# Wind Turbine Mast????



## smaj100 (Oct 17, 2012)

Hey Everyone,

I recently purchased a wind turbine to install on our property to recharge a few batteries to help begin setting up an offgrid system.

My question is I need a DIY mast to get it up about 20-30' in the air. We have a steady wind out there to drive it without standing it way up in the air. Any ideas for a diy mast or antenna base? I have a pole barn to support the mast or pole with and can run guy wires.

Thanks,


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

An old telephone pole?


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## smaj100 (Oct 17, 2012)

Kej, where do ya find one of them? And thats a pretty big hole to dig! 

eep:


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Guy wires will allow you to use a much less sturdy pole than without, probably be much cheaper and stronger. If you can pour a small pad of cement for the base it will work great, otherwise screw in piles are an option or just digging a hole. 
For the pole itself, you can use guy wires on a "power pole" if that is cheap, another alternative may be "drill stem" if that is available in your area. If you have to buy a steel pole it will be pricy so check out some scrap yards, many will let you take stuff for just over what they paid and could possible keep an eye out for what you need.
If you use a metal pole consider making a tip up base to make raising and lowering MUCH easier.
Oh forgot you mentioned the pole barn, that can work great but be careful, depending on how they are built they can have very poor racking resistance. Properly placed and maintained guy wires can eliminate most problems though.

Congrats on the windmill by the way


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

Google "used utility poles" in your area. They are currently going for $2/foot in my area.

I might add that windmills are common in this area. Everyone uses windmlls to draw water here. Even houses in town have them. www.windmill-parts.com and www.windmills.net have towers for sale.


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## bunkerbob (Sep 29, 2009)

smaj100 said:


> Hey Everyone,
> 
> I recently purchased a wind turbine to install on our property to recharge a few batteries to help begin setting up an offgrid system.
> 
> ...


I purchased a 4" schedule 40 steel pipe 30' long and installed a Bergey XL1 on top with their install kit, built a base from heavy "U" channels, and lots of concrete. It's been up since 2004 without a hiccup.
We have been off-grid since then also, solar 30 panels, two Outback Flexmax80 charge controllers, 40 batteries and two Xantrex SW4024's and of course the Bergey XL1.
You can see a little more here...http://bunkerbob2.tripod.com/


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

smaj100 said:


> I need a DIY mast to get it up about 20-30' in the air. Any ideas for a diy mast?


Good stuff here:

http://otherpower.com/otherpower_wind_towers.html

http://otherpower.com/20page6.html


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

Might check craigslist etc for the old tv antennae poles the ones that were the three sided masts. you could actually set them in concrete and climb them. with little guy wire suport needed. You can often get them cheap or even free if you go and take them down yourself. Needing to look for some of those myself. for Ham antennae and wind eledctric projects. cleaning up my gear I found I have three of the wind genny motors I only remembered one  so I need to make some turbines and set somthing up or be ready to when I move.


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## Tex (Oct 31, 2008)

Look up "gin pole". It's an L shaped pole that uses the bottom as a lever when raising and lowering the pole. You can also attach a "telescoping" pole section to raise it higher. I saw a DIY pole in Home Power Magazine several years ago, but I can't find the article. The beauty of this system is that it can be tilted over for maintenance.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

What I have always understood a gin-pole to be is quite different, used to erect towers and suchhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin-pole
What you are describing sounds like the tip-up variety bunkerbob and others mentioned. 
Could just be one of those local terminology things.
I wonder if smaj100 made any progress on this?


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## k0xxx (Oct 27, 2011)

I'm with *jsriley5*. Check Craigslist for radio/TV tower sections. I've also picked up several towers for free by offering the owners to take them down. I just look for them as I do any driving. So many people have gone to satellite, that a lot of them are sitting unused. I look for towers with dilapidated TV antennas, or just bare towers.

And for those that may want to try it, here's how I remove them: I'm to old and beat up to climb anymore, so I only remove towers that are 40' and under and have adequate space to lay them down in one piece, before disassembling. With small towers, Like Rohn 20 and the older Rohn 6, it's just a matter of tying a good rope, for someone to slow the decent, to one leg. Then cut that leg off at the base, crease the other two legs with a ball peen hammer at the base, then let it lean over as someone holds back on the rope and one or two people walk it down as it gets closer to horizontal. After it's on the ground, disassembling it before cutting the bottom section off at the creases, makes it easier to pull the sections apart. It usually makes the homeowners happier knowing that the tower won't be climbed.


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## Tex (Oct 31, 2008)

This is what I was talking about. I've seen one made of wood and it was about 20 ft tall and had a telescoping metal pole for the next 10-15 feet. The winch on a Jeep would be perfect for raising and lowering it.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...4121804F3F6ABFAFB259874E3A9D&selectedIndex=46


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

I see, they are calling the bottom leg a "gin pole", I am more familiar with the other pictures that come up in that link.
We have used an L-shaped pole like you say and it certainly works well, easier to get started than a plain tip-up pole, once you get above a certain angle the normal tip-up kind can be winched easily as well. 
A 20ft tall wood pole is pretty heavy, especially with a telescoping pole and turbine on top!


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## smaj100 (Oct 17, 2012)

Due to time constraints I went with the prefab pole kit from the manufacturer 30' 3 guy wire. I'll get some pics posted eventually.


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