Micro Hydro 4" Down Pipe all the way to the Bottom

[@LandtoHouse]

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[@Iamsuccesspro]

I'm glad you removed the silly bucket

[@4ohm531]

legit one of the most interesting "series" on youtube I've seen in months

[@ralphprincen]

When you glue up, also bring the 45 for the air vac tube.

[@glenmcgillivray4707]

That vac tube should be joined and accessable from the side away from the waterfall. Because flash flooding is a thing. And your safety is important

[@dakotak8437]

Use a tennis's ball to end of pip or somthing that floots and will take away from the water vortex sucking air. If you go fourth up the creek and find any spots making a small settling spot and opened then get more water down to you and not worry about water drop to make the vortex possible. Great video can't wait for more

[@geoffreykail9129]

I think the extension is the biggest difference. Great info and well shown.

[@leatherkeds]

When siphoning a large pond in the past, I've left my 3" fittings unglued but I wrapped the pipe ends with a single layer of duct tape. It's a little more trouble putting the fittings on but there is almost no air seepage. Just a thought... I always enjoy your efforts and appreciate your hands on insights Seth!!

[@agafaba]

Ya was just thinking that myself, if its not a final permanent build tape seems like an easy way to fix the air issue

[@jkwo2007]

Hi, dude, to have some water activities during summer time is really a fun thing. Interesting project. Thanks for sharing.

[@OpenSourceLowTech]

Having the pipe go down further into the water won't cost you power, the potential in a siphon is between the highest water level and the outlet. More pipe and bends in between means more friction and turbulence, but strictly speaking you can have anything at all in there and it won't affect the total gravitational potential energy of the system. Interesting that the pipe pulled free when under load.. Also strictly speaking, the weight of water in a pipe shouldn't pull on it if the water is in freefall. For mine it was definitely an issue as I had a releasable end plug for filling the system, and it weighed hundreds of kg, but since you're using a vacuum it shouldn't be an issue, minus a little force from friction. But then load means resistance means not freefall any more, but I would have thought this would put the pull on the runner rather than the pipe, since that's the bit imparting the resistance and negative pressure, but guess not. Fluid dynamics is voodoo. I just held my sections together with one or two wood screws through the pipe walls, and taped around every join instead of glue to reduce air ingress. That gravel sound at the runner is I'm pretty sure cavitation rather than air.

[@lightrose100]

I think it would help a lot if he extend the drive shaft all the way to the end of the pipe and use a jetski impeller to drive the charging unit, that's a lot of weight wasted to spin the unit

[@willtaylor8904]

You could wack one or more toggle switches between the generator and battery to avoid messing with screw terminals.. Agree with many other comments on taping the joints being a good idea..

[@richardburgess399]

So, I personally think that the turbulence due to the angle of the intake as well as the other angles in the pipe have almost no effect on the system. The main thing you want to solve is the connections sucking in air. The replacement of the 90 degree intake did not increase the power. The increase in power that started the turbine instantly was the 1.5 foot extension on the intake. Water in a pipe has the same pressure all throughout the pipe, thus whatever the pressure is in that body of water at that depth is the pressure of the water inside the pipe. If you really want to get some power put an 8 foot extension on the intake.

[@larrymoore5811]

For sealing temporary connections just buy a small tub of plumbers putty to seal the outside of the connections. It will stop the air leaks and you can just remove it and use it over and over!

[@balexan530]

Place your turbine further down the tube. You should get more power, not just from the suction but from the fall of the water.

[@CraniumSlows]

Exciting improvements! Look forward to when the air is totally out of there and what kind of output youll see! :D :D fun times

[@Japzel]

Alright, after careful consideration over the past few days, I'd like to share an intriguing idea. Imagine having a deep well from which water is siphoned out and then efficiently channeled back into the well. However, before the water is returned, it is temporarily stored in a tank, creating a valuable reservoir of readily available water for various purposes. This innovative approach allows us to harness potentially unlimited water resources while also presenting an exciting opportunity to generate sustainable electricity.

[@TheWolfster001]

You can use some silicone to seal the pipes and stop the air sucking in and still be able to disconnect the pipes to make changes.. Since you are just doing tests, I would not glue them together, just use silicone caulking... I have done that many times, to do a temporary seal, and it works very well.. Also you need a longer pipe going into the pond.. I would use a "T" fitting, so you can cap one end and use it to do a quick stop of the water being drawn into the system.. I hope this helps or gives you more ideas to better test...

