Learning how to recondition batteries was not the first thing on our mind when we began living off the grid. After we had built our first and second wind generator it soon became apparent that we would need a bigger battery bank system. We were producing lots of power but we had no where to store it.

It doesn’t require any real special tools as the following short video shows, you can even make the small battery desulfator or nanopulser in the video, all of the books reviewed will show you how to make it all yourself and safely.

We looked into buying more batteries but they are just so expensive. We had heard that old batteries could be brought back to life, but didn’t know how. We looked into every possibility and finally found 3 sources of great information on how to recondition batteries.

How To Recondition BatteriesHow To Recondition Batteries- book reviews

First, if you are interested in perhaps making a business of battery reconditioning, or you just want the very best book on the subject you will really enjoy this selection we have reviewed- it is the Battery Reconditioning Handbook.

It is by far the most detailed of the 3 books and specifically dedicated to just battery reconditioning. This is our highest recommended resource, but also slightly more expensive. The price is well worth it though.

The second book we found on the subject was very interesting from the Poor Man Guides website, How To Recondition Batteries was part of a great book on building homemade windmills, which was well written. The author is a technical guy like the previous book, but this one deals with more than just the subject of how to recondition batteries.The website also offers a great 3 book collection that we found very interesting, Homemade Windmills, Make a DC welder and also your own amp meter (which is a handy tool for reconditioning batteries. We thought the price was very reasonable and the information it contained ranked at the top of our list for price and content, although it didn’t deal specifically with the topic of how to recondition batteries only it did tell you how to build a battery desulfator from readily obtained parts.

The next book we found was called Build a Homemade Wind Generator from the Off Grid Living Website. It was very informative and helped alot. They have a 5 book deal that is super, not only showing us how to recondition batteries, but where to find free solar panels, build a wind generator, and even how to build our own house. Homemade Wind Generator is a very interesting book you will enjoy, Remember it’s part of the homemade wind generator book. The price is very reasonable and we recommend it highly.

Learning how to recondition batteries is not that hard but please remember safety. Wear eye protection and be careful. Thanks

You are here because you are probably trying to decide if you can learn how to build a wind generator yourself.

Are you wondering…·

• How much will a homemade wind generator cost ?
• Can we get reliable, easy to follow wind generator plans ?
• How long will it take to build a wind generator ?
• Are home made wind generators comparable to store bought models ?
• Are the parts to build a wind generator easy to find ?

The simple answer to all of your questions is – ‘You can build a 1000 watt homemade wind generator for under $100 (including the wind generator plans ! ) in about 2 weekends and all of the parts are readily available and quickly obtained.’

Why pay up to $3000 for a new wind generator when you can build one for under $100?

Where do I find the plans?

Build A Wind Generator Book Now!

Find out just how easy it really is. Yes you can do it, a great family project .

Image via Wikipedia

When we put our first homemade wind generator we had no neighbors to contend with, but now it seems that we will have neighbors who live very close to us. This has brought up the question, “What will the neighbors think of us having a wind generator on our property?”

There are really three issues at work here, one is being a good neighbor, the second is insurance and the other is political in nature. Let’s deal with the issue of being a good neighbor first.

This may differ from rural to urban areas, but these suggestions are tried and true and tested over years with not only our family but also with several other families across the world who have consulted us about this very problem. At first we did not know what to tell them, but after a bit of time we have gotten to the real issues and know what to do.
How To Build A Wind Generator Picture 1As this photo suggests, when you set out to build a wind generator you may have neighbors who are very close to you.

The first rule of being a good neighbor is communication before you construct a project such as building a wind generator that could influence the enjoyment of your neighbor’s property. So let’s go talk with the neighbors. Let’s see who is in favor and who is not. If you don’t know some of your neighbors this is a good way to meet them.

Keep it simple and ask for their co-operation with your project. Invite them to help you and share in the experience and encourage them to build a wind generator too. Show them pictures of what the project is going to look like too, a picture is worth a thousand words, how true.

We have even seen neighbors form little co-operative groups to build the first one and then set up a schedule so that everyone has one too.
This brings up the ideal of conformity with some neighborhoods. The bylaws of a community sometimes are set out so that conformity is the rule.

