@@mrhydrohead with ur style of vids.... I wish u could film them all and not give any locality details.... best kept as a secret. Water is so precious and I ain't no greenie either. :)
Your video series has been a big inspiration to me over the past years. It's also one of the reason why I decided to become a Civil Engineer. Thank you so much for the documentary videos that you have been making over the past years. Keep creating good videos and keep inspiring people like us. Thank you once again 🙏
That is, I think, the kindest comment I've ever received. Thank you so much. It makes the effort to share what I've learned all worth it. I wish you great good fortune in your life and work.
Update: Removing the stream inlet from harms way is a very clever approach to minimizing damage created by a nearly unpredictable stream flow. This is an excellent installation that serves your needs. Thank you for the stunning scenery on your latest video. We intend to visit that area during our next Western trip.
That was absolutely beautiful and fascinating, thank you! I bet the drone programming took a bit of trial and error - I once programmed mine to fly around a mountain based on google earth height info, but undershot and had to hike a mile up a 40 degree slope to find and rescue it from the trees! Having a drone means I've climbed more trees after age 50 than I ever did as a kid! Lesson - always go and measure the exact coordinates and altitude yourself first!
Yeah it did. I sort of refined the litchi path as i went along. Framing isn’t always perfect but it saves the trip up there. Haven’t had any crashes yet. At least not up there. 3 or 4 elsewhere. Haven’t had to climb anything to rescue so far, but best shots do come from flying close by things. Thx for watching
This project is absolutely fascinating and inspiring. After stumbling upon one of your videos this morning, I immediately went back to the beginning and watched every single one of them in one sitting. Hours later I am wishing there were hours more still to watch. Thank you for the time spent creating this series. I see so many comments regarding the cost and worth of such a project, to me the cost is irrelevant when you're given the opportunity to take a step back when its all finished and enjoy this project as a well thought out and complete working system. I know I would find myself spending an embarrassing amount of time in that powerhouse just watching the system operate.
The drone makes it so simple and we never really went up there this winter. It started out as a way to look for poaching hunters and evolved into checking the intake. Thanks for watching
Still comming back to this channel for inspiration and dreaming of one day being able to buy my own land and build my own hydro system. Thank you sir and I hope you and your family are doing well 😊
I love to get comments like this. It’s the reason I put the series together. I hope you are successful in manifesting that dream. It took me a long time to do it myself and it has been worth all the effort. Thanks for watching
Following you from Nairobi Kenya. Thank you sir for the remarkably good engineering work and video documentation. I discovered your channel today and thanks to Covid-19 lock down, I had time to watch all your videos and I am thoroughly inspired. We have many streams and rivers without the problem of snow or ice. Many rural homes are still without electricity. Consider touring our country and see lions and other big game. I shall be happy to take you around. Please continue uploading videos.
Thank you for the very kind comment. It’s someone like you that I made the series for. I just want to share everything I learned in doing my project. There are lots of different systems which can be best size to the source of water . flow and head will dictate the best equipment when priced out for the best cost.
Just posted a new one today. Its great to be able to post a new video. I suffered a serious health setback that nearly killed me and I’ve been in recovery mode since April 2020. Not Covid thank god. Staph Sepsis, highly lethal. Doing better now and looking forward to doing an update on our own system and travelling about documenting others’ systems. Our Micro Hydro continues to chug along providing about 170kWh/day with our Winter settings. Like, Subscribe, and Share - It helps the channel grow. Thanks for watching any new episodes!
@@mrhydrohead oh man sorry to year that you haven't been doing so good. But I'm glad you are better now since that sounds rough. I'll be sure to watch the new video when I have a moment. Also thanks for replying to my comment even though it was from ages ago, people on youtube don't usually have the time due to the nature of the platform. But its nice to have a wholesome response every once in a while. Anyway hope you continue to recover well and best wishes for the future.
Your hydro set up is impressive and equally impressive is your video quality. Very relaxing and you have a great voice for narration. Also love the use the the drone. Great example of how they are more than just a toy.
