I Built a LEGO Hydroelectric Dam!

Using LEGO and LEGO Technic I build a working LEGO hydropower dam.
This fun project harnessed the power of water and LEGO to demonstrate hydroelectric power!
There is a sluice gate built into the dam which leads through a penstock to the LEGO generator and turbine. This is attached to a LEGO power storage device which displays energy generated.
An environmentally friendly way to produce power!
Chapters:
00:00 LEGO Hydropower
00:20 Step 2 - LEGO Dam
01:16 Step 3 - The Spillway
01:52 Step 4 - Sluice Gate
03:19 The Turbine
03:30 First Fill
04:49 Sluice Gate Test
05:20 Turbine Test
05:55 Turbine 2
06:43 Turbine 3
Please consider subscribing and liking as I grow my channel! Thanks and enjoy!
Any comments please leave below!
#Builditwithbricks #lego #legotechnic #dam

[@deantiquisetnovis]

When the dam broke it immediately was clear why dams are thicker on the bottom 😅

[@XMrNiceguyX]

And why dams are curved

[@theasianboy315]

They are thicc after all

[@lucasvercauteren2244]

its sad that the battery box when the dam broke also broke you can see the light turned from on to off

[@potentquiff8110]

They are definitely embedded deeper in to the ground as well

[@junatah5903]

Well he didn't even connect them properly.

[@andrewfranklin3816]

If you move the turbine back and have the water flow over it instead of under it will generate more power..

[@cleangaming9788]

But if you have it flowing on bottom of turbine it will have the excess weight on top creating more force and stronger current.

[@josephcuellarayala4052]

People today would do anything for more power

[@professorfrog7181]

On what principle

[@aKiwiJoKeR]

@@professorfrog7181 water wheels

[@thelelanatorlol3978]

@@professorfrog7181 Water underneath the wheel will only turn the bottom part. If you flow over, it flowers over the top part *and* the side.

[@iteleportbread3998]

Call me a conspiracy theorist but I don’t think a beaver built this

[@cars0mega]

Smartest thing soldier tf2 ever said

[@matteocevolani5885]

I think you're trying a lego version of what is called a Pelton turbine, where you force the fluid to hit a "spoon" on the edge of a radial turbine. This, however, requires a really fast flow (that hits the edge of the blade for max angular moment) and a special design both for the blades and their amount (the flow of water might hit the back of the next blade, lowering power output). I suggest going for the so called Kaplan turbine. Its design will definitely be trickier (I can help), but the fact that it is an axial turbine will let you worry less about the speed of incoming water, but most of all you can still use a flat blade instead of a curved one which is great for Lego. This will undoubtedly improve the performance. Lastly, the output section is really important and it is crucial that you control the flow. Make it a conic shape (with the section increasing downhill): this will slow the flow down and it will maximize the energy that the turbine can absorb)

[@dionjaywoollaston1349]

True but you can mimic a fast flow if you limit the width of the entry pipe, working on the same science as putting your finger over a hosepipe

[@CLSHR]

@@dionjaywoollaston1349 But would there be enough pressure on the water to work that way

[@dionjaywoollaston1349]

@@CLSHR The science suggests so

[@trumpsb757sucks5]

Doesn’t Kaplan require higher flow rate, Francis turbine would be better but the problem is it requires more head. The problem here is both the head and flow rate are considerably low for any turbine lol

[@hanneswiggenhorn2023]

​@@CLSHR I think you can't really get any good pressure with lego because of the tolerances. I think it might be better to have the water fall for a couple centimeters by letting it flow out higher to get more energy out of it?

[@Djimmydafish]

The sight of that battery box and motor fills me with pain, knowing how much those things cost.

[@BuilditwithBricks]

And me! But thankfully nothing 48 hours in the airing cupboard couldn’t fix!

[@WillieMations]

@@BuilditwithBricksI honestly can’t tell if that guy is hating or not😂

[@pancake5830]

@@WillieMations clearly not

[@GuyFox23]

Мне очень больно за вас , что вид ящика и мотора наполняет вас болью.

[@a.edmonstone2003]

I always find these videos interesting cause it's taking whats considered a kids toy and making incredible feats of engineering

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Thanks for the support - LEGO is pretty versatile! I see it as scaled-down engineering with so many parts, pretty much anything is possible!