Next, comes insurance and this can be a big one if you handle it wrong. The main stipulation in property insurance is public liability. This means that no one else who lives outside of your property is ever going to be hurt if your wind generator should fall (say in a hurricane for example). By the way, we have had several of our designed wind generators survive category 4 hurricanes without a scratch. Just follow the rules of good tower construction and take precautions when storms hit.
Build A Wind Generator – Insurance Issues picture
Back to insurance, again communicate with your insurance agent, most are well versed in this sort of thing. They can tell you how your coverage will change, and what you have to do to make sure your insurance is kept in good standing. We have never heard of one case where the insurance has risen because of building a wind generator either.

Lastly, let’s deal with the politics of wind generators. There is a growing movement of naysayers who think wind generators, and mostly they are concerned with those 300 foot monster wind farms that are springing up all over. They will tell you they are an environmental hazard, killing birds and causing all sorts of health problems.

The truth is that there is no real documented proof that large wind generators cause any ill health in people. We have seen birds hit one, but every year we have a few birds that run into our house windows too and don’t make it. Anytime humans build anything in the natural environment it affects the surroundings, the goal is to lessen that impact.

You may also have to deal with your municipal government who may want a simple building permit or they may have some height restrictions that you have to follow. Either way, contact them first.

The most bizarre report we have ever heard of is near where we grew up, in the Pt. Burwell (on lake Erie) wind farm area. A friend of ours wanted to put up a simple homemade wind generator in his back yard in town, which was within sight of the wind farm, one of the big wind turbines was actually only about one half mile away.
But the municipal council denied his application for almost a year before he showed them several projects to see what it was all about. It seems they understood the building of 67 huge wind turbines for the communiHomemade Wind Generator- What Will The Neighbors Say? pic 1ty power needs, but not some guy who wanted to build his own and power his home. The neighbors were all for it, and wanted to learn how they could do a similar project, so the council ultimately relented, after some intervention from the staff here.

You see the Mayor of the township, who denied the application is actually my uncle. We are quite close and when he mentioned what was going on I took about an hour to explain how it would improve his community and how it would be a great reflection on him if he were to allow the application.

The next monday morning, our good friend got a personal visit from the mayor with the signed and approved application in hand. A few pictures were taken with the local politicians for the newspaper and all was well.

Thankfully, these stories are few and far between. But if you should ever come up against the political wheels and they need a bit of greasing, just let us know, we have faced many such situations.

The bottom line, before you decide to build a wind generator of your own, is to talk to the neighbors and public officials before you do so, you’ll be glad you did.

It’s now time to explore (Step #3) – Batteries and Charge controllers for your wind generator

Once your wind generator is built you will need a bank of batteries and a way to control the battery charging process for your new system. There is no point to having a wind generator if you are not going to do something with all of that wind energy you are converting into electricity, is there? Your Wind Generator Batteries are very important.

By the way, all of the batteries that we use we have reconditioned ourselves. We got all of them from a free source in town and learned How To Recondition Batteries. Just follow the previous link to learn how we did it.build a wind generator image 3

Here is a peak into the bottom of our entryway closet, it is filled with batteries. We have a top for the wooden box which is lined with a plastic coating. It is vented to the outside by way of a pipe for safety. Most battery storage areas I have seen are rather hideous, but we feel that with a bit of ingenuity they can be hidden very effectively.

You want to have access to the batteries and be able to monitor the battery charging frequently. We placed a small meter on the wall to tell us at a glance if the batteries were charging or if there were problems. The wind generator batteries themselves are deep cycle and very heavy.

We designed the box to fit in the closet so that we could keep an eye on things and make sure the batteries didn’t get either too hot or too cold. Batteries are rather sensitive to extremes in temperature and will not work properly.

Your battery bank is the heart of your renewable energy system and should be treated with care. A rather large diameter wire should be run from the wind generator to the battery bank and then you can hook up an inverter to run your AC power outlets in your home.

All of this is explained in much greater detail in the wind generator plans. We even show you a source of free deep cycle batteries for your renewable energy system, actually a couple different sources.

