WIndmax 900 watt

ws9876

Looking for someone who has any of these Texas turbines, this one is about 800$
Some bozo outfit in California named Conserving Green is trying to get 3800$ for a 600
watt.They give small wind a bad name. dont buy anything from them.
These might be made in China... but the price is right a buck a watt.... Bergey should try pricing like that.They make or did make 400,500,600,900,2k etc...the company that m
sells them makes and sells permanent magnets in Plano TX...

Windsun

Re: WIndmax 900 watt

You mean this one? http://forum.solar-electric.com/showthread.php?t=3874

Note that it is posted in the "scams" section....

ws9876

Re: WIndmax 900 watt

gee thats good to know George

niel

Re: WIndmax 900 watt

i was going to zap him, but i had second thoughts. he is obvious isn't he. i am confused a bit jeorge as i don't think it's possible for coal to be clean, cleaned up some yes, but not clean. is that like a clean junk yard or clean poop? is it coincidence that you linked clean coal under wind?:roll::p ahh the power of bs.

Boerman

Re: WIndmax 900 watt

I can't speak as to the overall quality of the Windmax machines. But I have learned something disturbing about their business practices.

It seems as if they are encouraging buyers to install the units themselves. They describe them as "easy to install". But if you read their warranty documents, you will see that the warranty is void unless installation was done by installers licensed by the state or municipality.

One fellow I know of learned this the hard way. He discovered that the 2KW turbine he bought from them would not produce adequate voltage to properly charge his 48v deep cycle battery bank. When he contacted the company for help, they wouldn't help him because his warranty was void.

niel

Re: WIndmax 900 watt

with that information from boerman i think we can relocate this thread into the skeptics area.

MadJack

Re: WIndmax 900 watt

Newbie here, due to financial consideration of hooking up to the grid on the house we're building... 17K (up front cash) to run 1500 feet of wire on poles that are already up! (plus a bill every month for power used PLUS delivery!)

I too, have been reading about the Windmax products as well as others. Especially their new 1200w 5-blade turbine with electro-magnetic overspeed braking.
Now I do understand this forum is owned or run by N/A wind & Solar but nothing in this thread, other than rumors and second or third hand accounts are quoted.
People are looking for HARD FACTS. At least I am and I'm sure the person who started this thread is too.

The whole idea behind going with wind & solar is to learn all I need to know, then purchase and install a system without paying someone else $30K to install it. (actual quote from a dealer in Maine)

Now, based on my 1820's farmhouse with an electric H/W heater, ancient wiring, two to three fans moving warm air in winter and cool air in summer, and a twenty year old electric dryer, I am estimating the new house will run around 300-400 kwh per month.

Is there a breakdown and comparison anyplace on this forum where someone has used unit "X" or system "Z" that lists the pro's & con's of each system?

If the WindMax H-series is "not what it says it is", I'd like to know the specifics . . . please!

icarus

Re: WIndmax 900 watt

I would refer you to the wind section of this forum: http://forum.solar-electric.com/forumdisplay.php?f=13

I think you will find legions of people who have considered/installed/taken down/discarded small scale wind products.

On a side note,,, if you think that $17k for bringing power to your house is expensive,,, plus the bill,,, do a quick calculation of what off grid will provide for a similar (useful) amount of power.

At 400kwh/month,,, that would make ~ 40kwh/day,,, about $4/day at CMPs' current rate (estimated)

Here is a very similar thread that we have just been adding to on the same subject:http://forum.solar-electric.com/showthread.php?t=4785

To get the off grid capacity of ~40kw into and out of a battery bank will require a system that will run in the neighbourhood of $50k. And that is for a system designed to run in Las Vegas,,,, much better annual sun than in Maine.

IMHO,, there is NO small scale wind on the market today that gives enough output with enough reliability to make it make sense for a primary source of home power.

Tony

I should add, that you need to consider some serious conservation. For every $1 spent on conservation, you will save ~$10 on energy costs. For example,,, why are you using an electric water heater? Solar pre-heat, coupled to demand hot water can save between 20-150% of hot water costs. Just converting to gas (LP) will reduce the need for PV or Wind by ~1/2 on the average house.

Why are you using an electric dryer? A gas dryer will, once again, drop the cost of an energy system by a huge amount. Better yet,, hang your laundry out,,, even in the winter it will dry just fine.