[@Spookymaa]

This is what real muscular and succesful men watch

[@rageboibruh]

I'm 200lb and pretty lean so I can confirm that this statement is true

[@JonasThente-ji5xx]

Why is that?

[@Spookymaa]

So I can be muscular and succesful one day@@JonasThente-ji5xx

[@themonsterunderyourbed9408]

​@@rageboibruh how did you get there? What's your age? Diet? Routine? Job? Marital status? Do you have kids?

[@downsidebrian]

I think youd have more success with fan-shaped or screw-shaped turbines, rather than those paddle-shaped ones. Idk if there are technical terms for those, but there you go. I also dobt know if there are any lego pieces for screw-shaped turbines, but im pretty sure any boat propeller piece would work for the fan-shaped one.

[@downsidebrian]

Been a day now since I wrote this, but I just realized that there's also a more efficient option *with* the paddle-shaped turbine: have the water flow over it, rather than under. All the options are more efficient that way, but the paddle shape particularly benefits. It allows the full length of every paddle to be utilized in producing power.

[@sidned5768]

as in an archimedes scew?

[@downsidebrian]

@@sidned5768 yes. I know some irl hydroelectric generators do use that kind of design. I think in this case, a fan or propeller shape would be better, since the screw design probably takes more push to get going than this design can handle. But I may be wrong.

[@justahyundai]

@@downsidebrian well the inlet would need to be by the spillway for that, because you need height and a narrow tube that acts like a pressure chamber - bernoullis law

[@downsidebrian]

@@justahyundai I assume you mean about the going over the paddle part. Yeah, you'd have to put the inlet at the lowest point you want the reservoir to get to. That would lose power, since you don't have so much weight behind the flow. But it would increase efficiency and prevent the problems from the paddle getting stuck. Tbh, I haven't studied this stuff. I'm autistic and have a solid intuitive understanding of fluid dynamics, but I don't have the book learning. I'm curious, so I'll be looking at this Bernouli stuff later tonight, but I don't really know the jargon right now. I'm pretty sure you're overall right, and I'm pretty sure my points about efficiency are correct as well.

[@coolrex69]

Lego nuclear power plant

[@Themanguy436]

The lego would melt

[@coolrex69]

@@Themanguy436 nahhh it would be finnnneeee

[@jdbrickcreation]

Really interesting experience good job 👏

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Thanks for the comment!

[@matthewmathis62]

Pretty cool! But when I look at it, if you want to improve it, then I think that you should make the turbine only let water flow through if it turns the turbine. You could do this multiple ways, but I think that would greatly improve the efficiency of this system. Either way, great job! Very interesting to watch, thank you,

[@shroomzzz]

I love your experiments...somehow I feel like you may be my high school science teacher lol

[@JessWLStuart]

I wonder if someone would 3d print you LEGO Pelton Wheel blades? Pelton Wheels remove nearly 100% of the waters kinetic energy. Also, thanks for including the failures! Seeing the process is half the fun for me - the other half is the projects/challenges - and the third half (roll with me on that) is the LEGO!!!!!

[@the-shork]

I think a simple gearbox would've allowed the turbine to spin easier while still being able to turn the generator

[@Sauci55on]

This is incredibly cool.

[@yomammabe1]

Would adding scoops to the turbine blades and pouring the water over the turbine instead of under, increase efficiency?

[@squishdaboi1503]

I felt that when it broke 😅

[@lucaskilly2656]

I think that you should use a gearbox with a small gear on the turbine and a big gear on the motor, making this will increase the force and reduce the speed but will make the motor spin and create some power you can store. Also you could calculate the efficiency if measure the power taken by the water pump and the output power of the lego generator. Great project, thanks for sharing!

[@Korok.YT.]

Bro created his own energy source 😂

[@Ififitzisitz]

I really like Lego models that include water they're so cool

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@rickmaycroft9412]

Love seeing the progress and the interactions with water. Are the lego motors water proof?

[@jackradzelovage6961]

"yes," theres nothing in them that cant handle water, but theyll still rust so repeatedly submerging them and letting them air dry wont do great things over time

[@jankoodziej877]

​@@jackradzelovage6961so, no.

[@ssaw88]

Could you weave a piece of kitchen plastic wrap in between the layers vertically to improve water retention?

[@ThatBabyDuckSki]

Just as I thought this channel couldn't get any cooler...

[@reallymildcontent8144]

Somehow every Lego channel can get cooler…. I don’t know how.