Now that you have learned all of the various parts that make up a wind generator, where to find a reasonably priced wind generator tower and even which batteries to use in your system, you are ready to Build A Wind Generator of your own.
We hope that you are now much more comfortable with your desire to build a wind generator having learned about what makes up a good wind generator, wind tower and battery system.

Find the plans now to .. Build a Wind Generator

There really isn’t a whole lot to a wind generator, but it must be put together properly in order to produce power for your home.

For most first time wind generator builders, learning the different parts of a wind generator is the best place to start.

As we look at the wind generator we can see that there are four very distinct parts- the blades and hub, the body, tail and of course the wind generator tower.

It takes approximately three times as long to build the blades and hub as it does to build all of the rest so that is where we like to start.

The plans for building your own wind generator begin with this, the most time consuming part. It isn’t really that difficult to build, it just takes time.

While you are working on the blades and hub which are made from easily obtained material (sometimes you can even get the blade material for free, just for asking!) you will order the motor for wind generators. You will get exact specs on what to order and from where so don’t worry about that at all. The motor is really the heart of the wind generator, where the wind power is converted into electrical energy and we show you all you need to know.

The body and the tail can be made form new or recycled material. The choice is yours.

For the wind generator body we like to use recycled double wall stainless steel chimney pipe. It is designed for outside and it is easily obtained from a chimney installer or woodstove dealer. If you live in the south then look for a furnace dealer. When these installers replace the pipe for a customer the old pipe is usually in great condition still (on the outside anyways). The interior of the pipe deteriorates quickly with the exhaust of a woodstove.

It’s stainless steel will protect the motors for wind generators and internal moving parts very nicely.

The tail is the part of your wind generator where your artistic flair can come to the forefront. The tail can be shaped and designed with almost any theme or color. Make it match the trim on your house or paint it bright yellow. The choice is yours.

Let’s move onto step #2 Build A Wind Generator Tower and learn more about how to build a wind generator.

Or, Are you ready to get started …You can read about the Wind Generator Plans now.Read more…

Are you wondering…

• How much will a homemade wind generator cost ?
• Can we get reliable, easy to follow wind generator plans ?
• How long will it take to build a wind generator ?
• Are home made wind generators comparable to store bought models ?
• Are the parts to build a wind generator easy to find ?

The simple answer to all of your questions is – ‘You can build a 1000 watt homemade wind generator for under $100 (including the wind generator plans ! ) in about 2 weekends and all of the parts are readily available and quickly obtained.’

Why pay up to $3000 for a new wind generator when you can build one for under $100?

Where do I find the plans?

You can order them at the following link, in either print version or pdf download !

CLICK HERE TO GET WIND GENERATOR PLANS

Image via Wikipedia

Batteries truly are the heart of any renewable energy system… In this introduction to batteries we will show you how to care for your batteries, introduce you to battery reconditioning and recommend sources where you can learn how to build a professional battery desulfator to turn old and discarded batteries into new (or almost new).

Let’s start with safety first. Your batteries can withstand rather high temperature ranges, but will show reduced charging capacity in very cold or very hot conditions.

For that reason we recommend keeping your batteries in a box indoors so that temperature swings are kept to a minimum. For the most part batteries like about the same room temperature that we do so this is rather convenient. But they can be an eye sore if you leave them out in the open.

What our family has done is incorporate our largest battery box into our entry way. It doubles as a seat for putting on boots, and is pretty convenient. Once the top is installed it covers up all of those wires and batteries and keeps those temptations away from little fingers as well. Children and batteries should not play together.

You cannot see it in this photo but the box is also vented to the outside with a small piece of PVC pipe. This is a must. If the batteries become over charged or in any way fail they can exhaust harmful and dangerous hydrogen gas fumes. You do not want that in your house. As an extra safety precaution we also installed some plastic flooring under the batteries inside the box.

Thankfully we have never had an accident, and we consider the batteries really safe when monitored properly. That is another reason why we mounted the box in the entry way where we walk by it all the time. The digital charge monitor is set outside the box and monitors the charging of the batteries and the charge controller. It is now a simple habit to glance at the monitor each time we pass through the door. Any problems can be quickly detected. Does all of this sound expensive?

