3/9/2017 DIYHydroelectricGenerator|FiveGallonIdeas

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Hydroelectric Generator
Category: 5 Gallon Bucket Uses

This is by far the mosttechnicallyadvanced

innovation Ive found for a ve gallon bucket so far. Sam Redeld developed this design to
provide a source of electricity that can be built cheap and hooked up to any source of owing
water including irrigation systems, creeks and streams, or even sewage systems.

If you are very mechanically capable, you can download the full 35 page design manual and
attempt to build your own ve gallon hydroelectric power plant.

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The following video shows some of the assembly, as well as the generator in action.

Pico-Hydro for Science -- Updated and Edited

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Posted on May 20, 2012 by trevor

26 THOUGHTS ON HYDROELECTRIC GENERATOR

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newman
on May 20, 2012 at 12:34 pm said:

i will try this and let you know how it works out.!

newman

Five Gallon Ideas

on May 20, 2012 at 6:19 pm said:

I would be extremely impressed! Please make sure to get back to me with

results and Ill update the article with your project.

Jeremy
on December 19, 2012 at 8:28 pm said:

so wheres the download link?

trevor
on December 22, 2012 at 1:52 am said:

Second paragraph. Right click, save as to download

Jerry Smith
on October 28, 2014 at 8:04 am said:

Your plumbing manifold is sized incorrectly on top of the bucket. What you
need to do is start from the nozzles and work backwards, you could probably
use 1/2 nozzles, why 3/4? Assuming 3/4 is needed:
2) 3/4 pipes need a 1 supply
2) 1 pipes need a 1-1/4 supply

So the main supply line should be 1-1/4 (for four 3/4 nozzles):
Split with 1-1/4 supply line with a 1-1/14 tee and reduce each side to 1 and
then on each 1 is split with a 1 tee reduced on each side to 3/4 or simple
stated
1-1/4 split to two 1 and two 1 split to two 3/4 for four 3/4 nozzles
OR
Start with a 1 supply split to two 3/4 and then split the two 3/4 into four
1/2-nozzles.

Nice McGuivering,

Jerry Smith

Stephen Lancaster
on April 22, 2015 at 7:07 pm said:

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Author of the video here:
We lost about half the total head (11 m out of 22 m total) in the
plumbing, only 1/2 meter of that in the long pipe down the hill. Big
losses at the nozzles. New system: https://youtu.be/O-TAt6ekFck

Pingback: Hydroelectric Generator Download The Full 35 Page Design Manual The
Homestead Survival

Gabriel
on March 10, 2013 at 2:33 am said:

Could this work with other alternators, like from a bike?

Bern
on June 11, 2013 at 11:52 pm said:

nice work.. how many volts can this generator produce at a constant rate?

Paul
on January 22, 2014 at 9:56 am said:

Nice Work I dont understand a lot a video would have been better for me to
understand it

Chris
on May 5, 2014 at 11:14 am said:

Reading the DIY seems really cool but you must have 26 gallons per minute to reach
12 volt charging. I feel you can reach this by have a gear system which will crank the
generator faster. We did this in Costa Rica Not this project by adding gears which
allowed a wheel to spin then multiply that which made the generator go faster.

Kevin
on May 20, 2014 at 7:53 pm said:

Chris, I would be interested to know how to do that. I need a portable

hydroelectric generator that is exible to operate in a variety of water sources.

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jerry
on July 20, 2014 at 8:04 am said:

On the series Mountain Men Eustace built on of these in a 55 gallon drum, fed by a
stream on his property that was capable of running his sawmill!

Colin
on October 23, 2014 at 5:23 am said:

Just found this by accident. Nice project.

Bryan
on January 25, 2015 at 12:22 am said:

I have been studying these for a while. Pretty simple to make. Use a permanent
magnet alternator and it will generate at a lower rpm. You can play around with the
nozzle sizes until you get optimal performance. 26 gpm is a bit extreme. You can
power an entire house with the right conguration on 3.5 gpm.

aaron
on March 2, 2015 at 9:46 pm said:

If it can produce that much couldnt you set the unit in a 55 gal drum or other
larger container and have a sump pump cycle the same water through it to
minimize the amount of water needed and still have the ow rate? the
generator would power itself and be self sustaining unless Im not thinking right.

What conguration would power the whole house? a large bank of deep cycle
batteries?

Greg B
on March 20, 2015 at 9:04 am said:

//the generator would power itself and be self sustaining unless Im not
thinking right.//

Youre not thinking right. That would be a perpetual motion machine,

which only exists in a zero friction, zero-loss universe. Even at 100%
efciency and no losses anywhere, the generator would use all its own
power to run itself. You cant get power for free this way.

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I have a whackjob neighbour who insists he can couple an electric
motor to an electric generator, spin it up and the motor will run the
generator and give him enough power to run his house and sell back to
the grid. (theoretically impossible, but he insists it is only not working for
him because he hasnt got a big enough motor and generator yet. He
will probably never learn)

Happoy Hank
on March 2, 2015 at 9:37 pm said:

It is a combination of gpm and head or pressure that the drop provides that determine
the power output up to the max of the alternator or generator.. That is also why
streams more at different speeds.

Stephen Lancaster
on April 22, 2015 at 7:20 pm said:

Potential power is ow rate X elevation drop X water density X acceleration due

to gravity. Kinetic power from the jet is ow rate X jet velocity-squared X density.
If there were zero frictional losses, then the two would be equal. Then have to
cope with turbine efciency (max. 80%) and generator/alternator efciency.

Stephen Lancaster
on April 22, 2015 at 7:20 pm said:

See my new video: https://youtu.be/O-TAt6ekFck

Richard
on March 3, 2015 at 11:59 am said:

Looks great but my only what in the world question is. What in the world are you doing
sitting in a stream building this thing? Go inside and build it, then take it outside for nal
connection.

Nathan Oettit
on March 7, 2015 at 3:09 pm said:

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What was the reasoning for installing the intake screen and the pipe to drive the
generator and then assemble the jet drivers for the turbine ns in the eld?
Couldnt this have been built in a lab or shop with more comfortable surroundings then
brought out to connect to the down pipe?
Just wondering.

Joe y
on March 8, 2015 at 11:32 am said:

Isnt the head pressure related to distance in drop, or volume of column. This
pressure too can be increased by a funneling of liquid: or is it volume that is transfered
to rpm as in rate of ow ?

Stephen Lancaster
on April 22, 2015 at 7:16 pm said:

Im the one who made the video. Many points made here are spot on. Weve made a
new System 2.0 with a steel frame, pre-fabricated turbine, proper adjustable nozzles,
and better plumbing.

New video: https://youtu.be/O-TAt6ekFck

Kay S.
on June 29, 2015 at 5:25 pm said:

was wondering how much power one of these would generate, KW/ph etc if you
happen to know those statistics?

Joshua Gautschi
on October 18, 2015 at 5:53 pm said:

I tried to build one of these myself, but ran into the issue of the blades not turning. the
generator i am using is http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-volt-Generator-Permanent-
Magnet-Alternator-N-52-Neo-Core-Heavy-AMP-/261489204392?
_trksid=p2054897.l4275. Is it because there is such a large pressure drop with using
this build or is it because the magnets in my pma are too strong?

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