Wrknrvr Posted January 17, 2020 Report Share Posted January 17, 2020 Just curious if anyone tried this. So just stumbled into this subject on YouTube. thanks in advance, Vern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldjohnt Posted January 18, 2020 Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 Vern, I didn't watch any videos, however I don't envision the outside wind providing much energy to turn a ceiling fan (when RV is parked) that might produce very many watts of power. I've seen a few commercial wind generators standing outside an RV, but if I recall correctly those were maybe 100 or even less watts (subject to wind speed) and I don't see an RV ceiling fan arrangement as being capable of providing anywhere near that much. So NO I haven't tried it. But hey whatever energy that can be harvested from wind power I'm all for subject to cost and payback and efficiency versus other alternative energy methods. John T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrknrvr Posted January 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 What is interesting to me is to take something and make something else out of it. And at not much cost. I have thought of using water power for generating power for 40 years. The only time I owned water on a property, it was used for a business and I never got to that subject. Still interesting to me, Vern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldjohnt Posted January 18, 2020 Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 Vern, a friend owned a farm with a cave and small stream running out of it so he rigged sort of a water wheel to turn an alternator. It was hard to balance the water wheel and belt pully sizes to get enough RPM yet not make it not to hard to turn ……… I've seen the Amish near us run a huge pulley the entire outer size of the buggy wheel to belt drive an alternator, that seemed good enough to charge the buggy battery used for lights. I'm like you I love to experiment and jury rig any means to harvest some "free" energy but I just don't think a RV rooftop fan captures enough energy to produce much electricity grrrrrrrrrrrr lol.. In accordance with the laws of physics heat and friction losses and other inefficiency eats up some of the energy produced. Still a fun topic and hobby to play with... John T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl&Rita Posted January 18, 2020 Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 John, he's talking about using a household ceiling fan. Externally mounted, and not an "In the hatch" RV fan. Probably faster to try to adapt an alternator, than to adapt magnets to an induction motor, but he's bored. Quote I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication 2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet 2007 32.5' Fleetwood QuantumPlease e-mail us here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldjohnt Posted January 18, 2020 Report Share Posted January 18, 2020 Thanks Darryl, it still all boils down to how much energy is required to run a fan (like any device NOT 100% efficient) versus how much energy the wind powered generator can produce in return and fer sure there are friction and heat and other losses. Even if driving down the road is what makes the fan spin that takes engine horsepower and gas etc and them darn laws of physics and conservation of energy are such a hindrance to a perpetual motion machine grrrrrrrrrrr lol. A stand out in the open wind turbine wind is closer to what may be called "free" energy" similar to our RV solar panels yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ………... OOps I may have mis read your post.........sorry my bad. Soooooo if you're setting in the RV on a windy day and its the wind (NOT any other power) that spins the fan and you rig a generator to that, any energy you harvest even if small may be considered as FREE energy GO FOR IT. Count me in !!!!!!!!!! Still I love to experiment and fiddle around in alternative energy and like when people do the same.....Now the next question is how does this match up in cost and efficiency and payback and ease of installation versus using solar ???????? Later yall John T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl&Rita Posted January 19, 2020 Report Share Posted January 19, 2020 I firmly believe that wind is inferior to solar in cost, efficiency, and payback. As far as ease of use, now that panel prices have come down, and tilting is as common, solar wins. Quote I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication 2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet 2007 32.5' Fleetwood QuantumPlease e-mail us here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldjohnt Posted January 19, 2020 Report Share Posted January 19, 2020 9 hours ago, Darryl&Rita said: I firmly believe that wind is inferior to solar in cost, efficiency, and payback. From all the many solar installations I've observed versus the gents who put up wind generators outside their RV I AGREE. But hey I've been places out West where there's little sunshine (or parked in shade) and the wind blows like constantly where wind power (even if not too many watts) would be great...…….. John T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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