Well, it can be, but does not have to be. Do those batteries look new to you? We hope by the photo that it is obvious that they are not. In the beginning when we set out to make our own renewable energy system we were determined to build everything ourselves and recycle all of the parts that were possible to recycle.
Why not batteries?

We read up on a process called battery reconditioning and set to work to find a source of batteries and a way to recondition them. Some people call it a battery desulfator. Some people call it battery reconditioning. But it is all the same process. You take old batteries, deep cycle batteries that is, and you hook them up to a simple machine that is very similar to a battery charger that you can purchase anywhere and it revitalizes the old batteries.

Contrary to a battery charger this device sends a pulse of electricity into the battery at predetermined time intervals and literally cleans the inside of the battery and returns the battery to very near its new state. This was an absolute treasure to us as new deep cycle batteries cost well over $100 apiece, and we figured we needed over 20 of them. The math did not equal what was in our wallets at the time, so we set to work to build our own battery desulfator.

The plans that we found worked great, and we have even been approached by friends who wanted to turn the idea into a business by recycling old batteries. A very real possibility if you have a source of deep cycle batteries. Where do you find these batteries anyways? One of the best sources of deep cycle batteries to run your renewable energy system is golf cart batteries. Strangely enough (even living off the grid) we live within 2 miles of two golf courses. Another source is marinas. Boats use deep cycle batteries, although they are not quite as good as the golf cart ones.

We happen to live in a region called ‘Land of Lakes’, a tourist region really, and well… there are a ton of marinas here. We asked and got all of their old batteries, for free…All we had to do was put them through the battery reconditioning process. It takes a bit of time to get the hang of it, but after a while you will get it. We are not experts in the field of battery reconditioning or building a battery desulfator (we try and specialize in the wind generators, and solar panel construction), but we know some folks who do specialize in this field who can help you learn more about it.

Battery Reconditioning (for yourself, or to start your own business)

We hope you had fun with this introduction to batteries, and battery reconditioning. To learn more just click the link above.

It’s now time to explore (Step #3) – Batteries and Charge controllers for your wind generator

Once your wind generator is built you will need a bank of batteries and a way to control the battery charging process for your new system. There is no point to having a wind generator if you are not going to do something with all of that wind energy you are converting into electricity, is there?

Your Wind Generator Batteries are very important.

By the way, all of the batteries that we use we have reconditioned ourselves. We got all of them from a free source in town and learned How To Recondition Batteries. Just follow the previous link to learn how we did it.

Here is a peak into the bottom of our entryway closet, it is filled with batteries. We have a top for the wooden box which is lined with a plastic coating. It is vented to the outside by way of a pipe for safety. Most battery storage areas I have seen are rather hideous, but we feel that with a bit of ingenuity they can be hidden very effectively.

You want to have access to the batteries and be able to monitor the battery charging frequently. We placed a small meter on the wall to tell us at a glance if the batteries were charging or if there were problems. The wind generator batteries themselves are deep cycle and very heavy.

We designed the box to fit in the closet so that we could keep an eye on things and make sure the batteries didn’t get either too hot or too cold. Batteries are rather sensitive to extremes in temperature and will not work properly.

Your battery bank is the heart of your renewable energy system and should be treated with care. A rather large diameter wire should be run from the wind generator to the battery bank and then you can hook up an inverter to run your AC power outlets in your home.

All of this is explained in much greater detail in the wind generator plans. We even show you a source of free deep cycle batteries for your renewable energy system, actually a couple different sources.

Now that you have learned all of the various parts that make up a wind generator, where to find a reasonably priced wind generator tower and even which batteries to use in your system, you are ready to Build A Wind Generator of your own.

We hope that you are now much more comfortable with your desire to build a wind generator having learned about what makes up a good wind generator, wind tower and battery system.

Find the plans now to .. Build a Wind Generator

There really isn’t a whole lot to a wind generator, but it must be put together properly in order to produce power for your home.

Image via Wikipedia

Learning how to build a wind generator tower is not that difficult. Wind generator towers come in a variety of shapes and sizes from huge wind farm metal towers to lattice work towers for home projects. We have a bit of a secret to share with you on how you can find your own free wind generator towers, but first let’s look at your options.

