@@Gridlessness That URL is blocked by Avast as a phishing site in Edge and Chrome. Firefox and Opera cannot establish a secure connection, which may be related to something Avast did. Either way, the site is sketchy in my book.
@@chipbrown433 I think Avast may have sent you for a loop there. No problems accessing it via Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. I run uBlock Origin with malware blocking as well as a regularly updated pihole DNS server with malware blocking, and upstream malware blocking from my global DNS provider, nothing has flagged this site as problematic. Would avoid using anything like Avast that inserts itself in non-standard ways, such apps tend to break things unexpectedly.
@@ESDhydro Paranoid much? TH-cam is not the problem. It's Avast antivirus saying the site is phishing. My computer at work uses Avira with nothing detected on the site.
Good simple system two points though. 1. The bearings sound worn out 2. Its good to have both nozzles as this creates a balance of forces on the shaft giving less stress on the bearings. Running with both nozzles makes your bearings and shafts to last longer.
My idea with using both nozzles is also that when things are not used they become inoperative... but I agree. Also seems like a good time to service bearings as opposed to letting them fail and having addition machine work or damage to repair, plus unplanned down time...
I lived off grid for years. Surprising how little hydro you actually need. Started off with two 5000W diesel generators. By year two we were down to on Honda 750W generator just to charge batteries.
We heat our house (Off Grid) with hot water using PEX Radiant Floor Heat. Our wood stove has a tank and serpentine as well as a smoke stack tank that absorbs the heat. We store this in a big 750 liter tank that supplies hot water to all of our showers and bath and kitchen as well as the floor heat. As I told you before we have ONLY SOLAR now and yes the problem is where we live in Chile we do not have enough sun in the winter and TOO MUCH sun in the summer with our 10kw system. So we would like to supplement our solar with a small hydro system. Smaller than the one in this video as we only need to keep our batteries topped off. June 21 is the shortest day of the year here where we are in Chile. So we have to plan our consumption around that fact. Love this solar system. Thanks for showing the INTAKE since that is always the weak link in any TURBINE system. We may go with a water wheel system for this reason if we ever get there. Thanks for the video. Jim in Chile.
if you have a low head stream there is a 1000 watt unit that can be used. looked at the website and i see only need 3 ft elevation. so that might work and you can get unit to have 12 v 24v 48 v or 240v so means you can match your solar battery bank. the other thing you can do is get a small wind generator for battery bank. when you have inclement weather solar usually bottoms out but a storm front and clouds usually have wind with it. now that said you can look at europes small wind generators as they are designed to start at lower start speed. my experience through friends showed smaller wind generators were more productive over a year than say a 5 KW wind generator. there is a third way and that is a little more expensive set up but involves making fuel from water and storing it. As for your solar panels check out what angle is best if you want to capture snow reflection as well. I am curious about the fact you chose Chili. I was considdering that location or bolivia. Would like to gear more from you. Greenenergytech2013@gmail.com
@@aliendude60 Well for solar you do not need a POWER DUMP like in Hydro or wind. The charge controler just ignores the input. But that being said, to quote JUSTIN CASE SOLAR in AUZ always panel up for the lowest light time of your solar year. SO yes you are correct in that regard. For me it would be a case of just buying more efficient panels and replacing my current panels and I would satisfy this need. Like all things it is a money thing for me. Jim
In rural Alabama, I met a guy with a large pond, elevation of about 5 feet, who had a couple of large hydro-electric generators. He provided so much electricity that it ran 5 homes and had enough remaining to sell back to the power company. They periodically sent him a CHECK rather than a bill. It was amazing how much power he could generate from so little 'fall' (altitude was basically flat). He could do this because his pond was so huge and he had enough water flow.
If the dumped hot water was directed into a green house that energy would be further consumed ultimately becoming food - loved this whole system thanks for the vid and the channel
Awesome! We ran that same unit at a property here in Washington. 90 feet of head 45-55 psi fed by 2 from fish ponds gave us more power than we needed most days. When our kids move out we're definitely doing it again. Nothing like working to live instead of living to work.
I am trying to move to Washington & want to live off grid. Are there any suggestions on how to learn how/what to do especially with stuff like this. Thanks for any suggestions
@@Bferr89 Don't ask if you can do it. Don't place it where it can be seen from a road. A buddy of mine who lives off the grid in NE Washington state put one in and said it was fantastic. Not long, the Dept of Ecology knocked on his door and told him he needed to remove it and apply for a permit to install it. Lots of money and many months later, he inquired yet again about the status of his permit. He was asked, "What did you apply for?... OH! Hahaha, we never approve those!" He wasn't allowed to borrow the water from the stream that runs through his place, yet he could pull so much out a month and dump it in his yard. I told him we should wait for a weekend with lousy weather (he lives off a traveled forest service road) and he and I can get the pipe buried and covered before Monday. He said, forget it! (or words to that effect that would get pulled by the internet police) I'll just burn more fossil fuel in my generator when the solar can't supply what I need.
Anyone who's ever worked on any kind of industrial equipment will tell you that your bearings sound like they're about to go out. Bearings running at those speeds for 15 years are probably close to failing. Replacing bearings is cheap compared to what they destroy if they fail catastrophically.
Yeah like that system losing it's balance and destroying itself.. I imagine that little turbine isn't very cheap. I would love to tear it apart though. I would try to build my own and use the extra power lighting up the whole property at night and/or triple up the batteries use them for an electric off road vehicle. I mean can't you put those turbines in series and gain power? That was a lot of water flowing through that box.
That was great and being a pipefitter by trade I have always thought about this. There is another option with the hot water heater to that you may want to consider a circ pump. You could run hot water base board heat as well which you would be using the waste heat from the heater to also heat your home plus you would always have instant hot water in your home. Hydro power is the way to go it runs day and night never quits.
