Part 18 MicroHydro Power System in CO

[@dannyunixanalyst9018]

I just watched all of this series and thoroughly enjoyed it, thank you. Apart from all of the obvious hard work put into the project itself, I'm amazed at the work you put into producing the videos. The editing, vid lengths, complete absence of pointless chat etc are all very much appreciated. You have a beautiful home, I hope it you enjoy it for many years to come.

[@fynbo1007]

Thank you for sharing your amazing video, like your talk without music in the background. Your talk is in focus and nothing else. Great to hear from you and your project, very excited to hear more about your new addition to the project. God bless you and your family

[@Michael-vo3tk]

this is such a solid video series! I stumbled in at part 17, now 18, and I'm going to go back and watch them all. Thank you for so much practical demonstration

[@mrhydrohead]

Thx for watching. Parts 20-1,2,3 are a synopsis of the overall project if you don’t want all the details

[@microhidro2010]

Now, the creek intake and the Coanda system are perfect for all seasons. Congratulations.

[@microhidro2010]

The creek intake must be anchored and better secured for floods like in the original video.

[@Gokatgo]

It would be awesome to see a google maps overview with the marked lines and flows to get a better sense of the scale of the project!

[@FarmCraft101]

Always like your vids. You should get a drone and do a birds eye view of the system, showing the creek flow from up above your intake to the diversion pipe to the meadow and all the way down. Would love to see that.

[@oscill8ocelot]

Catching your videos in my feed is always a fun surprise. =) Thank you for continuing to share this project with us - it is, for me, quite inspiring, especially watching your video production style evolve over the years. =)

[@bren106]

Thank you for the upload, as I suspect many others also have, I've been watching for new content for a long time.

[@KAMinNL]

Awesome Job...it was great to watch from beginning to end. Especially when one works in this industry (Hydro Electric) and seeing how it can be done on a smaller scale to harness clean energy through nature...I will definitely be trying this myself when I retire and want to be off grid and self sufficient...Thanks again...brilliantly done... kudos to you sir!!!

[@Abide]

glad to have a final update! Awesome series to watch!

[@nickdannunzio7683]

As a construction PM I have led projects with utilities crossing bridges and such; the manufacturer of that type PVC makes expansion and deflection couplings one at either end of any aerial span is customary... allowing necessary movement, minimizing leaks

[@nickdannunzio7683]

As the suspended pipe will heat and cool faster than the pipe on or underground...

[@bluefish001]

Thanks for keeping us updated.

[@sandybeebe9149]

Wow ..The mountains I live in are a perfect gravity water resource for even public institutions to lower costs (schools/community center would be a good start ) here in Afton/ Greenfield ,Nelson county Va.

[@mrhydrohead]

Thx for watching.

[@kay486]

awesome to see more videos on your hydro project!

[@HBPowerwall]

Fantastic update - thank you !

[@totherarf]

I have watched most of these videos in the past ..... nice to revisit them and get a completed view!

[@SuperMaiki76]

This would be my dream to build something similar

[@Standskeleton]

What a great state for the hydropower industry

[@Blackbird29k]

Nice work and great documentation of your project. Glad it is finally working as it should, and thank you for sharing the process with us. I am building a system now from scratch here in Norway, and there are a lot of similarities on this project, compared to yours. I will be starting a series about the construction soon, so if you are interested following, feel free to ask!

[@plcapeli75]

bravo for your commitment to this project inspiring stuff and a worthy effort

[@mrhydrohead]

thx for watching!

[@therealjammit]

About the fallen tree issue: I have an idea. You have one line holding the flexible pipe. Place another line holding nothing above that line. If another tree falls on the top line, it should protect or lessen any damage to the flexible pipe line. Repair of the top line should be easier.

[@chrisw1462]

Not sure you can call 350 GPH and 8 kWh+ 'micro' hydro, but I really admire the work you've done. Maybe mini-hydro? :-) Great videos!

[@TTrevolverheldTT]

This is so cool to watch!! Im "pumped" for future videos :D greetings from germany :)

[@dcoblack]

Have you considered lining your stilling basin at the penstock with Bentonite, then covering the bentonite with a bedding stone and rip-rap? That would be a long term solution for leakage. You may also consider a deeper pool with a spillway to remove the organic material while increasing head pressure.

