Help me figure this out

McCracken

McCracken

Logan Can't See This
Joined
Jul 9, 2005
Location
With your mom at a nice seafood dinner
So I'm watching this show the other day and I hate it because these assholes filmed it right down the road from me, literally. These two jackasses run around acting like they're from the area and know all "the secrets" to living a mountain life or as they call it "a hardscrabble life", which btw no one says anywhere around here. They also don't call moonshine "hooch" but I digress.

Whatever, I hate these assholes but I watch it to see if I know any neighbors. So the other day they're building a wind turbine with an alternator to charge batteries. Well, that's all fine and dandy except (from my limited knowledge of alternators) you have to excite the field in order to get it charging, correct? Soooo, my question is this: Could you rig up an alternator to charge batteries via a wind turbine and have one battery on the side solely dedicated to exciting the field (ie - power to the alternator all the time)? Would the alternator provide enough juice to keep the batteries charged including the dedicated battery or would I need to put one of those solar battery-minder things on it to keep it up?

Just curious really. I've got a great spot for wind and I've always wanted to try this.
 
http://www.windbluepower.com/ They have all the parts to convert an alternator to permanet magnet so you don't have to excite the field. I have toyed with the idea myself, but my biggest problem is the battery bank and having to maintain it. I looked at just feeding back on to the grid and not having a battery bank, but that looks like a headache to do legally.
 
you got it. those assholes aren't even cooling the worm :rolleyes:

edit: did you see the last one where they made vodka and dumbass Spencer sniffed around pot and said something like, "oh boy you can smell it coming off". dude, the last thing you're going to want is alcohol fumes flying around an open flame :smh:
 
Pless said:
http://www.windbluepower.com/ They have all the parts to convert an alternator to permanet magnet so you don't have to excite the field. I have toyed with the idea myself, but my biggest problem is the battery bank and having to maintain it. I looked at just feeding back on to the grid and not having a battery bank, but that looks like a headache to do legally.
Click to expand...

what do you mean about maintaining the bank? replacement or is there something I'm missing?

also, does my idea about maintaining a charge work if I didn't want to go that route. Not saying I won't but I'm just curious.
 
I don't see why it wouldn't work, but the problem I see is it would be a constant drain on your battery. No wind eventually you run down your batteries and have nothing to excite the field, and your wasting power. I'm far from educated on any of this just what I have picked up here and there, but to have and decent capacity you have to have several batteries or a forklift battery, keep up with the water levels in them, and replacement would get pricey. Also you are going to have to have an inverter big enough to convert the power from the batteries into usable AC, and run whatever you want to run.

I like the idea of backfeeding the grid, spin your meter backwards (if your producing enough) and the power company sends you a check, no batteries to deal with, but you still need an inverter. However I looked up on progress energy's website what you have to do to make it legal, its a several step process that you have to submit a plan, they install a switch and have to approve the install of everything.

Edit: Found this link http://www.homepower.com/articles/w...ation/ask-experts-car-alternator-wind-turbine
 
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these guys are idiots! i've meet spencer? the younger one... he's as dumb as he looks on tv apparently he has a karate school in canton somewhere. he also didnt like the fact i called him out on most of the spots that they film are on game lands on the edge of the road.
 
His "school" is across the road from Riverview farm and garden in Canton. Never seen the show myself but have heard plenty about how incredibly stupid it is.
 
I hate to admit to this since I live 5 minutes down the road, but i watched some of the videos on the destination america website and the guy that they call cowboy with the squirrel was in deliverance, no joke.

deliv08.jpg
 
yes he was and he goes to my church.

the thing that kills me is how Eugene is a yankee and his mother is too and these are the idiots they portray us as. Eugene's actually got a mug shot from Florida where he was caught with pills or something. Spencer went to AC Reynolds with my best friend. He said he was a rich kid that played in rock band. I've heard numerous accounts of running into him around town. The last one I heard was that he was at Starbucks in Ingles and another friend of mine got loud and mentioned to everyone in line that they had a celebrity there. I believe he didn't appreciate that.
 
A friend of mine was raised poor,I mean two tv's stacked on each other,soup beans ever night poor,and he said their well pump went out one time and since his daddy was dead and his older brother was in prison it was up to him to fix it.Somehow,dont remember the details,he used old starters to rig up the well untill they had the money to get the right parts to fix it.Said the starters were easy to get and he could fix em when they quit working.

I googled it and it was was about what I thought it would be.If they want to see to see the real appalachia they need to go to eastern KY/WV and I dont ,mean the buckwild WV either.
 
in the beginning it was bad but now it's gotten absolutely terrible. you could have me on TV and I'd give the mountains a better showing then these clowns.

anyway, thanks Pless for the info. I think I may just have to pony up some coin for the fancy system. I really want to go with wind because I have a perfect spot for it and want to try it out on the farm.
 
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don't get too bent out of shape about FAKE Reality TV. It's not worth your aggravation.

Spoiler alert about American Pickers here. It's staged! they plant the picks in the persons barn and... "WOW FRANK! LOOK WHAT I FOUND!"

and do you really think they let Chumly run the night shift on PawnStars.

and...
and...
and...
 
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