Great ideas - I have something to add. You could do all of that with a sand battery. They are so efficient and you can bury it and store energy as heat instead of just dumping it. Then heat your home as you said, have constant hot water which can also be translated back into turbine energy later with another small steam generator if you want. I've heard that good sized ones can hold over 1400 F sand for several months. With nothing but pipes and a few valves, a steel container and regular old sand or crushed glass.
It is awesome clean and free energy. You just need to be in the right place and for many of us is almost impossible. 30 meters of elevation is about 44.0 PSI (2.3 feet of water column =1 psi). Need a bit of conversion. Pressure loss due to flow can be calculated for the piping that is based on flow, pipe dia and friction loss . You can do a bunch of good to have that flow and pressure available courtesy of mother earth. Good on you guys to be able to harvest it. Good content Jeff and Rose. You guys rock!
We used to run various mills (flour, saw, etc.) using big water wheels and only a few feet of head. With that much torque, you might be able to gear something to produce a little juice.
@@fergusontea Right, that is a great. Like you said the key is Torque, few feet of head and large volume of water and you can do great. I dammed up a creek in the back of my property to raise water a couple of feet and depending the season can have good flow. Need to figure out something to do with it. Dutch do great with their slow turning wind mills and through right gear box they can get whatever rotational speed they need to mill flour.
@@fergusonteaThats what I'm thinking about having your own hydro power. A big 5000w generator and a big wheel and gers. What are the advantages of having a smal micro hydro with high pressure, that one in the video cant generate much power?
There are so many places in this country where people could utilize this technology and most people don’t even realize it’s possible. Great video Jeff.
You might want to replace the bearings every few years, they'll still run for years, even when the bearings seal has failed because it's water cooled, but it's much quieter after you have put in new bearings and seals, but we forget to, because we get used to the noise over the years and think it's normal, but once you do replace them, you will be so amazed how smooth and quiet it runs, and it's not from the cavitation of the water vs impeller, making the noise, that's only when the impeller is pushing the water 😉 like a boat 🚢
Great video! You guys covered it well. I would have loved to see a series that covered the building of the system from beginning to end. Maybe it's something you'll do on your property?
You can get SERIOUS fines for non permit alteration of watersheds. Never seen this guy before but looks like he just stepped in to an old homestead. Hot water tank, overflow load??
Hi , I remember when you all dropped a pipeline in the Water with a screen on the end, but never dreamed you built a Box and had a system set up 😱. It's wonderful 🐦. JO JO IN VT 💕😄
Your living the good life!! The balance of natural living and use of a technology is commendable and enviable. I wish I had a off grid homestead and location such as yours. Keep it up!
I think that was this series: th-cam.com/video/LVoeaKCEd2o/w-d-xo.html where they turned rewired an old washing machine into a generator. It's a long watch. You can see the drill at about 45:00 of Part 1.
This system is an ultimate dream come true!! Totally 100% off-grid with more power and water than you can use and secluded from the rest of the world. Add in satellite TV and internet and you can work a 40 hour workweek in the middle of nowhere! One suggestion for the excess power override is to run grow lights in a greenhouse and then grow all your food year round! Go hunt a couple times a year and you are set for life!
Great video. Like you’ve said before, choose the property, you want develop your off grid existence carefully. This system adds the need for the land to include an elevation difference with permanent flowing water and of course capital todo initial installation costs. Makes sense, as the shift to electric vehicles require an adequate electrical supply. Thank you for the food for thought
I was going to say anyone who homesteads in a 4 season climate is crazy. But you live in one. That is an awesome generator. Running 24/7/15 is dependability.
Great vid! I love the wattage it produces - I set up a micro hydro 6 years ago from a converted washing machine and some polypipe. I am a little envious as my 170 watt system is only 10% of what you showed but free power is the ultimate. Great work!
Awesome video! On the subject of water power, In Europe I saw a museum of a working several hundred year old “industrial” plant made of mostly wood operating off just a few feet (or less) of water height difference that operates a saw mill, blacksmith hammer and bellows, seed crusher and more. Labour free operation, ropes pulling sluice gates open. In the lumber mill one rope to start the saw, another to advance the log, another to back it up, etc.
As an electrician looking at all the open boxes and air splices just makes my ass pucker. I shudder to think of the cost of just the pipe for the penstock and the effort required to install it. Then there is the turbine and the inverter as well as the batteries and supporting elements and controls. This is not cheap! Then again, they likely have a payback of a few years considering that they don't need to pay a utility or install a well. Clearly the person that designed and installed this system had a very good grasp of the technical details and did a very good job of engineering their way around issues. Nice to see such a system.
So many ridiculous negative comments I love the video don’t listen to the haters those are the ones that usually work in an office in a cubicle somewhere and hate their lives spread love not hate A H 💪🙏👍❤️
Thank you so much for explaining and showing a system that other than the initial cost outlay could be a lifesaver for a suitable off grid property. By suitable, I mean with elevation variances and year round water source being available. Wow, what a game changer for sure! lol---and it's made in Canada! (I am a Yankee, but still admire products created elsewhere if they're like this one)
@naturalmilkhoneyandzenretr9508 if you're deficient at brain power then off-grid isn't an option. There isn't a welfare system in place to keep you alive in the wilderness lol. And FYI, these people designed a product less as well as a 4th grader could if you gave the 4th grader a weekend to brainstorm.
Good job to you and your family to move off grid and God bless you for sharing your knowledge to people, keep doing what you're doing you're living like a true human being.