[@mrhydrohead]

We probably should have lined the area to begin with as you suggest, but the sloppy mess we found ourselves in while constructing the weir in the midst of flowing water and snow storms blinded us to that approach. At this point the pond is stable with only a minor amount of leakage. There is more than enough water to feed the system at full output. Perhaps one day we will consider making changes. In as much as our pressure is based on how far water falls (2.31ft. = 1psi), I don't see how any modification would increase the head pressure. There is no resistance due to organic debris. Thanks for the suggestion and for watching!

[@dingus153]

Oh my gosh, I almost forgot about this! Great video!

[@RobertOlufs]

Great job on the video, and hey waaaaaaaay to hang in there baby!!! A true mountain man respect nature but let's her know he is living there as well (BRAVO). There are ways of filtering water with natural surroundings and the meadow grass looks like it would work for part of the filter. However, I am not there and I always need to experiment wherever I am in the world, in the tropics they use a grass similar to the meadow grass and topped with a broader leaf plant then filled in with smaller rock (pebbles), then each layer is larger and larger. Coconut fibers are used around the world and especially in saltwater areas, it takes more than that to get drinking water, but it will keep the debris out. Using straw and buring pipe with about 18" to 24" over it and underneath it should keep it from freezing (but you may have to bury it below the frost line then pile it on top.

[@mrhydrohead]

Thanks for the comment. We are fortunate to have several good springs. We tapped two of them for the first hydro system. They no longer make power but still flow well and provide us with ample domestic water. I never know who has seen what segments. Parts 20-1,2,3 are a synopsis of the whole thing. Thx for watching and your input!!

[@seethakumarsongs]

Amazing. Your knowledge and resolve simply superb

[@mrhydrohead]

Thx for watching I'm never sure who has seen what of the series. Here is a playlist of the 3 part synopsis which is an overview of the whole process kzbin.info/aero/PLtTypVpmDd-vkT9bJQkXw4I1t0e_4jMYA The whole series is in about 25 videos.

[@mrhydrohead]

Another commenter pointed out the error in the link I provided that it didn't work. It should have been kzbin.info/aero/PLtTypVpmDd-vkT9bJQkXw4I1t0e_4jMYA Sorry about that.

[@johngreco7171]

Very cool. Thanks for the update!

[@royamberg9177]

That's a nice System. But like anything maintenance and issue prop up. Keep up the good work

[@MazeFrame]

Nice to see videos again.

[@kira07]

Cool ! great shots from the drone too

[@fredrikgit]

I love your videos! Can't wait until the next one! Keep up the great work!

[@oby-1607]

Your problem of spring run off could be solved using heavy rip rap rock. Then you could have a side diversion to a farmers screen to filter your water. In Oregon they developed the Farmers Screen to combat spring run off destructive forces and yet allow the stream to maintain its natural workings of seasons. With this system, you get filtered water in a consistent manner to your use.

[@w00deez]

Thanks for your video series. I am looking at designs to begin my own system, although one of my hurdles is the salinity and corrosive properties of the spring water available on my property. I have to use all plastic as any metal in contact with the water soon disintegrates. cheers.

[@Precivilization]

Excellent work and very interesting videos, thank you very much.

[@D4NS80]

awesome to see another video from you, very informative.

[@HarryL2020]

Love watching these videos.

[@markvonlay7108]

I just came across your vid series, dude your bad ass ! I'm loving this, I'm a prisoner of the petro dollar system where I live .

[@mrhydrohead]

Thanks for watching. We all are captive to some degree to this dominant system of a climate destroying commodity priced in a fiat currency.

[@Me63422]

This is awesome, I've been trying to do something similar in South Africa. Well done to you sir.

[@mrhydrohead]

Thx for watching. I never know who has seen what segments. Parts 20-1,2,3 are a synopsis of the whole thing. Best of luck with your project.

[@EricJaakkola]

Fascinating to watch. I'm guessing that with the rapid decline of solar power costs, if you were to start from scratch, that would be the more economic route. I still think it's pretty cool though.

[@benlawton5420]

HE'S ALIVE.

[@mrcrux213]

Love it!! The mind and power to accomplish your goals. 👍🏻👋👋👋😎

[@mrhydrohead]

Thanks for watching

[@guygfm4243]

Thanks for sharing all very interesting

[@thyandyr7369]

Magnificent place you got

[@beno9916]

Yay finally!!!!

[@jzsjr66]

Love the details!

[@ThePersonWhoIsSane]

2:44 Now THAT'S a company I could get involved with.

