New blades for my Air-X

Brianellul
Brianellul Solar Expert Posts: 95 ✭✭
Hi everyone

Can someone please tell me from where I can purchase the 'Eagle' blades for my air-X? I've tried www.survivalunlimited.com but they never came back to me! and this store doesn't list them either. Is there another store from where I can purchase these longer air-X blades?

Brian

Comments

  • dulley
    dulley Registered Users Posts: 18
    Re: New blades for my Air-X

    I see them on ebay { air-x wind generator }
  • skflyfish
    skflyfish Registered Users Posts: 20
    Re: New blades for my Air-X
    Brianellul wrote: »
    Hi everyone

    Can someone please tell me from where I can purchase the 'Eagle' blades for my air-X? I've tried www.survivalunlimited.com but they never came back to me! and this store doesn't list them either. Is there another store from where I can purchase these longer air-X blades?

    Brian

    Brian,

    Did you purchase and install the larger blades? If so, have they made any difference?

    I just installed my Air-X a couple of weeks ago and am very disappointed in it's performance. Despite the good wind of late, most of the time it runs between 2 and 4 amps (12VDC) and the most I have seen is 16 amps and that was a gust that would make an oar boat shudder.

    Thanks,

    Jay
  • Brianellul
    Brianellul Solar Expert Posts: 95 ✭✭
    Re: New blades for my Air-X

    Hi

    Yes, I Just bought the set of 3 blades --> 60" 403 Wind Turbine Generator Blades Rotor airx AIR-X. However, I measured the weight of the baldes on my digitial kitchen scale and 2 blades weigh 322 grams while the third one is reading 320grams. Is this acceptable or should I add some weight to it? I was thinking of dropping some paint with hardner next to the hub to add 2 grams!

    I also noticed that the blades are not very smooth! Shall I sand them down? Will this improve on noise?

    Jay, I was thinking of installing them tomorrow. Will get back to this board to report their performance.

    Regards
    Brian
  • skflyfish
    skflyfish Registered Users Posts: 20
    Re: New blades for my Air-X
    Brianellul wrote: »
    Hi

    Yes, I Just bought the set of 3 blades --> 60" 403 Wind Turbine Generator Blades Rotor airx AIR-X. However, I measured the weight of the baldes on my digitial kitchen scale and 2 blades weigh 322 grams while the third one is reading 320grams. Is this acceptable or should I add some weight to it? I was thinking of dropping some paint with hardner next to the hub to add 2 grams!

    I also noticed that the blades are not very smooth! Shall I sand them down? Will this improve on noise?

    Jay, I was thinking of installing them tomorrow. Will get back to this board to report their performance.

    Regards
    Brian

    My brand new Air-X blades were not smooth either, but, I used to be a pilot and many planes would add, what are called vortex generators, to the leading edge of wings to give them more lift. The roughness I experienced was on the trailing edge but I figured it would work as a vortex generator. I really don't have a problem with the blades starting, so I don't think the roughness hurts.

    I will be glad to hear how they work. I think the generation chart for the Air Breeze of 10 kwh/month at 8 mph is interesting. That means .3 kwh/day which is nothing more than a trickle charge. I need to read the fine print more often I guess. 8)
  • nigtomdaw
    nigtomdaw Solar Expert Posts: 705 ✭✭
    Re: New blades for my Air-X

    Have a look at this site for alternative blades if his testimonials are anything to go buy its worth a read. Its like a candy shop for windturbine fliers !

    http://www.tlgwindpower.com/
  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    Regarding Eagle blades and others

    Greetings,
    This is just a suggestion.
    The Eagle blades are flat on one side and curved on the other. The flat side should be facing the wind. This is important.
    Also, they sell a six blade hub that will allow either three or six blades to be installed on the turbine. The Airx will probably not perform well with six blades since blade speed will be slower and the airx's processor won't turn on the generator. I also found that blade balance is a problem with these blades. Since balance affects the performance and the airx is processor controlled, the output may be affected. This is a consideration with any blade replacement on the airx. If you want to use larger blades I suggest you make your own generator from the many perm mag generators available. They will turn on at any significant rotor speed. The airx is best placed in a steady moderate wind situation. In other words its not for woodsy backyards. I see some along the ridges in the Va Shenandoah Valley that work very well. There are also some coastal areas where they may work well. If you have a poor wind situation you should not use the airx due to the processor. Better to make your own. Nothing gives a wind generator a bad name more than a bad location.
    Fyi
  • Ralph Day
    Ralph Day Solar Expert Posts: 1,019 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: New blades for my Air-X