Hi America this is a good video to show people who want to move off grid what to do and how to do it I love how the unit was made in Canada I am a Canadian and I'm glad to hear it's worked well for 15 years it says something about quality I hope someday to move off grid to get out of the rat race and enjoy the rest of my life as a senior congratulations you're Canadian neighbor peace
Great way to go if you have the head pressure. I've been to a number of backcountry ski lodges that run micro hydro. I was on a few work weeks in the fall years ago at Boulder Hut Adventures to help with the install, maintenance etc. Winter only operation so it's shut down in the summer. On opening in late December or January have to dig through a meter or more of snow to get to the intake & get 'er running. Usually has no problem with excess power, but if so there's a simple bank of resistors in the guest hut to bleed off any excess.
An "air dump" keeping the hut toasty warm, drying clothes etc.... Using a powerwall system in the house allows accumulated electricity to power the big appliances...like an airconditioner, or compressor, or welder.....
@@nipponsuxs Heat pollution with no benefit to humans...heatig a stream...why? The illustrated system runs in winter only...so any heat can be used in the huts for drying and heating clothes and humans after the water has been heated....
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq if hes got to much electricity he can expell it in the stream, but i said that i saw he does it in the hot water heater instead, gets too hot drains it and reheats again
@@nipponsuxs Might as well put a large vehicle radiator or three in the hot water loop and feed the hot water out of the top of the tank, take the heat out with the radiators...and put the water back in the bottom of tank???
That is absolutely fucking brilliant!!!!! I can’t wait to figure out the details like venting excess heat and storing it underground geothermal. Thank you so much
I very much enjoy All your videos, even the shorts. I love to learn though and I'm a visual learner and I feel like after today's video, with the addition of a bit more knowledge, I could set up a hydro-electric system. Thanks!
Dude I just love your style and to all the naysayers out in YT land... you live the life they dream of so they mock... I love the practicality of the system you built and as for longevity seems you hit that mark too... Thanks for the ride along and the look into the life and family of a pioneer named Jeff and for the time it takes to make edit and UL these videos for me to live vicariously through the lens of your life..
@Jim Nichols. You cannot be more correct if you tried Jim. A happy content human, the smile says it all. Wise enough to rid himself of a few of those 'life long chains.'
God has blessed you our of His abundance, and with the wisdom and knowledge He has given you, and abilities and desire to work hard you have been able to build a true Christian home. Thank you for sharing the loving and caring attitudes. You are a true encouragement!
Looks like a great system! thanks for showing us! Oh and If Rose would be so kind to let us all in on the secret of aging in reverse we would appreciate it K thanks! 😁
I won't go into detail but in High School in the 70's I help my science teacher build a box with a generator inside hooked to a heating element for an electric stove inside his forced hot air heater in the house and it worked. Small stream away from house. Don't remember but it was like a 8" pipe then 6 4 2 into box
Nice system and nice video. I also have a Stream Engine powering my family’s home. I really need to make a video of the system. I learned so much about it on TH-cam. Time to give back!
Jeff shows he has understanding, not just information. Did you see how he shut that valve? Slowly. That is the proper way to close a valve, this way you avoid the hydraulic hammer. That hammer can destroy a system, including causing a pipe integrity failure.
This is an awesome system and video! Something to consider if this individual is literally dumping hot water to get rid of excess energy and selling energy back to the grid isn't an option: install a Bitcoin miner to soak up the excess energy and get paid for it. Would take a little extra work upfront but would allow the owner to monetize the excess energy and most likely recoup the investment of the entire system, pay for maintenance, etc. Also puts off a lot of excess heat that could be recycled for something else (nearby greenhouse?). Miners work awesome for stabilizing energy systems because they can be powered on and off instantly as needed. Just food for thought. Great vid!
I may have missed it in older videos but what is your water system at your home? We are in month 7 of our off grid new life & looking to learn as much as possible, your family has definitely been an inspiration to us.
OUR water system is primarily rain water and 900 gallons of storage. THIS water system however is gravity pressure plumbed right into the house. I’d definitely go for gravity feed mountain stream water if at all possible! :)
I'd suggest you 'double up' on your hydro generator. Keep the second one in reserve, ready to go. Things like this have a habit of breaking down, just when you don't need it! Plumb it in, so it's just a simple open valve/close valve. 30 metres of head? That's impressive!
Fab video! POV - Where the trash rack intake/ creek freezes in winter:- the turbine uses excess electricity, to heat water for the property. Which is flushed if it isn't needed or overheats. Is there enough reduntant electricity to send a return pipe 0f the dumped hot water electrically pumped, back to the creek. To prevent freezing in winter months. Or even a pressurised under floor heating system. If the elevation to return the excess hot water to the creek or filter rack, proofed too steep!? Just a thought:)
2500' up a hill to the collection area. One should never dump hot water directly back into a creek. That water would be cold by the time it reached much farther than the level that the system is on.
I have a friend here in northern Ontario that has been running a similar setup from the same manufacturer for 30+ years, and was one of the first turbines they developed. They worked with the manufacturer to get it dialed in .
That seems like an awesome product to generate power. Have you thought about re-routing your excess energy into some way of heating the intake pipes during winter. It certainly is alot of pipe to heat, but just a thought.
Its a bright idea😊😊 I always praying for your family sir jeff.. I always enjoy watching your vids.. I wish someday im on a hunt wid you guys. Love you lots. Frm. Philippines😘
That's an awesome system guys cool 👍. ...... With the price of electric ,fuel etc ....that system saves serious money ,well done ,loving your videos ,again watching from south east Ireland
That is the hydropower system everybody dreams of but few have the optimal site or afford, that is an amazing system. They could produce significantly more power with the flow that is coming down that stream. I would have used a 48"-72" wide Coanda screen in the main channel of the stream so it would be less likely to freeze in winter and is maintenance free. That water in the intake box seems muddy do they have problems with nozzle wear or wear on the pelton or turgo wheel?