Thanks so much. I appreciate the viewers and its fun to make the series. i worked in hwood for decades as a DP. Retired now, so this is a good way for me to continue with my lifelong passion for filmmaking and photography. Thanks for watching
We do love it. I find the channel somewhat of an excuse to post the most beautiful things I see. Glad you liked it. More videos to follow. thx for watching
Best video series on the internet in regards to micro hydro power generation. Thank you sir. Beautifully crafted series with attention to detail and a more 'big picture' approach. Again, thank you.
Thanks so much. I appreciate the viewers and its fun to make the series. i worked in hwood for decades as a DP. Retired now, so this is a good way for me to continue with my lifelong passion for filmmaking and photography. Thanks for watching
Colorado is gorgeous and so many different types of beauty. Thanks for watching thanks for your very kind comments. I haven’t made any videos lately because I’ve been in the hospital for seven months. I miss the property so much!
Now i got to watch The series again. For The 34th Time. The scenery is so beautiful, and The music makes it Even better and the knowledge is just amazing . But i got the notification just now, Even tho its Been 3 weeks up. Much love from Finland, and keep em kWs running :)!
Don’t know why the notice took so long from YTube. I would think they go out as soon as it gets posted. Anyway, Thanks for watching and the very kind comment
Thanks so much. I appreciate the viewers and its fun to make the series. i worked in hwood for decades as a DP. Retired now, so this is a good way for me to continue with my lifelong passion for filmmaking and photography. Thanks for watching
AMAZING! I would LOVE to see a low head high volume build of a homebuild DIY water vortex power generator, not only is it safe for the environment but requires even less diversion or need to move the water to lower locations to get greater head pressures.. Either way I have watched this series from almost the beginning and it's utterly amazing the MEGAWatts of energy harnessed and used for heating and power a home...GREAT JOB!!!
I have someone local that has a property with potential. I'm thinking that a vortex system would be ideal for his site. We shall see if I can talk suppliers and him into venturing into the micro hydro realm and letting me document the process. In the meantime, I continue to search new topics and aspects to share. Someone just commented on MwH levels per year for our system and I found that we had nearly 39 MwH per year harnessed on average since moving to the creek. It was an awakening to figure those numbers out for the first time. Not bad to say the least. I do appreciate your support of the channel. thx for watching.
We are definitely blessed and I pinch myself every time I go outside and see the beauty. "How was I ever so lucky to get here" goes through my head. Thanks for watching
Thanks so much. I appreciate the viewers and its fun to make the series. i worked in hwood for decades as a DP. Retired now, so this is a good way for me to continue with my lifelong passion for filmmaking and photography. Thanks for watching
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 ua-cam.com/play/PLtTypVpmDd-vkT9bJQkXw4I1t0e_4jMYA.html The whole series is in about 25 videos.
Thanks so much. I appreciate the viewers and its fun to make the series. i worked in hwood for decades as a DP. Retired now, so this is a good way for me to continue with my lifelong passion for filmmaking and photography. Thanks for watching
Thx for watching. It gets hard to come up with new things to show on our now stable install, but I eventually want to document other peoples systems. Haven’t found one nearby yet
I absolutely love your channel...very glad to see you uploading a new video :) The scenery is amazing...no matter the time of year...it is always so beautiful there! Were those bunny tracks @6:34?
I have to admit that I get bored with a lot of the drone videos posted on youtube. This seemed a good application for the unit. The drone makes it so simple and we never really went up there this winter. It started out as a way to look for poaching hunters and evolved into checking the intake. Thanks for watching
Great to see an update and lot of beautiful shots. The auto drone setup is really smart. I wish you found ways to utilize the extra power grow plant? mine cryptocurrency? EV charging?
Thx for watching. Still may mine crypto someday, just not convinced it will pay out well. I had a viewer offer me some gear but we haven’t worked it out yet. Do plan to get an EV someday if can find a price/model that’s right
@@mrhydrohead I have not looked into the mining either but there is of course the hardware cost besides just power and of course your own time. Maybe you could buy HW cheap that is not as efficient and thus not good for people who has to pay for electricity. There are a lot of good EVs coming out in Europe at the moment and I am sure the US too but so far perhaps not ideal cars for somebody living where you are. The Rivian looks great but expensive. Personally I love gardening and would build a greenhouse and you could harvest food all year long with "free" electricity you really have some amazing options both heating the space and lighting the space in the darker months. Again glad to see an update and hope to hear from you again when spring arrives.