    Flat side to the wind would be opposite to any other turbine blades i've ever seen. Maybe check with SWWP about that. If you don't have the curved side facing the wind, how do you develop thrust? you need some angular difference (curved surface) for the wind to act against to develop thrust and hence, rotation. Just blowing against a flat surface would only result in force directed back through the spindle, no rotation...probably.

    ralph
  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    flat side curved side

    Greetings,
    If all else fails read the destructions (em ah instructions).
    http://www.survivalunlimited.com/windpower/eagle600/onepcbracket.gif
  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    and just in case that doesn't convince you.

    From: Sandy --SurvivalUnlimited.com
    To:
    Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 5:39 PM
    Subject: RE: Blade mounting


    Hi,

    Flat side faces the wind. So, I beleive, the #1 faces toward the PMA.

    Kind Regards, Sandy
    www.SurvivalUnlimited.com
    235 N. Airline Hwy
    Gonzales, La 70737
    1-800-455-2201 Store
    1-225-647-2171 Store
    1-225-647-7899 Store Fax
  • Brianellul
    Brianellul Solar Expert Posts: 95 ✭✭
    Re: New blades for my Air-X

    Here is an update of my new blades...

    It was a complete disaster! The new blades just don't work well.
    1) Since they are bigger and heavier, the AIR-X turns slower (which I new) BUT it's TOO dam slow to generate any usable power. In a wind force 6 storm, i.e. 10,8 - 13,8 m/s I was generating between 4-8 amps using my old blades, while not more then 1amp using my new blades!
    2) The new blades created a lot of vibration, even though it was turning slower.
    3) The hype that it's quiter is simple NOT true. I could listen to the same amount of noise.

    Well, in less then 24hrs, I re-installed the old blades. I throughly cleaned the old blades, re-weighed them (had to sand off a gram from one of them) and properly fitted them to the hub (I measured the distance between each tip to make sure that each blade is fitted 120 degrees apart) and properly secured them to the hub. Unfortunatly, the blades sit slightly loose on the hub which can lead to an error of ~5degrees. I read somewhere that having the three blades exactly 120 degrees apart will help reduce vibration, which it did. I will later post in a seperate thread the changes I made to my tower where I eliminated vibration by almost 100% :)

    Conclusion,
    DO NOT install these blades on the AIR-X. This turbine was designed with it's original set of blades and therefore it's a huge mistake to think that by changing them the AIR-X will perform better. SWWP would have already issued a better set of blades if that was the case.

    Brian
  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: New blades for my Air-X

    here's another aftermarket vendor, lots of stories on his website on how he arrived at this version of blade. ( I know , it was mentioned here earlier, this links to the AIRx blades)

    http://www.tlgwindpower.com/rotors/tlg403mm.htm
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

  • skflyfish
    skflyfish Registered Users Posts: 20
    Re: New blades for my Air-X

    Brian,

    Thanks for sharing you experiment. I will chose not to replace mine soon. Sorry to hear they didn't work for you. I suspect they will be the start of a homebilt genny. ;)

    Jay

    Brianellul wrote: »
    Here is an update of my new blades...

    It was a complete disaster! The new blades just don't work well.
    1) Since they are bigger and heavier, the AIR-X turns slower (which I new) BUT it's TOO dam slow to generate any usable power. In a wind force 6 storm, i.e. 10,8 - 13,8 m/s I was generating between 4-8 amps using my old blades, while not more then 1amp using my new blades!
    2) The new blades created a lot of vibration, even though it was turning slower.
    3) The hype that it's quiter is simple NOT true. I could listen to the same amount of noise.