Nice setup Jeff...you could run a compressor heat pump (water to water) with a COP (coefficient of performance) of between 3 and 5 (or between 3 and 5 times more heat energy as compared to the low efficient resistance heater) and not only heat up your HWS but also heat your whole house...and the thing is it's pretty simple to construct specially if using a simple "capillary heat pump"
I think you missed the point that this installation has a need to dump power not save it. Your suggestion would be great if there were times when the hot tank ran cold, but if it always remains hotter than needed then the extra equipment would be a waste of money. But in fairness: good tip for others replicating this set up but with less input flow or head.
So the new hot idea is to dump excess power into a large pit of sand. You can heat sand with resistive heating 1:1 to a far higher temp than water (100c boiling) so then you can pump water through this extremely hot sand and produce steam which drives a steam turbine/generator which you could use during cold spells or droughts
This "idea" fails for so many reasons thats its not worth getting into, latent heat of evaporation for water for a very basic starting point is 970btu for 28.33 liters
These hydro guys in Sussex New Brunswick are awesome there eh! They are about a 30 min drive from where I'm going to build my off grid log cabin some day, was talking with them gave them my elevation, distance, average estimated flow rate and voila they sized up a unit said should get 300 watts for about $1600.00 canadian...
@@Ryan_Tidwell 300W might be able to keep his battery system charged in his solar setup. Depending on the situation, 300W could be worth gold or even priceless.
You could also plumb the extra hot water around the house.. either under the floor in the walls etc etc for heating the house. Or atleast taking the chill off before ya light the fire. But thats a lot of copper pipe..
Wow! Dave 14.1 Minutes and Thanks for opening up the avenue to something new! One of the best video's you have So I say I am pondering something that works in the same manner minus the water!!! Hint, "Something with a vortex" Great work!!! # WIN!!!
Now I'm wondering if I could do something like this. Set up the inlet upstream to the generator and then have the outlet going into a pond since the turbine would agitate the water even further and then have a stand pipe in the pond draining out downstream. That would help circulate fresh water and oxygen into the pond.
![เปิด อาณาจักร หมื่นล้าน "สาระตั้ม" l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3XE0nPF4YkQ/mqdefault.jpg)
We're happy to see that our machine is giving you too much power and hot water to boot. They are tough machines for sure.
Find out more information about these great micro hydro systems at: microhydropower.com/
@@Gridlessness That URL is blocked by Avast as a phishing site in Edge and Chrome. Firefox and Opera cannot establish a secure connection, which may be related to something Avast did. Either way, the site is sketchy in my book.
@@chipbrown433 I think Avast may have sent you for a loop there. No problems accessing it via Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. I run uBlock Origin with malware blocking as well as a regularly updated pihole DNS server with malware blocking, and upstream malware blocking from my global DNS provider, nothing has flagged this site as problematic. Would avoid using anything like Avast that inserts itself in non-standard ways, such apps tend to break things unexpectedly.
@@chipbrown433 not sketchy at all. TH-cam is blocking you finding out information. Website works fine.
@@ESDhydro Paranoid much? TH-cam is not the problem. It's Avast antivirus saying the site is phishing. My computer at work uses Avira with nothing detected on the site.
Sarah Connor looks totally impressed by that technology.
Good simple system two points though.
1. The bearings sound worn out
2. Its good to have both nozzles as this creates a balance of forces on the shaft giving less stress on the bearings. Running with both nozzles makes your bearings and shafts to last longer.
i was thinking the same.. and yeah after 15 yrs im guessing the parts are screaming for some lube...
My idea with using both nozzles is also that when things are not used they become inoperative... but I agree. Also seems like a good time to service bearings as opposed to letting them fail and having addition machine work or damage to repair, plus unplanned down time...
And he could just close both intake valves to half or whatever.
This video is a lie, that's a water pump
@@CitizenNerd "Scream Engine"
I lived off grid for years. Surprising how little hydro you actually need. Started off with two 5000W diesel generators. By year two we were down to on Honda 750W generator just to charge batteries.
More info
We heat our house (Off Grid) with hot water using PEX Radiant Floor Heat.
Our wood stove has a tank and serpentine as well as a smoke stack tank that absorbs the heat. We store this in a big 750 liter tank that supplies hot water to all of our showers and bath and kitchen as well as the floor heat.
As I told you before we have ONLY SOLAR now and yes the problem is where we live in Chile we do not have enough sun in the winter and TOO MUCH sun in the summer with our 10kw system. So we would like to supplement our solar with a small hydro system. Smaller than the one in this video as we only need to keep our batteries topped off. June 21 is the shortest day of the year here where we are in Chile. So we have to plan our consumption around that fact.
Love this solar system. Thanks for showing the INTAKE since that is always the weak link in any TURBINE system. We may go with a water wheel system for this reason if we ever get there. Thanks for the video. Jim in Chile.
if you have a low head stream there is a 1000 watt unit that can be used. looked at the website and i see only need 3 ft elevation. so that might work and you can get unit to have 12 v 24v 48 v or 240v so means you can match your solar battery bank. the other thing you can do is get a small wind generator for battery bank. when you have inclement weather solar usually bottoms out but a storm front and clouds usually have wind with it. now that said you can look at europes small wind generators as they are designed to start at lower start speed. my experience through friends showed smaller wind generators were more productive over a year than say a 5 KW wind generator. there is a third way and that is a little more expensive set up but involves making fuel from water and storing it. As for your solar panels check out what angle is best if you want to capture snow reflection as well. I am curious about the fact you chose Chili. I was considdering that location or bolivia. Would like to gear more from you. Greenenergytech2013@gmail.com
Can add more panels. Then take extra panel down and store in summer. I going try that myself. Double amount of panels in winter. Take care
@@aliendude60 Well for solar you do not need a POWER DUMP like in Hydro or wind. The charge controler just ignores the input.
