Instructions to Build a Windmill For Your Home

!±8± Instructions to Build a Windmill For Your Home

Many people these days are looking to make their homes more "green" by implementing renewable energy solutions. The two main ways to do this are through solar energy and wind energy. This article will focus on wind power and will show you how to build a windmill to help power your home.

Disclaimer: The author is not responsible for any injuries that might occur while making your own windmill. The purpose of this article is to give a brief overview of how to make a windmill, so if you would like more detailed information, there are plenty of products on the internet that will give you step-by-step instructions and videos of how to build your own windmills and solar panels.

Materials: You are first going to have to gather the materials you need. Many of these materials can be bought at your local hardware store, but some may need to be purchased on line. You are going to need two types of PVC pipe, 2" and 6".

You also need two 6" PVC pipe caps. Other than that you will need to an alternator, a rotor, a stator, a piece of ¼" plexiglass, 1" galvanized pipe, a 2" PVC coupling, a 2" wide and 2 feet long flat bar, and plenty of screws and bolts of the corresponding sizes. In terms of tools, you'll need a saw, sand paper, screw drivers, and some glue.

The Blades: Take the 6" PVC pipe and cut it in half lengthwise. Measure out one end of the pipe to six inches, then measure 28" out. You can cut the PVC pipe there. The cut end should then be measured to 2". Take a piece of masking tape and tape from the end of the 2" measurement to the end o the 6" measurement. Cut the rotor using the saw along the masking tape and repeat to create the other blade (assuming two blades).

Take the 2" flat bar (it should be roughly two feet in length) and bolt the rotors to the flat bar. The blades should be equidistant from the center of the bar, where a hole should be drilled to match the rotor. To make the blades sturdier, use a backing plate when bolting the blades to the bar. After mounting, try to balance the blade out using washers.

The Body: Disassemble the alternator. Remove the rotor and stator and replace them with the new ones that are made for windmills. Bolt the alternator casing to one of the 6" pipe caps, then screw everything together. You may want use silicon when bolting the alternator to the casing, so that no water will get through.

Next you want to bolt the galvanized pipe to the alternator (there should be a place for the screw). Make it so that one side is close to the edge of the pipe, while the other hangs out a couple of inches.

The Tail: Cut a section into the 2" PVC pipe that is the same width as the piece of plexiglass. Insert the plexiglass into the pipe and secure it with a pinch pin. On the far end of the PVC pipe (the pipe should be around 2 and a half feet), drill a space so that the pipe can fit over the galvanized pipe that is on stuck to the alternator. Connect the pipes using the coupling and gluing it down once the tail is secure. Finally, place the other 6" PVC pipe cap on the other side of the alternator (making appropriate holes for the tail and the galvanized pipe, and bold it into place.

That's it! All you have to do now is put the windmill on a pole and write it to a battery bank. Once that's done, you'll be able to power a good amount of the appliances in your home just from that one windmill!