As I have too often sugggested,, get out your calculator,, add up all your loads (realistically) do your math,,, see what you can cut,,, then figure out how much generating capacity you will really need. Then,, and only then can you begin to get a handle on what you should be buying. (IMHO)

WisJim

Re: WIndmax 900 watt

As a successful user of wind power since 1978, I know that you can power an "average" house with wind power (even though ours is "below average" in energy use). BUT wind is much more site dependent than PVs are, and much more care in siting a system is needed. Most people don't want to spend $30K to $70K to install a system that will produce as much or more electricity than they will use, and last for 20 years with adequate maintenance. My personal opinion is that the smallest currently available new wind systems to consider for a house include the Proven and ARE 2.5kW sized machines. The larger machines by these companies are also good, and the Jacobs 20kW 31-20 has a good track record, too. (Someone not far from me produced over 300 kw-hrs in a day recently).

But if you expect to put something the size of a garbage can on the top of your roof for $5,000 and have it do anything, think again.

Whether or not a wind system would even work at your site shouldn't be answered without knowing exactly where you are located, and should also include a site visit by someone trained and experienced in wind site assessment.

icarus

Re: WIndmax 900 watt

WisJim,

I think you are the exception that proves my "rule" I wouldn't consider $30-70k to be "small scale" wind,,,, even if it really is. It has been my experience that people over estimate their wind, underestimate their loads, over estimate the capacity of a given wind machine, under estimate service and maintenance issues, and over estimate output and finally under estimate cost(s)

Tony

MadJack

Re: WIndmax 900 watt

Icarus, very informative post & I thank you.

Next question I have is in your math.... 400 (or less) kwh per month divided by 28 days (average month) comes out to 14.28 kwh per day on my calculator.
How did your math lead you to 40kwh per day? (not dis'n you, just asking if I may have missed something)

All the high load I mentioned is at our current house, the 1820's house.
We are planning to use propane instant H/W heater and the clothes dryer will only be run on generator power when we have week(s) of rain and/or too much to try to dry indoors.
We are putting in cf & led lighting throughout the new house as well as a few propane lights, propane stove, and still trying to figure out which deep well pump & whether to use an in-house storage tank with 12v RV pump.

I also should have made myself more clear that my idea was to have wind AND solar. Wind because we have a fairly constant 5-10+ mph (most times a good bit more)at ground level. I never considered using wind only, just as a "helper" to a solar setup.
I have a million questions and I know, a lot of reading to do here and elsewhere but a "newbie" to needs to jump in somewhere and I just happened to be reading about this brand recently.

I thank you for the links and I will be reading those first.

I apologize for getting 'off course' . . .

icarus

Re: WIndmax 900 watt

How dare you question my math ability!! I add 2 plus 2 and get five all the time,,,, just 'cuz the bank doesn't agree,,, wait a minute what do banks know about math these days any way!


In all seriousness, Brain fart,, My math reflects the fact that I am a lobbyist for the decimal system,,, you know the one,, 10 second minutes, ten minute hours,, ten hour days, ten day months,,,You know the one,,, it was all the rage in my mind a few hours ago!

My math is certainly bad,,, (always has been!) but the idea is still right,,,(I think!) I still ascribe to the concept that for every $1 spent on conservation,, you will save ~$10 in RE costs. (Even in my decimal universe)

Tony

Ps Sorry for the mistake!

PhilS

Re: WIndmax 900 watt

icarus wrote: »

you know the one,, 10 second minutes, ten minute hours,, ten hour days, ten day months

KKRAPP Tony!!

I'm getting older fast enough without your time system!

Can't you figure out something that'll allow me 30 hours each day, 90 minutes every hour, and 120 seconds each minute?

Phil

WisJim

Re: WIndmax 900 watt

icarus wrote: »

I wouldn't consider $30-70k to be "small scale" wind,,,, even if it really is. It has been my experience that people over estimate their wind, underestimate their loads, over estimate the capacity of a given wind machine, under estimate service and maintenance issues, and over estimate output and finally under estimate cost(s)

Tony

I didn't say cheap. And I agree with everything else that you say. I have noticed that the methodology used for determining the rebate for wind systems in Wisconsin is now derating a lot of the machines, based on output in 11m/s winds, so that they are considering a 10kW Bergey to be a 6.8kW machine for estimated power output calculations, for example. Other machines are similarly derated, for the most part. They are trying to get their power production estimates to be more accurate.

niel

Re: WIndmax 900 watt

now that's very interesting to hear of these deratings, although not surprising. do you have a link for us to see the ratings that they have already determined as this should prove useful to anyone considering wind power?