[@Pyrotec_nick]

You could use window putty / clay to seal around the fittings, that way you can still change them in the future. Or silicone sealant. Would be cool to set up one of these on each of the 3 steps in the pond / dam arrangement. I definitely think a 6" pipe would help a lot but I suppose the cost is much higher.

[@stellar2445]

Nice progress

[@josephmcphee9143]

It's interesting to watch the changes you are making. Have you considered using tape, like duct tape, to give you a better air tight seal when you are experimenting?

[@LandtoHouse]

That's a very good idea. I was thinking about using some silicone caulkng but tape might be an easier solution

[@Trdbrglr75]

They have rope putty also that’s almost like a clay. Would be easier to remove when changing things around

[@QuiveryNut]

@@LandtoHouse tape may work okay, but I would go with a fast setting caulk, or silicone lubricant on all the joints. It could be a bit messy with the lubricant but I do believe it would work

[@tchamp72]

3:09 "I talked to 'em, they're from Canada". HA! love it! I guess they're Canadian Geese after all. Love the videos, keep it up! Looking forward to seeing how gluing up the joints will help the system. I'd really like to try a pumped hydro water battery some day. Probably not very efficient, but it would sure be fun!

[@jamess1787]

"these geese are Canadian, they're too polite." 🤣

[@jeffreycurranm.a.7190]

facinating videos which have advanced my appreciation of applied sciences. keep them coming, especially, on how to make water flow up hill.😃jceff

[@jackdyling550]

Before you glue it all up, make your intake piping deeper. It won’t change the effective head. Also, make sure your discharge pipe is always submerged and there is no flow obstruction nearby. Some of the noise you are hearing in the turbine may be cavitation, but with the very high setting you have it’s probably unavoidable.

[@ThisRandomUsername]

Very nice results. Looking forward to the MPPT results, and also your straight-pipe version. My guess is with the MPPT controller you'd get about 100W because it would let the turbine spin much faster. Also if you have time it would be cool to see if you could build an auto start/stop with a bell siphon, but that would be quite a complex setup and prone to vortices.

[@stayfree6115]

Wrap the pipe joints with plastic wrap to seal the joints.To stop vacuum loss. Only works on vacuum.

[@BillyMcCord]

For your tests I bet you could just seal around the connected joints with some silicone calk to stop the air but still allow you to pull the joints apart ? Potentially even just one wrap or two of painters tape at the joints before you assemble them too

[@alberteinstein9176]

Is that your pond? You have several pond elevations. There is a pond up stream I see. To bad you couldn't run more pipe to it to get another 5' or so elevation.

[@hommerdalor6301]

Hello. Once air tight, you could also vacuum the tube section upstream of the turbine, if it's half full, I suppose that it's like half section.

[@OpenSourceLowTech]

75VAC is about 80% of what I was getting with 2.5m drop 120 inpipe 200mm draft. But with that a 3.1A load dropped the rpms/volts by 50% (which should be your maximum efficiency point), whereas you're getting about a two thirds drop with 2.9A, so seems like you're producing less torque. No idea if this would be the shape of the runner, or difference in head or pipe, or efficiency of the alternator, or something else more obscure.

[@davey2k12]

Water Turbulence cus motor at the top and without a one-way valve to prevent back flow if that motor was at the bottom I think it wouldn't last cus of to much pressure ..... Be better off with a water wheel and a cog system

[@Trdbrglr75]

What’s the feasibility of having multiple micro hydros on one pipe system? One at the top, then one halfway down etc using wye fittings to conserve the water flow? Also, would multiple generators increase power output?

[@jackspringer9283]

1st thought, to reduce or perhaps stop a vortex from sucking air simply float a panel or large bowl above, if circular object add small weight and it'll center itself perfectly...2nd thought, after determining size and shape of inlet and outlet pipes eliminate connectors by bending pipe with hot sand inside pipe to form smooth wide curves. (Plenty of pvc bending videos available for inspiration) practice on smaller/cheaper pipe first...1 90° elbow adds about 17 feet resistance (true/false?)

[@marynunn1708]

Have you calculated what the theoretical max wattage could be based on GPM and fall?

[@jamess1787]

Also, bro-tip: can use a relay with a higher VDC voltage (and slap in like 20 diodes in series), small capacitor (high voltage rating) in parallel: can use this to reengage the battery after the generator kicks up to speed... :D.

[@marblemastersofmiddlegainc3681]

Extend the symphony pipe deeper under the waterline. You will not loose head pressure and you will have more water once the lake starts dropping and eliminate the air from a vortex. My pipe is 36” below waterline and it will develop a vortex. (I’m 3400gpm) your waterline is your head pressure even if the intake pipe is 10’ deep, less a minute loss in friction. Air leaks and vortex are power killers in hydro. Air compresses when it contacts the runner to push it. Get rid of the air!!!

