DaveS wrote:
On Jan 10, 1:33 pm, personaobscura
wrote:
On Sun, 9 Jan 2011 12:35:10 -0800 (PST), DaveS wrote:
Suggestions and experience welcome. I need a smaller generator for use
with my camper. The Camper is a lance 825, no AC. I presently cart in
a couple of marine 12 volt batteries. With use confined to lights I am
good for 4 nites on one fully charged battery. I want to be able to
run the occasional power drill, recharge 12 volt bats, and some small
appliances, like radio, dvd , maybe a small power saw, maybe a small
ceramic heater.
Brand and model Suggestions? How to Plug in to Camper panal? Noise?
Did I read once that your property is on a river?

If that's true, could you find a site - or pipe from your high point down to
one - and develop enough head to run a generator?

If I'm mis-remembering, my apologies.

Fair question, In my natal NJ a great pleasure was crawling about old
mills and water powered industrial-a-fluvial. Mill ponds and spillways
are rare in the West compared to the rest of the USA. So I am not a
black or white partisan on the riverine environmental affronted
debate. So, yes my place is on a smaller trib river and the gradient
is sufficient to do a small generator,

HOWEVER, this is in a Western ag region where all the water is "spoken
for" in water rights dating back to pioneer days. Consequently, any
pipe even near the water had better have a metered right to be there.
And then there is all that enviro stuff. ;+))

. . . like, the river has a small run of Steelhead, ditto for a few
of the salmons, cutts and a listed population of Dolly Varden Trout.
(or is it Bull Trout?). To protect fry, each takeout pipe must have
very expensive screens. The Native American Tribes, inland, on the
Columbia, and on the coast all want the fish to get their share of the
water. As do the legions of govt, the contractors, the loggers, the
BPA, most of the farmers, etc etc ME, and the commercial fishers out
on the Coast. Bottom-line . . . it's a non-starter no matter how
trivial. Death from a thousand cuts theory?

Major Wind is a big deal near my place. And there is a little solar
including one setup w/ three big panel banks, in a tilled field, up
about 10' on 3 pylons, and the damn things follow the sun. It looks
like i could get a decent 160 watt panel and electronics for about
$1000.


How about an undershot wheel hung in the river on a cantilever arm? Not
real efficient but if you have enough flow they do work.


--
Steve W.
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