[@jimwagner6260]

Thank you and it shows why you need to move your intake

[@cptcosmo]

A soultion for your erosion might be wire gabion cages that you can fill with on-site rock - build a retaining wall for the banks being eroded.

[@aimedo9375]

I love your videos. The best channel on youtube

[@yerbyb8331]

great video...I am from Africa and it's really inspiring

[@mrhydrohead]

I hope you’ve watched the whole series. Glad you feel its worthwhile. Thanks for watching.

[@Jimo225]

could you dig like a long french drain with a lot of surface area next to the creek and use it as the inlet. That way it would be permanant and the french drain would filter the water

[@mrhydrohead]

Given the rocky and unstable terrain which isn't accessible by machine that would be an enormous task and likely would not pass enough water. Thanks for the idea anyway and thx for watching

[@RubenKelevra]

Have you thought about a floating intake in the creek with a ram pump? You could pull it up out of the water if you don't need it and you can permanently attach the hoses to the system.

[@mrhydrohead]

Lots of suggestions which I appreciate. Haven't considered a ram pump due to not really needing to invest more money in the system. Its already supplies more power than we can effectively use. Again, thanks for watching

[@fredrikgit]

I love these videoes!

[@jimpilot330]

Thanks for update!!!!

[@Nodularguy1]

Super awesome update!!

[@brian8616]

AWESOME

[@oskarback5124]

If you're in Colorado, do you get any lawsuits around water rights by tapping into the creek? I suggested once that we divert some flow from an irrigation canal to water a lawn in Boulder and was told it was illegal.

[@mrhydrohead]

I filed on water rights in district water court which is the proper way to use the water. Our rights are junior to others that have senior rights tot he water downstream. It would be illegal to just use ditch water for your own un-adjudicated purposes. Our use is termed "non-consumptive" as it goes right back into the water course it comes from. Thx for watching.

[@bretthetherington8406]

turn your metal screen 90 degrees so that the lines of the grill align with the waterflow. it will be self cleaning. also you could use snifter valves to release air in your line?

[@mrhydrohead]

Actually the angle its installed at is correct. Lots of people have suggested air vents. The path of the pipe has only minimal fall where the air gets trapped. There isn’t any pressure to keep a vent closed. The problem is that the negative suction pressure from the lower part of the pipe would simply suck air in at the vent holes. That is why when I bleed the air out through the holes I need to close the gate at the pipe outlet. Once the air is out of the line, the flow is dramatically increased. Thx for watching I'm never sure who has seen what of the series. Here is a playlist of the 3 part synopsis which is an overview of the whole process kzbin.info/aero/PLtTypVpmDd-vkT9bJQkXw4I1t0e_4jMYA The whole series is in about 25 videos.

[@cptzptravasos1]

@@mrhydrohead check valve up high in a riser set to "out" pointing up to vent any air, but keep suction. Inverse siphon break?

[@mrhydrohead]

Another commenter pointed out the error in the link I provided that it didn't work. It should have been kzbin.info/aero/PLtTypVpmDd-vkT9bJQkXw4I1t0e_4jMYA Sorry about that.

[@hasnainmehmood3172]

excellent job! How much power do u generate from this system?

[@allguard001]

More detail are appreciated.

[@brianjoyce9040]

Awesome righteous work

[@3dprintwiz378]

Very inspiring project. Just wanted to ask what type of turbine you used?

[@mrhydrohead]

Canyon Industries Model #1051-1. Original design was for direct drive and changed to a belt drive upon moving the system to the creek source due to less pressure. Highly recommend the turbine. Runs like a champ after 22yrs+ of operation. It pays to buy quality although prices have certainly risen since I purchased. www.canyonhydro.com

[@lusciousrunner5613]

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas more of this i got addicted

[@jackofalltrades2881]

I only have two words too say, "Ram pump".

[@vikinggoat]

Is the in take tank permanently installed or is this also also removed during the heavy melt seasons?

[@mrhydrohead]

It is removed along with the flexible line some time in May and put back in June after the runoff has passed. thx for watching

[@lexiquake1682]

What county are you in? We are in clear creek.

[@jimbeck553]

Any chance you can share what the final cost of your system is?

[@johnbluehouse4991]

Amazing!

[@mrhydrohead]

Thanks for watching!

[@johnmav8309]

Super!