But that being said, to quote JUSTIN CASE SOLAR in AUZ always panel up for the lowest light time of your solar year. SO yes you are correct in that regard. For me it would be a case of just buying more efficient panels and replacing my current panels and I would satisfy this need.
Like all things it is a money thing for me. Jim
Saludos de tierra del Fuego soy canadiensepo hahaha cherers
@@danieljohnson4479 Winter to Winter! Canadians must love the cold and snow. Jim
In rural Alabama, I met a guy with a large pond, elevation of about 5 feet, who had a couple of large hydro-electric generators. He provided so much electricity that it ran 5 homes and had enough remaining to sell back to the power company. They periodically sent him a CHECK rather than a bill. It was amazing how much power he could generate from so little 'fall' (altitude was basically flat). He could do this because his pond was so huge and he had enough water flow.
If the dumped hot water was directed into a green house that energy would be further consumed ultimately becoming food - loved this whole system thanks for the vid and the channel
Awesome! We ran that same unit at a property here in Washington. 90 feet of head 45-55 psi fed by 2 from fish ponds gave us more power than we needed most days. When our kids move out we're definitely doing it again. Nothing like working to live instead of living to work.
I am trying to move to Washington & want to live off grid. Are there any suggestions on how to learn how/what to do especially with stuff like this. Thanks for any suggestions
I live in Washington do you have a resource on the regulations?
@@Bferr89 Don't ask if you can do it. Don't place it where it can be seen from a road. A buddy of mine who lives off the grid in NE Washington state put one in and said it was fantastic. Not long, the Dept of Ecology knocked on his door and told him he needed to remove it and apply for a permit to install it. Lots of money and many months later, he inquired yet again about the status of his permit. He was asked, "What did you apply for?... OH! Hahaha, we never approve those!" He wasn't allowed to borrow the water from the stream that runs through his place, yet he could pull so much out a month and dump it in his yard. I told him we should wait for a weekend with lousy weather (he lives off a traveled forest service road) and he and I can get the pipe buried and covered before Monday. He said, forget it! (or words to that effect that would get pulled by the internet police) I'll just burn more fossil fuel in my generator when the solar can't supply what I need.
We make juice out of water man. Thank you.
Yep that's WA state for you! 😢 Not as off-grid friendly as they put out to be.
Anyone who's ever worked on any kind of industrial equipment will tell you that your bearings sound like they're about to go out. Bearings running at those speeds for 15 years are probably close to failing. Replacing bearings is cheap compared to what they destroy if they fail catastrophically.
Yeah like that system losing it's balance and destroying itself.. I imagine that little turbine isn't very cheap. I would love to tear it apart though. I would try to build my own and use the extra power lighting up the whole property at night and/or triple up the batteries use them for an electric off road vehicle. I mean can't you put those turbines in series and gain power? That was a lot of water flowing through that box.
I know nothing, and even I know those bearings arent happy
I know enough that if you shoot water at an impeller it's going to make an odd sound.
@@anygasmotorswilldo Water goes 'shhhhh'. Bearings go 'grrrr.' Samme som sagt i Bergensk
Shoot water at an old fan that's off and make it spin. You will understand what I'm saying.
That was great and being a pipefitter by trade I have always thought about this. There is another option with the hot water heater to that you may want to consider a circ pump. You could run hot water base board heat as well which you would be using the waste heat from the heater to also heat your home plus you would always have instant hot water in your home. Hydro power is the way to go it runs day and night never quits.
Good O
Idea with the baseboard heat , anything steam related , heck I wonder if you could cook with it
You could also connect heat tape to the system and wrap your intake line so it won't freeze up in the winter. Something I always thought of doing
Great ideas - I have something to add. You could do all of that with a sand battery. They are so efficient and you can bury it and store energy as heat instead of just dumping it. Then heat your home as you said, have constant hot water which can also be translated back into turbine energy later with another small steam generator if you want. I've heard that good sized ones can hold over 1400 F sand for several months. With nothing but pipes and a few valves, a steel container and regular old sand or crushed glass.
Good idea no more cutting wood or splitting wood lotta work when you start getting older, work smarter not harder
to be honest, you could probably heat your home off of the heat those bearings will be putting out
They are good guys, " they will answer your questions".
this explains why people never leave states with mountain ranges and streams. Thanks guys for sharing with the rest of us.
Pretty cool...... Always amazing what Mother Nature can provide, when you work with her, and not against her. Happy Mothers Day, Rose 💐
It is awesome clean and free energy. You just need to be in the right place and for many of us is almost impossible. 30 meters of elevation is about 44.0 PSI (2.3 feet of water column =1 psi). Need a bit of conversion. Pressure loss due to flow can be calculated for the piping that is based on flow, pipe dia and friction loss . You can do a bunch of good to have that flow and pressure available courtesy of mother earth. Good on you guys to be able to harvest it. Good content Jeff and Rose. You guys rock!
We used to run various mills (flour, saw, etc.) using big water wheels and only a few feet of head. With that much torque, you might be able to gear something to produce a little juice.
@@fergusontea Right, that is a great. Like you said the key is Torque, few feet of head and large volume of water and you can do great. I dammed up a creek in the back of my property to raise water a couple of feet and depending the season can have good flow. Need to figure out something to do with it. Dutch do great with their slow turning wind mills and through right gear box they can get whatever rotational speed they need to mill flour.
@@fergusonteaThats what I'm thinking about having your own hydro power. A big 5000w generator and a big wheel and gers.
What are the advantages of having a smal micro hydro with high pressure, that one in the video cant generate much power?
Wow, being a city dweller that just blows me away. I drive a truck. And that is the life I want
Viktor Schauberger will be so proud of this young man.
Well done
Hi Gridlessness family ! I just want to say you guy's make me smile and feel great. I love watching your videos ! Please don't ever stop !!!!