[@tomjudt]

Good job!

[@gbltheolechurch5acrehomestead]

Great post Seth!

[@LandtoHouse]

Thank you. We are getting there on power!

[@bertv6768]

Yuou can tape up the joints to seal them for air leakage and keep the fittings etc. reuse-able.

[@Beecher_Dikov]

Man...I wish you guys would use sweep Y combo fitting instead of a T. A longer impeller shaft would be needed but the flow increase would be measurable.

[@JaredMillerDrums]

Great vid. Is it possible to start the flow by spinning the motor instead of using the vac pipe? Also, what happens if the water at the end is not submerged?

[@MrCarl312]

For a temporary air seal on the pipes, you can tape the joints with duct tape. Duct tape is air tight. (And very sticky glue).

[@esriesri]

Good job 👍 this was very very exciting to watch..But I just have to keep my promise and bug you again today🌊🌊🌊🌊😁

[@dennisbrantley6925]

All the air is coming from the long siphon starter pipe that you have hanging up there above the water line or cavitation from the impeller on the generator.

[@willtaylor8904]

Another random thought seeing you spin the generator at the end to restart. Could you use a brushless DC motor controller to spin the generator to start it without the vac..?

[@ThisRandomUsername]

A generator is a brushless dc motor, so with a bit of circuitry you could probably get it to auto start quite well. Edit: that generator is a brushless dc motor. It has permanent magnets and 3 phases.

[@sibangorai1649]

Nice video

[@colinhamer6506]

you need to get one of those high tech vortex killer's 🎾👍

[@j.k4825]

@Land to House I don't understand why you place the turbine on the top of the fall. You leave most of the potential energy in the water this way. I would put the turbine at the bottom of the water drop. The water would have speed up significantly trough gravity, hence the turbine blades would run quicker, and you make more power. I do understand that you want to work with a syphone, but you can do that and put the turbine at the bottom still.

[@patrickhoffmann8893]

@4:04 Haha, I like your honesty. And that is Ok, this is all also for entertainment. It would be boring if you put things together and everything works perfect from the beginning on. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to your new MPPT controller. Btw. your neighbour has a nice garden spot (to be seen on the left in distance), beside all his tools.

[@reypolice5231]

A different design generator and the bottom taking the volume of water after it exists to a sluice box that leads to a second generator will help get more power.

[@MegaTUHAU]

Great work mate..could you give me details about that rectifier?

[@mikeakamiky7245]

if you choose to could you add a tee fitting to add in one of your ram pumps off of the 10foot straight pipe going into the creek ?? love the video's keep the excellent content coming

[@james10739]

You could probably use like grease or something to try to temporarily seal the joints and I think an mppt and or 24v will make a big difference obviously 24v will be about double and the mppt might make like 3 times as much

[@1981dasimpson]

you could prob use some innertube cut down to add over the joins to make a air tight seal another idea is maybe put a groove in the pipe for an 0-ring to fit to make a seal

[@robertsteich7362]

7:30 Be careful when switching modes on the meter. The leads, at least one, shall be disconnected. Other wise it could damage the meter if the leads are connected to a voltage source and you went past the resistant reading and/or the diode and/or the continuity tester. I saw that the voltage, which you had selected, is next to the OFF and you switched it off. But still, it’s a good idea to remove one of the leads before switching. As a spark is caused inside the meter and it can damage the swiper blades.

[@echovalleyminifarm9140]

Good stuff

[@IO-zz2xy]

The end of the pipe should be out of the water as it meets pressure as it tries to exit into stream.

[@mafulynch]

I would suggest looking into adding a buck converter that way you can work at a higher voltage. So the battery would be in the low side voltage and by changing the duty cycle of transistors your turbine will work at a higher voltage. This is the idea of how an mppt controller works but it adjusts the duty cycle automatically to get max power. But you could do one controlled by a potentiometer, it would be more simple and just observe the difference in power generated. The advantage of hydro vs wind is that the maximum power point won't change much because whater flow is more constant, not like wind that is changing.

[@stanwooddave9758]

Just wondering if a 22 degree pipe fitting warrants (pond side) a try, before gluing the pipe in place. Obviously the pipe will need to be longer, so as to get some depth in the water, to prevent the vortex. Thanks for sharing.