    Well, in less then 24hrs, I re-installed the old blades. I throughly cleaned the old blades, re-weighed them (had to sand off a gram from one of them) and properly fitted them to the hub (I measured the distance between each tip to make sure that each blade is fitted 120 degrees apart) and properly secured them to the hub. Unfortunatly, the blades sit slightly loose on the hub which can lead to an error of ~5degrees. I read somewhere that having the three blades exactly 120 degrees apart will help reduce vibration, which it did. I will later post in a seperate thread the changes I made to my tower where I eliminated vibration by almost 100% :)

    Conclusion,
    DO NOT install these blades on the AIR-X. This turbine was designed with it's original set of blades and therefore it's a huge mistake to think that by changing them the AIR-X will perform better. SWWP would have already issued a better set of blades if that was the case.

    Brian
  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    airx performance

    Greetings,
    Bottom line for the Airx is pick a proper wind site. Tower height is to expensive for a 600W generator. Therefore you must have a very good wind site at ground level to 20ft. Farmed mountain ridges work pretty good. The Airx needs clean gusty wind to max out. Low wind will shut it down and high wind will shut it down. The whole package is tuned for what it is made for and not much else.
    There are some small air models available and you can use your Eagle blades to make one. Using the solar panel idea, a little amps over the long haul is just as good as a lot of amps short term. With wind its the site that counts. With wind its the site that counts. With wind its the site that counts. Is there a echo in here?
  • Solar Guppy
    Solar Guppy Solar Expert Posts: 1,989 ✭✭✭
    Re: New blades for my Air-X

    AirX is NOT a 600 watt genny, more like 250 watts in high winds ..
  • kenputer
    kenputer Solar Expert Posts: 27
    Re: Regarding Eagle blades and others

    If the flat side is facing the wind is it clock or counterclock wise rotation, You have to have the curved side facing the wind in order for it to capture the wind .
    kenputer
  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    Re: New blades for my Air-X

    Everybody was waiting for silent Air Marine or later Air X blades for many years, me too. Now they are reality:

    See the Air+ blades for Air X report from CaptCharles, moderator of SSCA Seven Seas Cruising Association discussion board, energy section:

    “Blades work as advertised! Almost totally silent!! We are able to sit and have a low volume conversation in the cockpit now. There is still a slight "Whistle" sound, but other than that just the sound of the unit speeding up/slowing down.

    Very happy with them so far. Did great in 10-15 kts of wind with higher gusts.

    These are a must have if you are tired of the noise pollution of the stock blades. I will no longer need to shut down the unit at sundown/night anymore in a crowded anchorage.”

    http://ssca.org/DiscBoard/viewtopic.php?t=7054&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

    If you know somebody who speaks a little bit German:

    Trans Ocean Europe discussion board
    http://www.razyboard.com/system/morethread-neuer-air-marine-neue-fluegel-fast-geraeuschlos-hvs-869372-5099900-0.html

    YACHT discussion board
    http://forum.yacht.de/showthread.php?t=96558&highlight=air+fl%FCgel
    http://forum.yacht.de/showthread.php?t=100071

    BOOTE discussion board
    http://www.boote-forum.de/showthread.php?t=46461

    Back to English:

    New Air Marine blades test report
    www.info-center-online.com/boat/dt_airbladeeng.htm

    Air Marine in General
    www.info-center-online.com/boat/dt_airmarineeng.htm
    www.info-center-online.com/boat/dt_airmarineeng2.htm
    www.info-center-online.com/boat/dt_airmarineeng3.htm
    www.info-center-online.com/boat/dt_airmarineeng4.htm

    Blade manufacturer (Portugal)
    www.silentwindgenerator.com

    After all that I ordered those blades. They are just fantastic. Now my Air X does not need to be stopped any more at twilight time. It will run day and night without disturbing anyone any more. Great.
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: New blades for my Air-X

    tomcat,
    tone it down a bit as you sound like a commercial. i also don't believe the blades to be silent, but even if they were it is on a machine that does not perform well and is a large expense even when compared to solar in the first place and you want everybody to run out and spend more for these blades?
  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    Re: New blades for my Air-X

    Hello Niel,

    my wind and solar experience is coming from a sailboat in the Caribbean, an area with a lot of wind and more than 50% clouded sky. So it may be different to other experience from ashore or from areas with more sun and less wind.

    May be the Air X machine does not perform well compared to solar in the first place in some areas as you say. But in my region on a boat we never have the space to suck our daily power consumption only by solar panels. We definitely need the extra power of 1 or better 2 wind generators in addition.