[@ukeman1143]

the restraint on this guy not to say anything when the dam broke is insane

[@JakeBoi16yt]

ooh this gonna be cool love your work

[@badgersecond]

I would love to see a Turgo turbine designed with Lego, I haven't really figured it out yet. Also, a Francis turbine seems nearly impossible, because you'd have to create the swirl shape and make it water tight. In other words, I'd love to see more of this!

[@rebkahibasdeys]

"Good exit flow" "Thats what she said" ~ Michael Scott

[@Orcaben1]

now you need to make one that becomes self sufficient and can run it's own pump lol

[@iO-Sci]

Wow ! This is serene and developed. 우와 ! 이것은 고요하고 발전된 것입니다.

[@Incrazyboyy]

Your water videos are the best!

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Glad you like them!

[@coolrex69]

True, I've always had an interest in hydro engineering like ships sinking or dams and sometimes pipes and stuff like that

[@almightyarjen]

Really cool to see how you managed to get this working!

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Thanks! It was quite a tricky build! Hydraulic engineering is difficult!

[@yeetboy88]

6:40 just change the ratio of the bevel gears and it will work you are making this much harder for yourself mate

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Thanks for the comment! I tinkered with gear ratios. Accepting the flow and force of water from the setup is fixed - by reducing the torque to enable the generator to turn more easily meant the speed of rotation within the generator dropped such that it didn’t register on the power meter. A larger volume of water with greater height or an even more efficient turbine design is required.

[@woaminibricks]

I love making water pump videos from lego, so I really like your videos, especially the video have water pump

[@Mrsalvage28]

Amazing idea definitely gonna subscribe to see further content furthermore how much power you think you can generate?

[@philleeson7835]

Try an over run feed to the turbine. That way the weight of water will be pushing down on the blades

[@EstorilEm]

A proper penstock (from top of water level, to very bottom of tank) would help with water pressure. Also having water exit turbine at only 90* contact area is wasting basically 270* of the wheel surface area (why real ones have a completely circular scroll case.) This scale makes a good turbine design more difficult, but I’m sure it’s possible!

[@sannyassi73]

I'd have a waterfall falling from the sluice gate onto the turbine to use gravity as well as the movement of the water

[@theambushtv]

3:37 The fact, that powered up hub fell into the water, scares me, and I see that the light on the hub fades.

[@BuilditwithBricks]

I know! I've said this to others though - nothing that the airing cupboard for 24 hours couldn't fix! Back up and working the next day! I don't want it to happen again though! Thanks for commenting!

[@bricksalad_]

Wow! Yet another great video. Keep it up! :)

[@OrangeSheepPlayz]

Dat is prtty darn cool!

[@ILoveLSD13]

Hurga burga Durga?

[@micahgeorge3435]

You can tell that he experience true pain when it first collapsed

[@ivandotsg]

It would be really cool if the turbine could generate enough power to operate the water pump, thus creating perpetual energy! My guess is that clever use of gravity would be required.

[@Vinraymi]

That's really cool! *Now make a lifesize one.*

[@PhotoshopVT]

Cool channel, very entertaining yet educational, I can see not only adults but the youth also be interested in what you upload. Just in case nobody's already mentioned this, from what I've gathered, the motor and generator serve different purposes, if you used a generator it would have less resistance and spin faster, which is ideal for what you're doing. Keep up the nice work!

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Hey thanks for commenting! The specific LEGO e-motor I’ve used has been designed to act as a generator by LEGO and as you say has less resistance. Despite this the project was complex and difficult! Thanks!

[@demonjoker123]

just imagine howmuch preassure is on a normal dam.

[@PepijndeVos]

aiiiii that first test

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Yeah - the battery box took ages to dry out!! Worked perfectly though afterwards!

[@CaptainNostalgia03_]

me when i saw how tall the wall was: "Daaaaaanm!"

[@angle80]

谢谢分享！太开心了😊

[@Silent_Heaven]

a couple more lego dams and you wont have to pay the eletricity bill!

[@ShawnMeira]

Bro learned real quick why dams are not flat walls lol

[@Unknown-hu5zq]

hi what are the parts you used for building the turbine? pls tell me asap I wanna do something like this but maybe with wind.

[@gaojie8107]

Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@MinkioTauro]

Daaam

[@kornflakesjunkie]

Damn!

