Air-X noise

[freshalaska]

If your unit has lots of hours replacing the face bearings will help the noise and so will polishing the blades and balancing them. Cut 10mm off each blade tip will help as well. I like the sound of free power. Big heavy gensets aren't cheap and make noise to boot. In SE Alaska we just don't get the sun to make solar panels do much.

[svmariane]

Originally Posted by morven55

That is a version of the old Air-X, right?

Yes, that's true.

And the Air-Breeze needs a 20 amp circuit breaker vice the 40 amp recommended for the Air-X. Which says something about incoming power.......

[Sailing55]

Originally Posted by freshalaska

If your unit has lots of hours replacing the face bearings will help the noise and so will polishing the blades and balancing them. Cut 10mm off each blade tip will help as well. I like the sound of free power. Big heavy gensets aren't cheap and make noise to boot. In SE Alaska we just don't get the sun to make solar panels do much.

Jim Cate mentioned earlier about polishing the blades also...interesting thought about shortening the blades. I'm of the same opinion re gensets...I'm in Wa. now and while we have more sun than you guys up there, it still is not enough. The combination of wind, solar and alternator should be perfect for my needs.

[Sailing55]

Originally Posted by svmariane

Yes, that's true.

And the Air-Breeze needs a 20 amp circuit breaker vice the 40 amp recommended for the Air-X. Which says something about incoming power.......

I believe that the logic was that the 200W version would theoretically produce more power over the long run due to the fact that it is more efficient at lower wind velocities?

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by morven55

More detail on "problems" please? I am concerned about the lever arm caused by 15 or so lbs. 20 feet in the air. The equivalent of a 300b. person on deck?

I assume you are aware that one of those machines could remove body parts if you stumbled into it? How high will your dodger be?

after patricia blew thru, my mizzen was seen to have cracking below spreaders, not there before--coulda been helped along buy the heavy weight on mizzenhead in 200plus kts winds. we had 200 steady an d 250 gusts.....
it FELT weird up there also- was a lil slow on the return from rolling.
the windmill wont be interfered with by human heads or body parts when on dodger edges, elevated some.

[Sailing55]

Originally Posted by zeehag

after patricia blew thru, my mizzen was seen to have cracking below spreaders, not there before--coulda been helped along buy the heavy weight on mizzenhead in 200plus kts winds. we had 200 steady an d 250 gusts.....
it FELT weird up there also- was a lil slow on the return from rolling.
the windmill wont be interfered with by human heads or body parts when on dodger edges, elevated some.

That is what I was curious about. My radar was originally on the mizzen, and once in a steep beam sea I could see it actually torqueing the mast as I was rolling. Unsettling to watch. So up the main it went. But the effect of that additional weight 20' up [wind generator] is an issue to me. My boat is deep and narrow [old British], therefore has an easy slow roll which is comfortable. However, that pause at the end of a roll in the right [wrong[ conditions is something to think about. Whether or not it is significant enough is something to work out beforehand.

And I am a big fan of gut feelings..."it FELT weird up there". The old sailing ship captains would sometimes put weight aloft to slow the roll of an unladen or light ship, but those guys had empirical knowledge based on a lifetime of experience and the experience of their predecessors...I know my boat, but...

[zeehag]

my radar is on mizzen but below level of spreaders so it isnt weird. the heavy mount with the chinese knock off air x was a lil too much. i had my real air x without its internal regulator on a lower and outboard locale i liked, but i kept getting clobbered by the support i used when i wanted to go forward, so that didnt work, either, but i think the trailing edges of dodger will be better--i will try it first, as a temp experiment, as i did here with the 2. was awesome powwaaahhhh!!!!!

ps my mizzen is thai cedar.

[Sailing55]

Originally Posted by zeehag

my radar is on mizzen but below level of spreaders so it isnt weird. the heavy mount with the chinese knock off air x was a lil too much. i had my real air x without its internal regulator on a lower and outboard locale i liked, but i kept getting clobbered by the support i used when i wanted to go forward, so that didnt work, either, but i think the trailing edges of dodger will be better--i will try it first, as a temp experiment, as i did here with the 2. was awesome powwaaahhhh!!!!!

ps my mizzen is thai cedar.

My boat is yawl rigged and the mizzen is tiny [70 sq,ft. sail], but oh, so handy, and I love the mizzen stays'l...but stressing the mast in addition to the lever arm created by the weight aloft is my concern. I have been toying with the idea of a mount that I could simply raise when I wanted to use the machine, but the downside is stowing a bulky unit on such a narrow hull. The boat is 40' LOA but only 9' beam, flush deck with a small cabin/scuttle. I don't want to clutter such a wonderfully clear deck.

[zeehag]

mine is 12'2" beam, so i have more area with which to play. kinda makes it easier for placement .