Running for over 15 years is unbelievable masterpiece of alternators engineering
There are so many places in this country where people could utilize this technology and most people don’t even realize it’s possible. Great video Jeff.
Whoever wants to do this can contact us.
as an automation engineer for water systems this is cool. the goal is efficiency. super cool my man
You might want to replace the bearings every few years, they'll still run for years, even when the bearings seal has failed because it's water cooled, but it's much quieter after you have put in new bearings and seals, but we forget to, because we get used to the noise over the years and think it's normal, but once you do replace them, you will be so amazed how smooth and quiet it runs, and it's not from the cavitation of the water vs impeller, making the noise, that's only when the impeller is pushing the water 😉 like a boat 🚢
classic catastrophic failure
Or just replace the bearings with ones that are water lubed sleeve type bearings. That will also quiet things down.
Ready for the hot water dump/outdoor hot tub
Great video! You guys covered it well. I would have loved to see a series that covered the building of the system from beginning to end. Maybe it's something you'll do on your property?
You can get SERIOUS fines for non permit alteration of watersheds. Never seen this guy before but looks like he just stepped in to an old homestead. Hot water tank, overflow load??
Brilliant! Best off grid life I have ever seen. Abundance without cost!
Pretty great. I operate a 63 kw 1918 Pelton water wheel. It’s nice to see other systems still online.
Nice. You powered your laptop... Oh, wait. I mean cell phone.
Hi , I remember when you all dropped a pipeline in the Water with a screen on the end, but never dreamed you built a Box and had a system set up 😱.
It's wonderful 🐦.
JO JO IN VT 💕😄
Gridlessness
1 day ago
Not me:) this system belongs to a friend.
This was really important to show others what is possible. Thanks so much for showing us.😊
Your living the good life!! The balance of natural living and use of a technology is commendable and enviable. I wish I had a off grid homestead and location such as yours. Keep it up!
One system I viewed used a cordless drill to open and close the intake valve to control the output rather than dumping it. It was pretty slick.
I think that was this series: th-cam.com/video/LVoeaKCEd2o/w-d-xo.html where they turned rewired an old washing machine into a generator. It's a long watch. You can see the drill at about 45:00 of Part 1.
This system is an ultimate dream come true!! Totally 100% off-grid with more power and water than you can use and secluded from the rest of the world. Add in satellite TV and internet and you can work a 40 hour workweek in the middle of nowhere! One suggestion for the excess power override is to run grow lights in a greenhouse and then grow all your food year round! Go hunt a couple times a year and you are set for life!
Great video. Like you’ve said before, choose the property, you want develop your off grid existence carefully. This system adds the need for the land to include an elevation difference with permanent flowing water and of course capital todo initial installation costs. Makes sense, as the shift to electric vehicles require an adequate electrical supply. Thank you for the food for thought
Sorry Biden, there's no shift to electric cars.
electric is shit. put a wood gassifier on your old truck and use free wood
I was going to say anyone who homesteads in a 4 season climate is crazy. But you live in one. That is an awesome generator. Running 24/7/15 is dependability.
Great vid! I love the wattage it produces - I set up a micro hydro 6 years ago from a converted washing machine and some polypipe. I am a little envious as my 170 watt system is only 10% of what you showed but free power is the ultimate. Great work!
170 steady watts is still great to have!
Hi guys HEY I'm from Sussex area!!! And you are right they ROCK! 😀
Awesome video! On the subject of water power, In Europe I saw a museum of a working several hundred year old “industrial” plant made of mostly wood operating off just a few feet (or less) of water height difference that operates a saw mill, blacksmith hammer and bellows, seed crusher and more. Labour free operation, ropes pulling sluice gates open. In the lumber mill one rope to start the saw, another to advance the log, another to back it up, etc.
It's called a watermill. Together with the windmill it started the industrial revolution
The way you say things... explain stuff... especially that hot water being dumped in the wild... well deserved sub
As someone else mentioned Kris Harbor in Wales is designing these systems !! Amazing rigs , and yours is a sweet set up !!
See also Marty T in New Zealand...repurposed washing machine motor output 885 watts continuous...
Awesome 👍... I just checked out the links you provided and I'm on my way to designing my own hydro power 💥. Thanks ! 👍
As an electrician looking at all the open boxes and air splices just makes my ass pucker. I shudder to think of the cost of just the pipe for the penstock and the effort required to install it. Then there is the turbine and the inverter as well as the batteries and supporting elements and controls. This is not cheap! Then again, they likely have a payback of a few years considering that they don't need to pay a utility or install a well. Clearly the person that designed and installed this system had a very good grasp of the technical details and did a very good job of engineering their way around issues. Nice to see such a system.
Thanks! Thanks especially for the website to this product. I’ve been looking for a long time and never found this company.
Energy Systems and Design in Waterford NB.
Very cool setup.
So many ridiculous negative comments I love the video don’t listen to the haters those are the ones that usually work in an office in a cubicle somewhere and hate their lives spread love not hate A H 💪🙏👍❤️
That blew my mind man.
Nice!
Gravity - it's not just a suggestion
It's the law!
Thank you so much for explaining and showing a system that other than the initial cost outlay could be a lifesaver for a suitable off grid property. By suitable, I mean with elevation variances and year round water source being available. Wow, what a game changer for sure! lol---and it's made in Canada! (I am a Yankee, but still admire products created elsewhere if they're like this one)
Check out Kris Harbour's channel. He makes the hydro generators out of car alternators. If you're tech inclined, it's relatively easy.
@@paulrosebush9137 what if your not technology inclined but you have some money or credit cards
@@naturalmilkhoneyandzenretr9508 Oh, absolutely!!
@naturalmilkhoneyandzenretr9508 if you're deficient at brain power then off-grid isn't an option. There isn't a welfare system in place to keep you alive in the wilderness lol. And FYI, these people designed a product less as well as a 4th grader could if you gave the 4th grader a weekend to brainstorm.