[@Yakari693]

Love lego

[@uncreativedays]

"yo you got an phone charger?" "here"

[@trainsarecool190]

Dam, that's cool

[@finn2139]

Damn

[@antontsappa5841]

Water.))))))

[@Delieli69]

Water 👍

[@Chillz61]

Water 👍🏼

[@TheSylwek1100]

I think if the turbine had more curve to allow water to travel on it and it entering at better angle would allow it to spin faster rpm with a lot less water

[@NovaBuilds101]

Because you had the gear ration set as big to small instead of small to big, improves torque on motor/generator

[@klabauterius]

3:40 LOL 😂

[@brunoais]

DAM! That's a lot of work... And work editing!

[@thephantom7059]

overshot waterwheels are a lot more efficient compared to undershot and stream driven wheels

[@WitchKing-Of-Angmar]

So cool!

[@aussiegarbo752]

Dude i love it!

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Thanks!!

[@id3dshorts]

Where did you get the generator motor and the battery box from

[@BuilditwithBricks]

It’s an e-motor and accompanying power meter from the renewable energy sets.

[@Alexifeu]

cool

[@AntoineVanGeyseghem]

😮

[@midnight_blue_moon]

I don't know much about lego... Or dams... But this pretty cool

[@mitchib1440]

I know that those battery boxes aren't typcially waterproof...

[@tidaltakedown]

That's awesome. Your videos a great!

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Thanks for the comment! I appreciate the support.

[@mattrading8701]

Amazing one!

[@Dumb_Furry_UwU]

Adorable ^×^

[@ActitisHypoleukos]

if you manage to force the water to "fall" directly onto the turbine you could abuse earth's gravity pull to an extent

[@bugraotken]

I got a question. At 00:23 how can you place bricks one by one and still the structure doesn't move even 1mm. I mean while you press the bricks upon, you SHOULD HAVE move the wall even 1mm away but you don't. How?! =))

[@viperz4life458]

What a Dam good video

[@gameteamsk6892]

there is only so much time it will take for someone to make perpetual motion from lego

[@JeffinBville]

I did too. In 1969 for my 6th Grade science fair in a 10 gallon fish tank. It wasn't nearly as fancy as yours but water did come down a sluice and into a building where it turned a generator that lit a flashlight bulb. I had to have an external power and pump to return water to the reservoir but that was hidden.

[@hugocukier9624]

oh dam

[@LegoEasy]

if u use turbine no.2 and make it angled it will work perfectly

[@jseaz]

LoL fun exersize ... you should calculate the power efficiency ... consider higher reduction gear on the power wheel for turbine

[@Gaming25]

3:30 Never watched Lego dam breach experiments before, huh? Also, i noticed you didn't twist the stones while building your dam.

[@salih472]

❤

[@UnitSe7en]

A tsunami is coming down the river in Lego City!

[@hammodygamer]

how much does it weight?

[@BuilditwithBricks]

All in it was a good few kgs of parts!

[@cubrman]

The last words should have been: "UNLIMITED POWAAAAAA!!!"

[@VestedUTuber]

I don't think you're going to generate enough pressure for a proper turbine setup. For a LEGO hydroelectric generator a gravity-based system, like a water wheel, might be more effective.

[@user-ii7si3re5z]

its a shame this video only has 925 likes in four days

[@samuelgenissel6627]

Return angle are expansive. If you need a idee, you can do seed press or oil press with really seeds

[@bobbyflynn6352]

Do more stuff with water! 😃

[@hansvonflammenwerfer2817]

bro frfr, i couldn't live without it

[@Tyler-xf7ev]

Where can we buy this amazing

[@zachmoyer1849]

no just hook the turbine up to the pump and you got yourself a perpetual motion machine

[@Lucthekiller786]

Dont know for sure but maybe some cogwheels can help a bit

[@jack-xi3bg]

ths is cool/fasinating

[@briandoss9232]

Dude awesome!

[@BuilditwithBricks]

Thanks!

[@baitsforyou]

dam

[@MrGuidoJacobs]

Did you use glue to connect the lego to the glass? And did you use it all the way round or just at the bottom?

[@BuilditwithBricks]

I had to use sealant as the tank wasn’t an exact size fit to the Lego pieces. Just ordinary clear sealant round the bottom and the edges.

[@H2Oredfirefox]

That was interesting to get to see what happens when a dam is not built properly🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@kylemossi]

How much power was used on the original pumps?

[@Inbam2007]

It's so cool