• you can buy a ready made wind generator tower that will cost about as much as your wind generator
• you can build a wind generator tower
• towers come in tilt-up and free standing designs

You don’t necessarily have to climb up that big tower if you don’t want to either. There are many options available for the family who wants to have a wind generator without the height of wind towers you see in some places.

Of course the wind is usually stronger the higher you go, but a good rule of thumb is that you have to be 15 feet higher than any obstruction that is within 300 feet of the tower.
That is all you need to remember really. If you keep those numbers in mind when seeking out your wind generator tower location then you will do fine.

You can of course purchase ready made towers for your wind generator but we have always preferred to find more reasonable, or even free solutions to our problems.

You can put up a tilt-up pipe tower fairly inexpensively or even a guy wire supported tower if you want, but we prefer to use readily available and recycled TV towers.

They come in 30 to 50 foot models and are strong. They come apart in 10 foot sections and are easily transported and rebuilt at home. And here is the good part- people will actually pay you to take them down! That’s right, we discovered in our contracting business that old TV towers are being replaced by satellite TV in rural areas and the old towers are going unused. Homeowners will pay you to take them down. It takes only about an hour and we usually charge whatever the homeowner feels is reasonable- usually 50 to 100 dollars.

They are rid of a nuisance to them and you will have a brand new tower to put your wind generator on- simple.

Let’s look at Wind Generator Batteries in Step #3 now.

We explore many other options in the wind generator plans, but we still feel this is the best for the first time wind generator builder.

Simple pole towers are easily constructed as well. A tilt- up wind generator tower is best for maintenance. You can learn how to build a wind generator tower.

For some people the hardest part of learning how to build a wind generator is finding all of the parts. The building part is a breeze when compared to collecting the needed hardware and materials.

Let’s go over the parts list and find out exactly where to get all of these items.

Number one you will need a DC motor. For the past few years we have been using Ametek motors that we purchased on ebay. The green one that is about 40 volts is the one we use most often and recommend that you try.

Search for Ametek Wind Generator Motors on ebay.

There you will find quite a good selection and very competitive prices.

There are a couple of inventive types on ebay who are now even selling complete packages, which include the hub, blades and diode. Very good pricing when you purchase the set as well. If you want a ready made solution and just want to easily put it together this is a good option.

Next, is the blades. Recently we have had some people who did not want to carve or make their own blades and asked if we would search out sources of good blades and test them. In the last few months we have tested and retested many blades to see if there are any good ones out there.

In the end, we chose the Windmax blades available on ebay as well. They are strong, light and very inexpensive too. And they seem to up the efficiency of our entire system as well.

Try Ebay and search for Windmax Wind Generator Blades some of the packages come with hubs too, that are well built and good value. Look for blades in the 8 foot range, or if you are building your first wind generator even the 6 foot blades. We like the 9 foot
and 10 foot models too.

Next, you should look into getting a digital voltage test meter. This comes in handy when wiring your system, checking on batteries and
even when you build solar panels too.

Search for ‘Digital Voltage test meters’ .

You will also need a wind generator diode to make sure that the current only flows in one direction, to your batteries and not from your
batteries out to the wind generator. They are very handy and keep your system turning out power very effectively.

Look for ‘Wind Generator Diodes’

That will take care of all of the parts that are difficult to find perhaps locally. While you are waiting for these items to arrive you can get started finding your tower, and the body parts necessary to complete your wind generator. Learning how to build a homemade wind generator is not that difficult with the right wind generator plans.

The tower can easily be found by looking for a TV tower that is no longer in use. The rest of the parts we have been using PVC or ABS pipe for the body, that is just large enough to enclose the DC motor assembly. Usually 6 inch pipe works well, but sometimes the 4 inch is just right, do some testing.

For the tail assembly and pilot vane we use appliance frame metal. It is strong and durable and easy to find. Old washing machines, that sort of thing works well. A jigsaw or grinder will cut out nice designs on the tail.

The hardware that connects the body to the tower is found at your local hardware store.

There are a few complete assemblies available on Ebay as well. This may not be your cheapest option, but it would certainly be the fastest. And compared to buying a newly manufactured model will definitely save you thousands of dollars.

If you have any further questions about parts used to build a wind generator and where to find them just let us know. Your homemade wind generator parts are easily found once you know where to look.