pack with grease, same goes to the generator side, you can paint metal using Hammerite metal paint its very good at protecting metal when its outside, LED lighting is less of a load for the generator, if 3 or 4 wires from the generator its probably 3 phase, so for DC you need a 3 phase bridge rectifier. Victron Energy make great Solar powered equipment its European company so easy to get there, im a retired Aerospace Defence Hardware Test engineer, i love what you're doing 👍 keep up the great work 👏 👍 😀 dont forget you need to support the main wheel well by ropes or chain, to something very solid, Regards the water head, make sure the foundations are still very solid, & the stonework needs repair I noticed, at least re-pointing with cement,
THIS IS SO COOL! INCRÍVEL!
Maya I think you have a spectacular property . I love the water wheel.
Well done and it's all free Happy days .🎉
How amazing! I love that you are a tall, strong girl like you because you have great capabilities! I love that you have neighbors who are also interested in fixing stuff! This is a great find!
Hi Maya, nice little project there. I am definetely not a water wheel specialist, but I have seen a lot of videos about this same topic, and my guess is that the water feeding tube is too long and is hitting the water wheel too much past the optimal angle. Nevertheless, to produce any amount of usable energy you need a steady flow of water that is much higher than the one you got hoing right now. To make it work properly, I would sugest you get to a point in the river where that is quite higher than the current tube height. This will accelerate water by gravity, and push the water wheel harder and with a bigger flow. From that setup you will get just a scientific experiment and not much more. You need steady and enough eater flow to make it work for a reasonable ammount of power to be created. Very fun episode. Loved it!!
That looks like an altenator off a kubota mini digger or similar, there should be voltage rectifier or similar that goes with it to change it to DC so you can charge a battery, assuming you're getting 13V or more. Hope that is helpfull. You're doing exactly what I have wanted to do for too long! Portugal is a beautiful country with beautiful people and food, wine, beer!
Little by little things are coming together so beautifully. Love it. ❤
Thank you from the US
Hiya Maya , if you put a water pump in the water tank under the wheel when the tank is full just turn on pump and refill your top tank so you have constant water supply .❤
Such a great update Maya, thank you and it was great to see the wheel again! Unfortunately i think now you've showed all my time at the land, so I'll just have to come back again 😂😂. Take care 😊
David, I think you & Maya are a great team! I hope you do go back. I’d love to see more projects.
@@kellielander3481 Very kind of you, thank you 😊
Finding a working set of catchment structures AND a basic water wheel with generation equipment is HUGE... It must have been able to produce usable electricity in the past otherwise it would not have been built beyond the test phase. Have a look upstream for a small dam that could have supplied water to the main reservoir. If you can increase the volume of water available to the water wheel you should be able to power your whole house quite easily.
Water power! Cool! 💚
those random pieces of metal are there for balancing, its the same as with a car wheel, when a new tyre is fitted. The weights allow the wheel to spin correctly and not wear the bearings out faster than just normal wear. The sign of a finely made wheel
if the stream runs even a small amount a "tea cup" or "ram pump" can pump water to your holding tank. They are simple and use no energy. They work like an escapement on a wind clock. I have a hydro similar to that one on my farm. Cheers!
Put a couple of jack pumps in the creek and pump it up to the water pit to supply more energeg to the wheel the pumps work from the stream flow so no power needed but a lot more poower coming from the wheel.
How magnificent that you got a working water wheel!! With so little expense. Fantastic!! A good bit of work and patience with it but little expense. Most of those things are so far gone. The expense isn't worth it. What a great day!!
Good luck Maya with the project. Have yourself a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year too. Peace vf 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀
With the river so close you could get a Ram pump that works without an engine and would be perfect for your water wheel.
I like watching you dance. 💃 It looks like Joy 😊
Hi there Maya, it's nice to get surprises on the property, especially the working ones. 😊 Although working and functional, that waterwheel needs a lot more water to work properly. ALso the generator is (probably) some reverse dc motor, which is not really effective, an axial flux with 18 coils would be waaaay better even because it needs 1/4 of of rotations for the same effect. Anyway, it's something and you can at least charge some batteries. I suggest though you let the reservoir get full before running the system, so you can have some constant energy. I advise you also to check for river grade if there is any possibility to get it to your system. If not, it's a pity. You got any waterfalls on the property? Channeling the roof water in the system is a must, if you want it to run. Keep on tough, your property remodeling looks promising. Cheers!😉
Pool liner and a wood frame would be a good for that tank.
Oh how exciting that you got the water wheel working again, I am so happy for you Maya! Where does the water go from the tank under the water wheel?
This is sooooo exciting, waaaw
It's amazing what was set-up on old home places years ago ! Shows how smart they were !