@@mrhydrohead If you do get an EV, or even if you want to talk to some owners before buying one, there is a Western Colorado EV Club. facebook.com/groups/1691902797561519/
Hmm. Roughly 3 Megawatts a year in power from a stream? Nice! Thank you for all that you have done to show the rest of us that micro hydro isn't a pipe dream (no pun intended).
I've looked back to when we first moved the system to the creek and we've averaged 38834.52 KwH per year since June of 2015 or 38.834 MwH per year. Something I just did not know or had ever calculated. A remarkable number. I usually only look at the KwH/daily number. Thanks for getting me curious and for watching
@@mrhydrohead I just read an article about Jimmy Carter where it mentioned his solar array produced 50% of the electricity for his town in GA. He produces 1.3MW of power per year. If you are doing roughly 10MW of power per year do you back feed into the grid or do you have something that consumes the excess? I'm just amazed at how much power is produced. Keep up the good work. I wish someone would do a case study on your setup and costs to show small towns/cities it can be done and it can save the environment and the taxpayers money in the short and long term.
Not sure but I think what that article would be referring to MegaWatts produced per hour. 1 MW would be 1000 KW. I was referring to KiloWatt Hours which adds the measure of time involved. There’s no way I’m generating enough power for a small town. Its a difference of terminology MwH vs MW and KwH vs KW. We do make a lot of juice cumulatively nonetheless. 😎
Thanks for the new video, I have watched all your videos.. it make me feel happy to hear how you explain ... I wish I have an land where there is water all year around and make use of it as you are..thanks again for the wonderful video of Micro Hydro power ...
Thanks so much. I appreciate the viewers and its fun to make the series. i worked in hwood for decades as a DP. Retired now, so this is a good way for me to continue with my lifelong passion for filmmaking and photography. Thanks for watching
Excellent set up. I suggest you add some cover to the stream bank near the pipe bridge to slow the erosion. Once a stream establishes a channel like that it will continue the erosion. Another thing that may work is to dig a channel on the other side of the creek and put the dirt and stone on the eroded side. Were there any problems with the local water use regulators? Was some kind of license required for the diversion?
Suggest you watch parts 20-1, 20-2, 20-3 first. That is a synopsis. Parts 1-5 are about our first system and parts 6-19 are the how-to of the redesign. If the music bothers you there are non-music versions of several in the 6-19 set. The early ones were low quality with quality improvement as time goes by. Thx for watching 😉
@@mrhydrohead No! I didn't jokening (like most of comments will say your setup is most simple and straightforward giving the challenges of terrain) and I would agree. I would really like to see exact topology of setup where you take and return resurse into a stream and some of crucial wiring (I would be satisfied even w/ drawing) so I can wrap my head around all! Why? Because I have alo a small creek which could be of same use to me (and I would like to make something like your setup) because of the flow of that creak. And because the power company becoming to gready (I would like more of technical piece) separated in individual content but w/ more detail in specific part) I know that is a task on it's own but I've literally watched your series at least 10x from start ti finish (if you asking me I thing that will proper transformer be the biggest problem + motor / generator at power house) if I decide to do something. Small parts w/ crucial details would be perfect - sorry you asked what info I need 😁 love simplicity of the build.