[@jacksonms212]

you got to watch that 775 dude he will give you lots of grate ideas witch lead to more work ;)

[@mysticdavestarotmachinesho5093]

Damn leaks!

[@1Triton]

Yuuuuuus

[@jeepxj]

you getting a power wall to store excess energy?

[@mrhydrohead]

No need to really. The straight AC is plenty to meet our peak demands and we don't need storage so why go to the expense and tending of the unit. Years ago when we first installed we made the decision to not have batteries because we wouldn't be here full time and didn't want to deal with lead/acid. The redesign (parts 5-20 of series) gave us plenty of power and again superseded the need for battery storage. thx for watching

[@jeepxj]

@@mrhydrohead makes a lot of sense. ps: i watch the ones with music when I need something on to go to sleep to.

[@mrhydrohead]

Funny.

[@shouttokurt6824]

yay

[@RonanRaver]

good job :)

[@nikhilranniranninikhilrann3900]

Super

[@bobbg9041]

Why yes no more DAM leaks! :) Now the Dam runs fine. Ok one question, why not install heat tap incase the pipe gets a frozen part the constans heat would slow or stop this. also I think you could add some kind of automatic pipe burp valve or chamber to bleed off any air pockets. Kind of like those used on a compressor to remove water from compressed air after the storage tank.

[@mrhydrohead]

We haven't experienced the penstock freezing, even in -12°F weather. The distance from the power source to the intake is about a half a mile as well. That would be a lot of wire for a questionable advantage.

[@A1DJPaul]

Very interesting. a great vid' thanks.

[@allforjuanandjuanforall8173]

You should research why beavers would help you with water management. They are nature's corps of engineers.

[@A1DJPaul]

Thanks ! a true Genius of Hydro power. very interesting. My thoughts are :- Every Natural source of energy should be used to generate power world wide. MAXIMISE NATURE ! Solar works in the day time in some areas, but water always flows, and the wind always blows, use a mixture of all 3. We need to go back to the OLD ways. using modern technology to increase its performance. Every fire / stove should be linked to a hot water system. The hot water should be piped around the house in a dual or triple loop circuit to extract every degree available. There should be a £ / $ MILLION prize given out each year to the best most efficient invention / innovation / variation of power generation and ALSO power storage ideas and equipment that actually work in domestic, industrial, or large scale useage. Get the people thinking and trying ideas and wild thoughts. Bring out the crazy inventors and make them rock stars and footy stars, pop stars. Make MR Garden shed, / garage inventor into a world name if his stuff works and is proven to be better than what we had last year etc ? ( ok 5 or 10 or 50 million money's ) what ever its worth on the world markets. or a fair share of. all we hear about are people who made a film. or climbed an actual mountain, or went to space, or sung a song , Elvis ABBA, and all of them. but we never hear about the real Genius people who could make the world a better place .

[@clarkso65]

I agree with you! but not all people are thinking the way we are, some are greedy thinking how they can capitalize on things to satiate their hunger for money. That's the reason why we cannot create a better world.

[@farmerkjs6042]

Why is there so much water running over the screen? Is the turbine just not using enough water to use all that is available to it?

[@mrhydrohead]

That shot at the end is with partial flow setting at turbine. It will look different once system is full flow. But the good thing is I think there is enough water to add a second jet in the turbine and utilize more flow if the need should arise for more power in the future. Thanks for watching.

[@ThisTall]

So this is about a 7KW system?

[@mrhydrohead]

Max power we've gotten is 8.5kw. We could up it to 10kw by adding a second jet to the turbine. But, the system is set at about 7.5kw in winter and 4.5kw in all other seasons.

[@sNEAKYnIGHTmUPPET]

First again! Nice to see updates!

[@igregurec]

Silly question: Wouldn't be easier to transfer the the electricity trough the wire than water trough the pipes?

[@mrhydrohead]

You need the fall to create the pressure to drive the turbine, so no it wouldn't be easier.

[@RieserDav]

@@mrhydrohead how large is the fall from the intake to the turbine in your system? and what is the resulting pressure? couldnt you generate a lot more power if you had a longer pipe that collects higher up?

[@mrhydrohead]

96psi pressure x 2.31 (feet per psi) = ~222 ft. and no, collect water at edge of property and unbuildable beyond the intake. Currently producing 175kWh per day which is a huge amount and plenty for us

[@dcoblack]

Not necessarily. The longer head and tail lengths provide a consistent quantity of water flow that avoid surging of water through the pipe. Also, as the length of the wire increases, so does ambient loss of power.