This is so cool!!! You're doing such an amazing job! I love watching your progress. You should look into permaculture planting once you have tackled the bulk of your buildings and infrastructure projects. The boars might make a mess, but they are turning over the soil to allow for more diversity of flora. Such a lovely spot! Thank you for filming it so we can live vicariously :o)
Wow, that’s amazing! Shows us there are simple solutions sometimes to live a sustainable life! I remember hearing that the shoes are put out on the land to prevent wild boars coming onto your land. Maybe that’s why you have found those old shoes? It could be the smell that frightens them off, otherwise I can’t see how it would work ;)
That is amazing - and exciting.
one thing you have to note and write down is that when it comes to water wheels and wanting to generate power from it, you need progressively more water when you increase the voltage or wattage you wanna generate. so if you want to put a bigger generator on it, you either need more flow of water or a another gearing in the gearbox so it will spin the new or bigger generator easier, but the best solution is just more water, to put more pressure on the wheel, forcing it rotate faster. also, the pipe you have supplying the water wheel needs to be shortened up, so it kinda matches up with the center point water wheel itself and what i mean by that is that from point where the water comes out of the pipe and to the point it hits the wheel needs to be as close to the top of the wheel as possible. hope this helps you generate more reliable and stable power from your wheel and generator.
About a week ago I discovered your channel and have been binge watching. It might be interesting to install a ram pump in the river to refill the water basin for the water mill. You don't need electricity for a ram pump! You can find many videos of it on KZhead.
Maya, your water wheel project is such an exciting journey! The progress you've made is truly impressive, and it's fascinating to see the restoration process unfold. 🌊💡 I loved the insightful comments from your viewers, offering valuable suggestions and sharing in the joy of your accomplishments. 🏞🛠 The idea of turning rainwater into electricity is not only ingenious but also showcases your commitment to sustainability. 🌧♻ Your interaction with the community adds a special touch to the whole experience. Keep dancing to the rhythm of progress, Maya! 💃🔧 Looking forward to witnessing more milestones on your off-grid adventure. 🌿🌟
So interesting the water wheel
The waterwheel is fantastic! Love your dance moves! Stay happy!🙃
That looks like one heck of an e-bike charging station! :) So cool! I hope to see more of the water wheel and your other projects soon! Best wishes!
So nice to see you Maya and that you are not afraid to get your hands dirty along with your little dance moves along the way . Noreen Australia 🦘
Cool, free power.
One thought: having the water openly drop from the tank into the big pipe means you lose a metre or so of head and so power. Seal the pipe between the bottom of the tank and the wheel for best results. Use an inline valve to control flow. I agree with others that the pipe should be a bit shorter and a bit closer to the wheel to maximize power. Good luck!
If you took a large ram pump from the river up to your tanks to store water you could get a lot of water year round.
Getting the water wheel going is awesome, Maya. Can't wait to see further developments with it.
I like the song you had playing while you were giving the water tank it's second coat,it's called music box dancer,
Love you and your project is so beautiful like my dream ❤❤❤
That is brilliant! For when the solar is not enough! Perhaps get a rain cover for the generator.
Wow! Now when the dark rainy season is here it is perfect with extra power!
You are so lucky girl! the river the water the generator ...amazing! it's gold.
Brilliant! That you have the chance of hydroelectric power!!😊 with the solar power and your water wheel, you have a near perfect set up. Perhaps a small wind generator and you will have the full set!❤
Maya that is just amazing How EXCITING you have a working WATER WHEEL. Yahooooo
Seek up Rampump then you can pump vater up hill from rive to the tank. And have power as longe as you have river flow.
Favorable terrain seems like the stream still has a lot of water
Thats fantastic to have the wheel working and as a generator.
Wonderful discovery n your land……
I like your water wheel. This is so nice! And you have it not found until now?! Hmm... this is the nature She gives and she takes!
Parabéns por essa restauração, ótimo ver a roda d’água funcionando
A good top for bramble bashing. Use a hedge trimmer, it will eat them up
So pleased you got the wheel going….love your enthusiasm, you joy of life…..
Your joy of life
Always enjoy a Maya dance break x
It is amazing to have this water wheel on your land and with all the systems still in there ! I am looking forward to see the videos of your first winter
Thanks for posting and sharing. I think if the pipe that directs the water onto the wheel was slightly shorter the wheel would not stall. Very nice surprise!🙂👍👏
That’s cool finding a free source of electricity! With that broken tree you could try tying a brick to the end of a rope and chuck it over it to pull it down?❤️✨
Good work Maya
Lovely to see the Water Wheel working Maya. I hope you do get lots of power from it. Well done
What an awesome find. Lucky you have some smart helpers to guide You.
The water wheel is fabulous..i love the heart in concrete at.. qbout 10 mins by water wheel. Love watching yr weekly progress
Excellent work, love the transformation. Getting rid of the brambles around the water wheel is great and you have proper access to the generator. Nice job.
Excellent! 👌
This Vlog was just awesome! How much you've cleaned up. The water wheel, with that light. Lighting up at night. you could have a BNB there, and make extra money. Bravo! To you. it's looming amazing there. Love from Nashville, TN
Maybe you can make another one, Floating under flow water wheel in that river
This is so cool 😮
Awesome work! The pipe over the waterwheel looks a little long, I'd take a little off the end until it maintains a constant speed. Can't wait to see more!
What a freaking cool contraption! An amazing thing to have on your property.