    I wonder why I “sound like a commercial” for you and “want everybody to run out and spend more for these blades”.

    Brianellul is looking for new blades for his Air X and named his thread: “New blades for my Air-X“. Therefore I sent my kind of view exactly to his question, of course related to “New blades for my Air-X”. Only 5% of my report gives you my opinion. 95% are neutral links to other reports.

    Nevertheless you say: “I also don't believe the blades to be silent” without knowing everything about them.

    Do you want to say, your SSCA moderator college CaptCharles, who checked a lot of Air blade reports, ordered those blades after his checks, installed them, tested them and reported about his own test results with

    “Almost totally silent!!” and “These are a must have if you are tired of the noise pollution of the stock blades. I will no longer need to shut down the unit at sundown/night anymore in a crowded anchorage.”

    is a liar or does not know what he is talking about?
  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Re: New blades for my Air-X

    Whoa everybuggy ! We've had some trouble in the past with shills jumping on the board and pushing their wares, and since we are not TSA police, we can profile - and your post did fit a profile.
    As for sound, I've never, ever "not heard" blades in a producing wind gennie. These would be a rare item, and anybody would be speculative of that report.

    Anyway, the sound of the stock market circling the drain is much more annoying nowadays.

    Mike
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
    || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

    solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
    gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,

  • System2
    System2 Posts: 6,290 admin
    Re: New blades for my Air-X

    Those who buy wind generators for sure will know that from the point of noise they will be always behind a solar panel. Of course solar panels are noiseless and producing wind generators will produce physical noise. It makes no sense to discuss on that.

    Nevertheless there are still people buying wind generators because their needs may be different form the solar supporters. One of them is Brianellul. He seems to be unhappy with the noise of his blades, not with his wind generator itself. Otherwise he would have changed it into a solar panel. It does not help Brianellul very much if solar users will let him know that he made a general mistake in their eyes not having bought solar panels instead of his wind generator.

    What Brianellul will need now are links to any blade report, the more the better. Solar statements will not solve his actual blade problems at all.

    So let’s go back from solar discussion to his question “New blades for my Air-X”.
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: New blades for my Air-X
    tomcat wrote: »
    Hello Niel,

    my wind and solar experience is coming from a sailboat in the Caribbean, an area with a lot of wind and more than 50% clouded sky. So it may be different to other experience from ashore or from areas with more sun and less wind.

    May be the Air X machine does not perform well compared to solar in the first place in some areas as you say. But in my region on a boat we never have the space to suck our daily power consumption only by solar panels. We definitely need the extra power of 1 or better 2 wind generators in addition.

    I wonder why I “sound like a commercial” for you and “want everybody to run out and spend more for these blades”.

    Brianellul is looking for new blades for his Air X and named his thread: “New blades for my Air-X“. Therefore I sent my kind of view exactly to his question, of course related to “New blades for my Air-X”. Only 5% of my report gives you my opinion. 95% are neutral links to other reports.

    Nevertheless you say: “I also don't believe the blades to be silent” without knowing everything about them.

    Do you want to say, your SSCA moderator college CaptCharles, who checked a lot of Air blade reports, ordered those blades after his checks, installed them, tested them and reported about his own test results with

    “Almost totally silent!!” and “These are a must have if you are tired of the noise pollution of the stock blades. I will no longer need to shut down the unit at sundown/night anymore in a crowded anchorage.”

    is a liar or does not know what he is talking about?

    firstly, i never said that, "the Air X machine does not perform well compared to solar in the first place in some areas as you say" as i believe it to be most areas. now you say it's "almost totally silent" and just because brian complained doesn't mean it's time for a commercial break and i seriously doubt he needs it in multiple languages. i never called anybody a liar, but you're certainly making a run at me as being one because i'm questioning the validity of your infomercial. the burden of proof certainly isn't on me and even with all of that you posted it proves nothing. btw, your reasonning that land areas are vastly different in their amounts of cloud cover comparred to sea areas is a new one on me too for i'll bet you that my area has more cloud cover than yours.
    i asked you to tone it down, not step it up a notch. i've let this go because there weren't links for the sale of the blades so go ahead and make my day with more about this infomercial.