[@MichaelEricMenk]

You should have a dump load to reduce speed when the battery is full. This will lower the speed of generating and save water. If you have a mppt charge controller with a output that can adjustable LVD, you can connect a dump load there. The load should be lower than the output, so the battery continue to charge. I'm using victron mppt charge controller, and have the "output on" set just below the float voltage, and "off" just above the the rest voltage of the battery. I'm not using it as a dump load, so if you use it as a dump road I would set the voltage on at the same value as the absorption voltage.

[@lightrose100]

extend the shaft and put the impeller all the way down at the end of the pipe and use a jetski jet drive impeller ( because of a very close tolerance between the blade and the tube) to spin the Hydro unit, the bubble could be an air trapped under the propeller creating cavitation

[@k20Fritz]

Hi, maybe you could you put the t on the supply and do the increase right after the turbine? Just a question and if it could help.

[@reypolice5231]

To all If you go to ( Robert Murray Smith) channel; you will see video on his windmill build were he took the load off the generator by: Putting in capacitors in line; between the generator and battery. He showed the generator was charging the capacitors first. Which took the load off the generator. Then on a seperate electrical loop from the capacitors to the battery, letting the capacitors charge the battery. More effective/ efficient design to add capacitors after generator and before batteries. Seperately: A proton wheel is no taking advantage of the downward water force. A computer fan blade type impeller will be more efficient/ effective for this design in my humble opinion.

[@sNEAKYnIGHTmUPPET]

i know that you are "milking this for all you can" but doing this without a MPPT is pointless. You NEED to keep the ram and voltage HIGHER before you see any decent resutls

[@lightrose100]

If that was a cow the tits would be bleeding already......it's a joke man

[@shawnstillman736]

What's an MPPT?

[@sNEAKYnIGHTmUPPET]

@@shawnstillman736 google is your friend here.

[@mrcalzon02]

always cool this stuff

[@jackykoning]

Please compare the 2 chargers with wattage and also how much the turbine slows down.

[@deeprootslandscaping4499]

Did you ever get this system running smooth? I can't find a vid?? Great videos btw. Thanks

[@we4selradio591]

how about some silicone for temp glue to help the air? and screen leaves?

[@ile84]

I wonder if a sizeable water mill would be better to catch all the water flow in a trough and build the mill down there. How much electricity that would produce? More than the current one or less?

[@GeertDroid]

The impeller schould be lot longer to increase the power, contact Langston's Alternative Power and tell them to upgrade the impeller blades to a longer version, than it schould start without having to help it to get it going. Than my next tip for sealing the pipe connections with Self-amalgamating tape, this is ideal for testing or even a permanent solution. Greetings from Belgium !

[@Iamsuccesspro]

Air suction is only an issue in intake portion

[@AkkerKid]

Negative. Air leaking in is a problem everywhere in this system. The energy being extracted in this system is from the mass of water being dropped at a height over time. Air coming in even in the lower half of the down pipe would still reduce the overall mass of water and lower the vacuum pulling down the water that's higher up.

[@tobimai4843]

You need an MPPT controller for that, this PWM controller only works if the maximum power point is near 14 V

[@weldonmorgan8606]

Just a thought. Could you use a smaller pipe? 3"or 2" ? Change the turbine to cork screw. More in design of a jet engine?

[@1981dasimpson]

i have scene in another video where some one put a cage near the intake with a tennis ball to stop the vortex

[@Dads_Junk]

what if you used a long sweep 90 like electrical conduit for example ?

[@jclowe735]

Seth have you thought of or tried placing your go pro camera on your hat or in another location so you can have both hands free for what you need to do?

[@tommyschauer3093]

HI YOU COULD USE SOME KIND OF GASKET SEALER ON THE PIPES AS A TEMPERY SEALENT SO YOU WOULD NOT HAVE TO GLUE THE JOINTS. I DID THIS ON A GARDIN WATERING SYSTEM AND IT WORKED WELL WITH THE LOW PRESSER. JUST AN IDEA. GOOD VIDS KEEP THEM UP.

[@NoTreadingOnMe]

Could you add multiple Turbine blades inline in the pipe to increase the loaded efficiency?

[@junkmail4613]

You say you read these comments. You should have a ROUNDED INLET, NO SHARP EDGED ENTRY. like flat flange at the entry, BUT have it rounded like a radiused router bit might do, but the radius on what now is a 90-degree turn should be about the same as the radius of the pipe, so the water will be smoothly accelerated into the center of the pipe entry.

[@LandtoHouse]

My plan is to test a board over the dam that brings the water up to a starlight pipe. No 90 or 45.

