C32—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 19,1981 LANCASTER Have you looked at your electric bill lately? If you find there's been a drastic increase in what you’re paying over recent months, you may want to look into an alternate energy source, says Robert Bartlett, a wind power specialist from North East. If you have a high hill on your property that’s not obstructed by trees with a good wind location— that is, where there is a constant wind of over 10 miles per hour—a wind mill might be just the answer to your energy needs. “A windmill should be located 35. feet above any trees or other ob stacles,” according to Bartlett. “This footage should be measured from the top of the lowest point of the prop travel.” With the help of an anemometer to measure the wind, an individual can check wind speed over a period of time in both the summer and winter to determine working wind speeds and figure out what a mill WE ARE COMPETITIVELY PRICED «*-#s! I%J 1 tl J : : f _ ill | „ \s>w Polygon Herringbones With Our Trained Service Technicians And The Latest In Testing Equipment - WE CAN SERVE YOU BETTER Ask Us About The All New Refrigeration System With 2 New Control Panels; THE NEW DECO-MATIC EH .O; > DARI-KOOL . COOL MM fTttiM A • PLANNING LAYOUTS • INSTALLATION * "ALES • SERVICE SHENK'S FARM SERVICE 501 E. Woods Drive Lititz, Pa. 17543 Phone 717-626-1151 Our Service Trucks Are Radio Dispatched 24 HR. SERVICE OFFERED After 6 P.M. - Call: Ray Shenk - 717-626-1152 Mervin Nissley - 717-872-4565 Consider windmills to harness energy can produce. “Do this long before you buy,” recommends Bartlett, “because you’ll be spending a lot of money for your machine. If you’re figures show it won’t pay because of low wind, don’t buy.” In order to emphasize the need to study the many factors deter mining whether or not to install a windmill, Bartlett shares his own experiences: “In search for a mill for my needs I uncovered many, many flaws in the mills on the market today. “1 visited the government testing grounds in Rocky Flats, Colorado and saw many machines in operation—upwind, downwind, single-blade, multi-blade, and three-blade machines. “In all the machines I saw the day I was there, two had reached turning speed; Only one was up to operating speed, and that was Jacob’s, manufactured in Min neapolis, Minnesota. This com THINKING. THINKING Of a New Milking System or Updating Your Present System or Expanding? Shenk’s past experience will work to your advantage. Contact us at our toll-free number: 1-800-732-3532 7 A.M. to 5 P.M. DARI-KOOL, Large to Small Sizes 6000 Gal. down to 450 Gal. GOOD USED TANKS: 400 Gal. Zero 600 Gal. Mojonnier 500 Gal. Zero flat top, no milk (3) 500 Gal. 800 Gal. Mueller Girtons 1000 Gal. Mojonnier 525 Gal. Esco XMBC V/ BOUMATIC NuaNQSvsmi pany is the Cadillac of the wind industry with 50 to 60 years ex perience and 75,000 machines. “Considering all the information Icould get, I decided to go with this old reliable firm and purchase a small used Model 18 and Model 25 machine. The generators are a low RPM (250), high output machines weighing about 400 pounds. The brushes are large and last from 5 to 8 years before needing replacement. The bearings are tapered rollers lasting 20 to 40 years depending on the locality, with dust and sand being their worst enemy. “I rewound the generators and put in compound shunt fields to increase their output. Also, I added another Model 18 to the small mill and increased its total output to 5400 watts at 25 MPH winds. “I designed a curved surface on a new prop for the twin mill to increase its power. The governor on the prop controls the mill from running away in high winds, much A LESSON WELL LEARNED... LANCASTER FARMING'S CLASSIFIED ADS GET RESULTS! Phone: 717-394-3047 or 717-626-1164 the same as the prop governor on an aircraft. This type bf control turns each blade equally to cause the blades to get less bite of tbe wind as the speed increases, therefore holding the speed con stant. Other nulls use brakes or partial blade turning or even ex treme heavy loads, none of which control as effectively as tbe Jacobs-type governor. “Tbe prop is constructed of Sitka spruce which is ideal for windmill operation. It has high resistance to warping and yet will bend in very high winds and not break. “Fiberglass blades do not work as well because of the chance of their cracking in severe cold. Metal blades are heavier (even aluminum) and will frost up quickly in cold weather' thus causing the prop to be off balance, causing strain and stress on the tower. “The tail is constructed of angle iron and galvanized metal and is light in weight. It is durable and keeps the prop headed into the wind. „ “To hoist the mill into place we used a winch and gin pole. This can be easily made out of extra heavy pipe, a couple of pulleys, and about 200 feet of cable.” Bartlett points out the Jacobs .company added a new 10 KW machine to their line last August. He claims this machine out produces its competitors by as much as \Vz to 2 KW at the normal working winds of 8 to 15 MPH winds. This windmill uses a 23-foot Sitka spruce prop with a light weight centrifugal governor. The power unit is a 220-volt brushless alter nator with fields energized by utility power lines. With this unit, it needs to batteries for storage. The power line and the windmill couple together, and power goes into a main fuse panel. Power comes from the windmill first; then if the wind speed is low, the balance of electricity comes from the power line. If the null produces too much electricity, it puts power on the line and the excess is pur chased at wholesale cost. This is all done automatically. As a safety precaution, the mill will not produce power during a line breakdown, thus eliminating possible injury to repairman from the power company. This is ac complished by the fields being energized by the power line. With no field excitation, the alternator is powerless, Bartlett explains. Barfiett offers the following advice for erecting a windmill: “The mill should be tilted back into the-wind by 8 to 14 degrees. It has been proven the wind comes slightly downward as it blows regardless of direction. This makes the prop more per pendicular to the wind and in creases power while at the same time reducing vibrations. “The tower for the early mills as well as the new ones should be at least J 5 feet above all -obstacle? and should be free standing. Guyed towers run into vibration problems. / “The legs of each tower should be buried 5 to 10 feet in the ground. The depth depends on whether you - use a 60,80,100, 120 foot tower. On the bottom of/each leg is a square pad and above this is poured concrete. Thus each leg is highly grounded resting deep into the ground and standing directly on the ground. This is for high lightning protection. “The lead in cable to the house should be buried at least 2 feet all the way to help ground it from lightning. If using overhead wires, a lightning arrester must be used at the house. Zig-zagging the cable down the tower also helps because lightning likes to follow a straight line, not a curved one. An incentive for installing windmills in ideal locations, adds Bartlett, is the new federal law which requires power companies to Jmy all excess power produced by a mill. The best part of the new tax laws, he claims, is the tax credit deduction which allows a person to deduct up to 40 percent of the mills cost with a maximum of $4,000. “This is right off the top (tax money), not another deduction,” he says. “If you don’t like your high electric bills and you are in a good, windy location, take a look at a windmill, about 10 KW,” concludes Bartlett. “Compare windmills to match your working winds.” LONE JOHN BALMER INSOLATION 643 Penryn Rd. Manheim. PA \ (717)665-4132 We Specialize In Aerial Work UaincOurTwin Bucket Boom Truck ELECTRICAL \ / ~.27 CONTRACTING \ 55F1 f Specializing In ' \ \ I AGRICULTURAL ) gßftifc/ WIRING I 'taaulf - Also Residential, Industrial j # And Commercial Work. / Estimates^^/ We Have Pole* in Stock...2s', 30', 35' 5 45' Insulation For Lite 01 Structure • Fully Insured • Free Estimates We Can Do The Job Now C. M. HIM CO. 320 Kinc St Mjwntown, PA 17067 Phone; 717-866-7544
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