Slow spinning

Ambrose · July 2020

I have a Coleman 400 12V wind turbine, and it will only spin slow no mater what the wind conditions. Has anyone had this issue or can direct me how to fix it.

BB. · July 2020

Welcome to the forum Ambrose,

Doing a quick search seems to indicate that Coleman has licensed multiple vendors to use their name. Via Homedepot:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Coleman-400-Watt-12-Volt-Land-and-Marine-Wind-Turbine-48400/204233177

Response from March 13, 2020

We want to extend our sincerest apologies concerning the issue. Some Coleman® branded products are manufactured for us by other companies that deliver excellent and quality products like Sunforce Products, Inc. For direct assistance, please feel free to call us at 1-888-478-6435 or email them through info@sunforceproducts.com. -Coleman

If this wind turbine has an internal regulator, need to check the battery connections and make sure that everything is bolted together well (do not use temporary alligator clips, for example).
Also, how long is the wiring and what gauge (AWG) was used... A 400 Watt turbine would output (in ~25 mph wind typically) around:

400 Watts / 15.0 volts = 26.7 amps peak

50 feet of 12 AWG wire @ 26.7 amps would have:
https://www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.html?material=copper&wiresize=5.211&voltage=15&phase=dc&noofconductor=1&distance=50&distanceunit=feet&amperes=1&x=72&y=25

Result

Voltage drop: 0.16
Voltage drop percentage: 1.06%
Voltage at the end: 14.84

While not great (usually we want 0.05 to 0.10 volt drop for a 12 volt battery to voltage regulator)--It does not sound like a big issue (presumably, when the battery is "charged", the wind turbine would shutdown and stop spinning).

One of the reviews (same Homedepot link above):

Mishu

Brooklyn NY

Disapointed

April 27, 2015

Quality :

1

Value :

1

I trust to Home Depot as reliable provider of many items. I also trust of Coleman as one of the best companies on AC market but at this time my intuition lied me. The generator needs a hurricane speed of wind to start produce any electricity. So disappointed that I got that produc.

Pros: Compact, Nice Design

Which is a common complaint--Wind turbines do not spin well. Typically, you need around 10-12 MPH minimum wind to get any "useful" energy from a wind turbine. And if there is turbulence (other buildings, below tree line, too close to ground, mount on roof or deck railing, etc.), you will not get much energy--Turbulent air does not have much energy and wind turbines will generally not spin very well.

The usual suggestion is a tower that is >30 feet tall and at least another 10 feet above any nearby (within 250 feet) obstructions.

-Bill

Slow spinning

Comments

Result

Categories