Water is power when used right. What a good video.
Good job to you and your family to move off grid and God bless you for sharing your knowledge to people, keep doing what you're doing you're living like a true human being.
they have been around for ever it seems on here as far as for the company that made that micro plant and is one of the best ones out here
Thank you.
wow that's a great build nicely done great sharing thumps up
Hi America this is a good video to show people who want to move off grid what to do and how to do it I love how the unit was made in Canada I am a Canadian and I'm glad to hear it's worked well for 15 years it says something about quality I hope someday to move off grid to get out of the rat race and enjoy the rest of my life as a senior congratulations you're Canadian neighbor peace
Thank you. Best hydro systems available today.
Great way to go if you have the head pressure. I've been to a number of backcountry ski lodges that run micro hydro. I was on a few work weeks in the fall years ago at Boulder Hut Adventures to help with the install, maintenance etc. Winter only operation so it's shut down in the summer. On opening in late December or January have to dig through a meter or more of snow to get to the intake & get 'er running. Usually has no problem with excess power, but if so there's a simple bank of resistors in the guest hut to bleed off any excess.
An "air dump" keeping the hut toasty warm, drying clothes etc....
Using a powerwall system in the house allows accumulated electricity to power the big appliances...like an airconditioner, or compressor, or welder.....
Or a wster heating elements in a nearby stream will do the same
@@nipponsuxs
Heat pollution with no benefit to humans...heatig a stream...why?
The illustrated system runs in winter only...so any heat can be used in the huts for drying and heating clothes and humans after the water has been heated....
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq if hes got to much electricity he can expell it in the stream, but i said that i saw he does it in the hot water heater instead, gets too hot drains it and reheats again
@@nipponsuxs
Might as well put a large vehicle radiator or three in the hot water loop and feed the hot water out of the top of the tank, take the heat out with the radiators...and put the water back in the bottom of tank???
That is absolutely fucking brilliant!!!!! I can’t wait to figure out the details like venting excess heat and storing it underground geothermal. Thank you so much
I very much enjoy All your videos, even the shorts. I love to learn though and I'm a visual learner and I feel like after today's video, with the addition of a bit more knowledge, I could set up a hydro-electric system. Thanks!
Love folks who just get out and do what they need and get on with living, then are nice enough to show it to all the couch potatoes . Great Job :)
Dude I just love your style and to all the naysayers out in YT land... you live the life they dream of so they mock... I love the practicality of the system you built and as for longevity seems you hit that mark too... Thanks for the ride along and the look into the life and family of a pioneer named Jeff and for the time it takes to make edit and UL these videos for me to live vicariously through the lens of your life..
You should make an outdoor pool/jacuzzi, dump all that excess hot water into !
@Jim Nichols. You cannot be more correct if you tried Jim. A happy content human, the smile says it all. Wise enough to rid himself of a few of those 'life long chains.'
God has blessed you our of His abundance, and with the wisdom and knowledge He has given you, and abilities and desire to work hard you have been able to build a true Christian home. Thank you for sharing the loving and caring attitudes. You are a true encouragement!
Looks like a great system! thanks for showing us! Oh and If Rose would be so kind to let us all in on the secret of aging in reverse we would appreciate it K thanks! 😁
I won't go into detail but in High School in the 70's I help my science teacher build a box with a generator inside hooked to a heating element for an electric stove inside his forced hot air heater in the house and it worked. Small stream away from house. Don't remember but it was like a 8" pipe then 6 4 2 into box
Nice system and nice video. I also have a Stream Engine powering my family’s home. I really need to make a video of the system. I learned so much about it on TH-cam. Time to give back!
And we would appreciate that as well. Glad that your system is working well for you.
Out West, you are the Envy! Good job, thanks.
Jeff shows he has understanding, not just information. Did you see how he shut that valve? Slowly. That is the proper way to close a valve, this way you avoid the hydraulic hammer. That hammer can destroy a system, including causing a pipe integrity failure.
I seem to remember (I'm 74, remembering is work and not always correct), back when Jeff was in the wage earning phase of life, he was an engineer.
really like this would like to have a creek to use. enjoy your videos wish you long healthy lives.
Thanks for sharing all your great ideas and builds. Appreciate you guys
You were talking about freezing and low power. Maybe a bucket heater or larger to keep from freezing. Thank you for the education. Nice video.
BEARING: I am dyyyyying.... change meeee
what a cool setup, thanks for the content.
Enjoyed this video, kept it simple and showed what it's possible with some thought, planning and investment.
Keep up the great videos mate.
This is an awesome system and video! Something to consider if this individual is literally dumping hot water to get rid of excess energy and selling energy back to the grid isn't an option: install a Bitcoin miner to soak up the excess energy and get paid for it. Would take a little extra work upfront but would allow the owner to monetize the excess energy and most likely recoup the investment of the entire system, pay for maintenance, etc. Also puts off a lot of excess heat that could be recycled for something else (nearby greenhouse?). Miners work awesome for stabilizing energy systems because they can be powered on and off instantly as needed. Just food for thought. Great vid!
I may have missed it in older videos but what is your water system at your home? We are in month 7 of our off grid new life & looking to learn as much as possible, your family has definitely been an inspiration to us.
OUR water system is primarily rain water and 900 gallons of storage. THIS water system however is gravity pressure plumbed right into the house. I’d definitely go for gravity feed mountain stream water if at all possible! :)
@@Gridlessness this is what we have year round here in NC… just did calculations and we have 40psi. Now figuring out cost of setup!
Exactly what I have envisioned in my mind! Great video!
