Water Wheels..

fatboypee

I know, flight of fancy but I have a stream next to my house with a 12 or so foot cascading waterfall, just wondered, the price of fuel being so high, anyone any ideas in harnessing the power of the water fall ?

I'm serious now, could be my own wee hydro-station if I could get the right wheel & stuff ? At least power my outside lights...

FB.

JamesM

fatboypee wrote:

I know, flight of fancy but I have a stream next to my house with a 12 or so foot cascading waterfall, just wondered, the price of fuel being so high, anyone any ideas in harnessing the power of the water fall ?

I'm serious now, could be my own wee hydro-station if I could get the right wheel & stuff ? At least power my outside lights...

FB.

Is the stream constant during the summer ?
Do you have the right to build a small dam and so raise the pressure ?
I don't know a lot about it, but there are books and websites on the subject. Do a search.
Jim.

fatboypee

JamesM wrote:

Is the stream constant during the summer ?
Do you have the right to build a small dam and so raise the pressure ?
I don't know a lot about it, but there are books and websites on the subject. Do a search.
Jim.

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the reply.

The stream is constant during the summer and is mine to do with as I please (further up it has a 20,000 gallon holding tank that serves 2 other houses (already in place before I built my house)).

Not sure my wife would want me messing with it tho as if I dam'd it then the "lovely" sound would be gone... Have done a few checks on Micro-Hydro but can't see much Ireland based activity. Just wonder on the cost, if its grant-able it could do me a favour...

Thanks

FBP.

ednwireland

theres a program on bbc 2 two tonight last week he built awater wheel and i think is hooking up the generation tonight. its not easy being green 8pm

JamesM

Ther could be lots of methods depending on the size and flow etc. of the stream. If there is a good slope to your land, you could run water from the stream higher up, through a pipe, down to a turbine and back into the stream lower down. That could give good pressure at the turbine.

This is American and probably larger than you are thinking of, but maybe it will give you a few ideas.
http://www.homepower.com/magazine/downloads_hydro_power.cfm

Xennon

These guys are sound...give them a call.... have a chat with them

http://www.navitron.org.uk/hydro_power.htm

Dave_W