How to Mount a Wind Generator
The two key requirements for mounting a wind generator are that the generator must be mounted on a tower at a height where it can catch undisturbed wind, and it must be able to pivot, allowing the blades to face the wind. In addition, most wind generator owners want to be able to raise and lower the tower for generator repair and maintenance to avoid climbing the tower. A guyed tower made from galvanized pipe and conduit can satisfy all three requirements.
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Things You'll Need
- One 2-feet by 2-feet plywood square, 3/4-inch thick
- Three floor mount, one-inch galvanized pipe fittings
- Two four-inch lengths of one-inch galvanized pipe
- Two 90 degree bend fittings of one-inch galvanized pipe
- One 8-inch length of one-inch galvanized pipe
- One T-fitting of 1.25-inch galvanized pipe
- One 4-inch length of 1.25-inch galvanized pipe
- One reduction fitting, 1-inch to 1.25-inch galvanized pipe
- Two 12-inch lengths of one-inch galvanized pipe
- One length of 1.25-inch conduit, the length of the height of the tower
- Three pipe clamps
- Three guy wires
Instructions
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Build the base. Slide the eight-inch length of galvanized pipe into the T-pipe fitting. Attach the 90-degree pipe bends at either end of the pipe. Attach the doue-inch length of galvanized pipe to the 90-degree fittings. Attach the floor mounts to the four-inch lengths. Bolt the floor mounts to the plywood so that the T-fitting is in the middle of the plywood. The T-fitting should now be free to rotate around the handle-shaped structure created from the one-inch galvanized pipe and fittings.
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Attach the mast. Attach the four-inch length of 1.25-inch pipe to the the free end of the T-fitting. Attach the reduction fitting to the 1.25-inch pipe. Attach a 12-inch length of pipe to the reduction fitting. Slide the conduit over the 12-inch length of pipe. Attach the pipe clamps about two-thirds of the way up the conduit. Attach the guy wires to the pipe clamps. The mast is now ready to be raised once the wind generator is placed at the top.
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Mount the wind generator at the top of the mast. If the wind generator is mounted on a platform, bolt a floor-mount pipe fitting to the bottom of the platform, under the generator. If the generator is not mounted on a platform, bolt it to a wood or metal platform of suitable size, and bolt the floor mount pipe fitting underneath. Attach a 12-inch length of pipe to the pipe fitting. Place the wind generator on its platform at the top of the mast, and slide the pipe into the conduit.
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Raise the mast. Stake the plywood base to the ground in the correct location. Use the guy wires to raise the mast into an approximately vertical position. The base of the mast will rotate around the one-inch pipe structure. Use a level to make sure the mast is vertical, adjusting the guy wires as needed. Stake the guy wires to the ground. The wind generator can pivot around the top of the mast as the pipe rotates inside the conduit, and the mast can be lowered as needed for repairs and maintenance.
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References
- Photo Credit wind turbine recycle image by redrex from Fotolia.com