Love all ur videos u guys put out , ur family is living THE best life , thank u so much for sharing ur journey 💫
I'd suggest you 'double up' on your hydro generator. Keep the second one in reserve, ready to go. Things like this have a habit of breaking down, just when you don't need it! Plumb it in, so it's just a simple open valve/close valve. 30 metres of head? That's impressive!
I'm about to take the plunge (pun intended) and go off grid with my tiny home. This is freaking awesome! I'm so excited!
Find a reliable water source for the system.
Fab video! POV - Where the trash rack intake/ creek freezes in winter:-
the turbine uses excess electricity, to heat water for the property. Which is flushed if it isn't needed or overheats. Is there enough reduntant electricity to send a return pipe 0f the dumped hot water electrically pumped, back to the creek. To prevent freezing in winter months. Or even a pressurised under floor heating system. If the elevation to return the excess hot water to the creek or filter rack, proofed too steep!?
Just a thought:)
2500' up a hill to the collection area. One should never dump hot water directly back into a creek. That water would be cold by the time it reached much farther than the level that the system is on.
beautiful
I have a friend here in northern Ontario that has been running a similar setup from the same manufacturer for 30+ years, and was one of the first turbines they developed. They worked with the manufacturer to get it dialed in .
Name of the manufacturer?
@@Entropy1234 Energy Systems & Design
That seems like an awesome product to generate power. Have you thought about re-routing your excess energy into some way of heating the intake pipes during winter. It certainly is alot of pipe to heat, but just a thought.
Its a bright idea😊😊
I always praying for your family sir jeff.. I always enjoy watching your vids.. I wish someday im on a hunt wid you guys. Love you lots.
Frm. Philippines😘
Very cool system! Genius! Btw, I miss the Jeff & Dave chats 😉
That's an awesome system guys cool 👍. ...... With the price of electric ,fuel etc ....that system saves serious money ,well done ,loving your videos ,again watching from south east Ireland
Better to keep both valves open and reduce the nozzle size to match the required RPM. This way you have even load on the turbine bearings. great vid!
Wow.... that hydro system is the Bomb!!!!.... BOOM!
We love your channel and how innovative you all have been and become. Inspiring!
Amazing free anergy my friend full support❤
That is the hydropower system everybody dreams of but few have the optimal site or afford, that is an amazing system. They could produce significantly more power with the flow that is coming down that stream. I would have used a 48"-72" wide Coanda screen in the main channel of the stream so it would be less likely to freeze in winter and is maintenance free. That water in the intake box seems muddy do they have problems with nozzle wear or wear on the pelton or turgo wheel?
Love the shot of the house at the end with all its lights on like yh we have that much electricity
I know eh!? Show-offs!
@@Gridlessness 😅
Nice setup Jeff...you could run a compressor heat pump (water to water) with a COP (coefficient of performance) of between 3 and 5 (or between 3 and 5 times more heat energy as compared to the low efficient resistance heater) and not only heat up your HWS but also heat your whole house...and the thing is it's pretty simple to construct specially if using a simple "capillary heat pump"
I think you missed the point that this installation has a need to dump power not save it.
Your suggestion would be great if there were times when the hot tank ran cold, but if it always remains hotter than needed then the extra equipment would be a waste of money.
But in fairness: good tip for others replicating this set up but with less input flow or head.
Very interesting power system (especially the hot water tank to maintain the correct voltage)!!
I love 💘 your fishing videos 📹
Sweet setup! You are very fortunate to have a set up like that.
Pretty slick system. Made in Canada. Peace
Awesome Video, Very informative , Blessings, Cheers
So the new hot idea is to dump excess power into a large pit of sand. You can heat sand with resistive heating 1:1 to a far higher temp than water (100c boiling) so then you can pump water through this extremely hot sand and produce steam which drives a steam turbine/generator which you could use during cold spells or droughts
Cool
So, to sum up, during a drought when there is no water you will pump water through this hot sand.
Hmmmmm
Not sand it’s more efficient if you use granite dust, they are using systems like that in Africa and it makes sense in the Southwest...spot on!
@@Ulbre Not water pumping through the sand, it's resistive heating. Although in a drought there wouldn't be any power so not a problem!
This "idea" fails for so many reasons thats its not worth getting into, latent heat of evaporation for water for a very basic starting point is 970btu for 28.33 liters
You guys are amazing. One day I will have my off grid setup
These hydro guys in Sussex New Brunswick are awesome there eh! They are about a 30 min drive from where I'm going to build my off grid log cabin some day, was talking with them gave them my elevation, distance, average estimated flow rate and voila they sized up a unit said should get 300 watts for about $1600.00 canadian...
That seems like a lot. You can buy 300W of solar for $300. I'm assuming that doesn't include the install. 300W won't power a lot of stuff.
@@Ryan_Tidwell yeah but would be continuous day or night...
@@Ryan_Tidwell 300W might be able to keep his battery system charged in his solar setup. Depending on the situation, 300W could be worth gold or even priceless.
Nice. I didnt know about this setup. Super cool setup with both power, pressurized water and hot water.
You could also plumb the extra hot water around the house.. either under the floor in the walls etc etc for heating the house. Or atleast taking the chill off before ya light the fire.
But thats a lot of copper pipe..
Plastic piping in floor running coolant/antifreeze heated by a large tank containing the hot water....?
Wow! Dave 14.1 Minutes and Thanks for opening up the avenue to something new! One of the best video's you have So I say I am pondering something that works in the same manner minus the water!!! Hint, "Something with a vortex" Great work!!! # WIN!!!
Now I'm wondering if I could do something like this. Set up the inlet upstream to the generator and then have the outlet going into a pond since the turbine would agitate the water even further and then have a stand pipe in the pond draining out downstream. That would help circulate fresh water and oxygen into the pond.
Contact us at Energy Systems and Design. We can help you evaluate what is required.
Amazing Hydropower system... it will be very usefull for our conservation area.