[@Marco-nx5tj]

Would be funny if you could use the water to make a AC system for cooling your home during summer more efficient

[@mrhydrohead]

At 8600 ft it stays pretty cool if you open/close window night/day. Have been considering bitcoin mining with cold spring water for cooling the system though. A potential way to monetize the excess power. Thanks for watching.

[@chabka34]

MrHydrohead I'm extremely interested in this in my opinion you should use a heat exchanger with water cooling as well

[@nathanrogers8713]

Setup your mining rigs right in the power house since it would provide both the power and the water for cooling... Now to run a quarter mile of cable to provide internet to the power house :)

[@tankersleyj390]

was that a dam leaks or damn leaks?

[@holocasey9403]

and i thought building lego sets was hard

[@mark1952able]

having a water supply is BIG

[@maurogori5425]

u can sell power to neighbors

[@khadijagwen]

I hope that the Government is not being too interfering.

[@orion3267]

I know that this is your property but, do you need a permit or permission to do this stuff since it's considered a waterway? Cool vids.

[@mrhydrohead]

Non consumptive water rights are required and were filed and acquired. Thanks for watching.

[@blackpool321]

Hope you have an electric car ,then you can use your excess electric to charge it up ....free motoring .

[@mrhydrohead]

Hoping to find an appropriate fit in the next year. Want AWD and high ground clearance at a reasonable price. It was always part of the plan. Thanks for watching

[@jetah50]

cost aside, would a mini hydro work as good? www.turbulent.be/ I've seen it a few times in my recommended area.

[@mrhydrohead]

You need a lot of flow for this system I believe. I already had the equipment when I moved my system from Spring source to creek source. I think that system looks very promising, but I don't think they have all that many installations of their design.

[@Wedge-Antilles]

RAM PUMPs

[@mrhydrohead]

Not sure why you suggest this, although they are useful devices. I have a neighbor that plans to supply his water up from the creek with one of these. I may make a video of it when he gets to the process.

[@villaJexRenovation]

@@mrhydrohead yes please!

[@royreynolds108]

Ram pumps only supply water to a higher elevation not power from the flow of water. There is a lot of loss in using a ram pump; but once set up it will run with little maintenance.

[@doctormcgoveran2194]

wow how much does it cost pre kilowatt? that seems to be a ton of trouble to get an ounce of power.

[@mrhydrohead]

If you think 170-200 kWh per day is an ounce of power then you need to look at your monthly power bill and realize how much power that is. We never approached it on the basis of a cost per kW as it was $140K to bring power line in in 1996 and would have cost $250-300K in 2015 and then we would also have had power bills to pay.

[@doctormcgoveran2194]

@@mrhydrohead ok einstien 200 ounces a day for 200 hundred tons of trouble, that better? it just seemed a real expensive huge structure poorly designed.I can't see it in three d real time, but I am sure the cost of moving the water through the penn stock is higher than the cost of moving electricity for the same amount of power.

[@mrhydrohead]

Why are you so rude? Where would I move power from? This is fully off grid power we are generating. We didn't bring grid power to the property as the first spring fed system cost ~$25k and we got pressurized domestic spring fed water with that. Comparing ~25K to 140K was a no brainer in 1996. The redesign which was the primary topic of the series cost an additional $55k. That vs 250-300K again a no brainer.

[@doctormcgoveran2194]

@@mrhydrohead " We never approached it on the basis of a cost per kW " That is inaccurate. You compared it to the cost of having power line to the site.I am rude indeed. But the answer was forth coming it is less to build this than to get the power to the site, you would have never mentioned it if I was not to the point.I saw the bridge across the ravine and i was curious why you did not turn and head right down that ravine to get maximum drop and then run wire to the house, as it would be less costly to do so, than to have a pipe full of water crossing a ravine.but thanks for the information.

[@mrhydrohead]

We did research running water on the south side of the creek directly to the power house. The terrain was too steep to permit construction without extreme disruption. The slope of the side is about 60 degrees there. There also was existing water flowing in the meadow on the north side of the creek that we wished to combine into the water source. Giving the diverted creek water a space to settle out any sediment in the meadow and combining it with existing water was the plan. The north side of the creek between intake and power house area was completely inaccessible and unbuildable. The south side had an existing road which made penstock construction relatively easy. The decision to construct the bridge was our best solution.