[@Logan_Woody]

Hey Seth, just curious if you thought of using silly puddy or playdough or something similar over the loose connections to prevent the air leak

[@swarupnag]

For the experiment do not glue the joints...just put some seal tape/duct tape/any water proof tape around every joints to prevent air sucking around the joints...this shall give you flexibility to change the pipe according to the need of the experiment 🙂

[@JoeMalovich]

Which mppt controller did you buy?

[@LandtoHouse]

Its the bouge rv 40amp.

[@JoeMalovich]

I don't know if that will work for hydro, not all mppt is created equal.

[@patrickhoffmann8893]

@@JoeMalovich No, the "BougeRV MPPT Solar Charger Controller 40 Amp 12V/24V" is only meant to be used with solar (see www.bougerv.com/products/charge-controller-1). Probably, it will not work better with the hydro generator than the old one. I still think the most reliable solution would be to take the MidNite Classic from the new shed.

[@gdad0683]

Cut the end of the pipe in the bucket on a 45 so it can flow better.

[@ikonix360]

Why not make the area the water flows over as high as the pipe so you don't have to start the siphon every time or does it not work best that way?

[@tinkeringwithmark1186]

Put a row of block or ? to raise the the dam. Straight flow. 2x12!

[@phiber9]

a pelton turbine would generate kilowatts here, if you do a 0.5m x 0.5m casing out of wood, good bearings and have 4 nozzels

[@FA1970]

Have you tested out a wortex generator?

[@sherwoodwc]

Try flex seal tape or a silicone tape for a temp air seal

[@Seriouslydave]

What is the potential waste in a siphon system? friction on the blades a good or bad thing, are you pushing on the blades or pulling on them? Waste cant easily get around the blades so are they slowing things down? Tesla created a 95% efficient turbine that we cant make yet as it destroys itself, but can we use elements from that wnd get close? What would 2-4 x 1.5"-2" pipes do when directed at the blades at an optimal angle (similar to your pelton setups) within a 6" down pipe do? Or mini kaplan or francis turbine archimedes corkscrew or rose windmill design.

[@matt_1984_]

since the joints are all temp for testing, can you silicon them?

[@LandtoHouse]

That is what Spencer Langston suggested. I am going to try tape first and then use caulking.

[@alannamaclean3255]

Hi there. I’m making something similar for my place. What size shaft did you end up using?

[@richardjohnson681]

The net head of your site is the pond level to the tail race level,, your discharge tube and penstock tube can be 4" .. the discharge tub should exit under water in the tail race.,, This will give you the max head possible at your site.. net head makes horse power.. if your sucking air on the intake tube put the end in deeper..your vacuum hock can go in the horizontal intake line..you must glue your joints,, if your sucking air your loosing power.. thanks a hydro guy.

[@scottfoster2487]

Instead of glue why not use a good silicone in case you need service some part, My one obsevervation is I think the vacum start system needs to be remove since now you have done the 45 and a short piece of pipe I beleive the vacum port is no longer of any use since water will want to naturaly flow into the pipe since it has a slight head pressure against it. Tye a line on the intake and attach a bobber or some srt of floatin ball and it with break the votex effect.

[@cdw143]

I would add a switch between the rectifier and charge controller for testing

[@fredricktroy1933]

Why not use mppt? Your turbine would spin a lot faster after getting mppt. More watts too

[@joterrence3422]

This is what Sun in Aquarius does for fun....or Moon in Aquarius....also Uranus in your 1st house

[@eggroll1up918]

i wonder if cavitation happins in this senario?

[@kipdennis3796]

Maybe in future you give a try to turgo turbine,maybe "stream engine turgo turbine"

[@winterburan]

The Turgo, less efficient than the Pelton is an action turbine, not a reaction one, for this jump it is not good

[@cydery]

jUST PUT A SMALL SS SCREW INTO JOINT TO HOLD IT TOGETHER, THE SCREW CAN BE REEMOVED TO CHANGE THINGS LATER IF NEEDED

[@rogerbird6151]

Hi Seth, Thoroughly enjoy your series. Just one question I have. I am aware you are using a syphon system to drive the alternator. But I would love to see the alternator at the end of the syphon feed pipe as close to the water level as possible! Water is about 10 pounds per gallon which has to be better than the drive by vacuum???

[@rickdees251]

My question is ,,, "Is that Propeller setup producing more watts for the same flow of gallons per minute than a Pelton Wheel Turbine would be producing? I think not!

[@marblemastersofmiddlegainc3681]

A pelton runner is for higher pressure/ head. Peltons are impulse and this runner, similar to a Kaplan, is a reaction runner. Pelton would not work well with this low head.

[@Iamsuccesspro]

I didn't see a load attached to battery?