1st. Establish you have the legal rights to make an installation. 2nd. Measure head and seasonal flows. 3rd. Determine how much power is available and how much you really need. 4th. Design the system to fulfill those needs and as much of overhead for future needs as you feel you need. Every site is unique, so I'm not sure my specific measurements or equipment would be of use to you. Does your creek have large seasonal changes? If so what is the minimum that it can provide at the lowest flow during the year. I don't know what country or state you live in, so I don't know what sort of suppliers you have access to. Do you have sufficient head to go direct AC? 50hz or 60hz, what is the standard in your country? What voltage is standard? If insufficient head and pressure to do AC, then you would do DC with batteries and an inverter. How far does the power need to be transmitted to where it will be used? There is a good book to read "serious Micro Hydro" by Scott Davis. Available hardbound or Kindle from Amazon. www.amazon.com/Serious-Microhydro-Water-Solutions-Experts/dp/0865716382 It has numerous examples of both AC and DC systems taken from a magazine "Home Power" which were published over the years on the topic of Micro Hydro. Its a good place to start to acquire an understanding of how it all works. He edited another book "Microhydro: Clean Power from Water" which I haven't seen but assume is good. I learned the basics by taking a class at SEI in 1995 and then had any years of working with my first system to gain my understanding. www.solarenergy.org/micro-hydro-training/ Back then, the internet did not have the resources that exist today. They are numerous. In terms of how my house is wired, I wouldn't suggest doing it all yourself, but find a local electrician that understands the electrical codes in your area and get there guidance or advice. its pretty easy to kill someone or burn down your house if it isn't right. I don't know how I could have been more explicit or precise in the detail I put into the series without being too much information. The answers about process are there in the series, but you have to understand it is not a one size fits all sort of technology. There is an enormous amount of detail I have given over the years in the comments section to many other people. Reading through lots of comments may answer your specific questions. It all requires having an understanding of the basic principals and process and then making lots of choices specific to your own topography, water flow, power potential, power demand, peak demand, legal restrictions, and finances. Also, what materials are available in your area and where can you save costs because you will be paying for all future power up front and it won't be inexpensive? What is your budget for doing it all? Who will perform the work and what will they cost? How much of the work can you do yourself or with friends? My most earnest advice is to become as educated as you can with books and online resources before you go about actually doing anything. Do your study, measurements, and homework first. You will save yourself a great deal of money by planning specifically and not overbuilding a system that creates more power than you can use. I do appreciate your watching the videos numerous times and would like to help you, but making a specific video to give you detail that may not apply to your specific needs but suited my own is asking too much. The amount of time and effort I have put into the series and making each video is enormous and has taken years. I hope the series is useful and that you take this advice seriously to heart.
Unless the side the support is on is the one with the slow creep you can armor that section of creek bank with the fence rock sandwich. Turns the energy of the creek from moving dirt to trying to more the multi ton mat of rocks.
It’s complicated. We have passive solar design, some baseboard heaters, an in floor gycol system that has a propane boiler we rarely use and wood stoves of course. I have wanted to plumb another electric heater into the gycol system to use instead of the baseboard units which were considered temporary. Haven’t been able to get our plumber out to do that yet unfortunately. I should have put a heat pump loop in the trench for the electrics when it was open, but neglected to think of it at the time. We had -17 F the other night, no problem staying warm with a fire 🔥 Thx for watching
I’ve been away from our property for just over a year dealing with a medical crisis which befell me April 2020. While I’m still recovering our plan is to get back there late this month and put together a new vid shortly after. Thx for watching and your continued interest 🙏🏼
K, Thx for staying tuned. Anxious to get back there. We did have some changes take place in my absence. Plan is to document them upon our return. Best of luck with your future plans and dreams🙏🏼👍🏻✌🏼
Thank you for this update. Now I'll be on the look out for a good property with access to flowing water. BUT that can be hard to find here in Australia. Good to see all your hard work paying itself off. Also funny as I would have anticipated your winter heating power usage to be more of a draw. However, I suddenly realised that cooling draws more than heating. True?
Yeah finding the property can be the hardest part. 1st hydro system i saw in 80’s was on an aussie ranch. Got me started thinking 🤔 A good measure of our Winter heat comes from passive solar design with south facing windows and a prow on the roof for summer shade. Cooling? Well 8600 ft at night in summer with open windows at night keeps it all comfortable. Fresh clean air too. Best of luck in your search mate
1st. Establish you have the legal rights to make an installation. 2nd. Measure head and seasonal flows. 3rd. Determine how much power is available and how much you really need. 4th. Design the system to fulfill those needs and as much of overhead for future needs as you feel you need. Every site is unique, so I'm not sure my specific measurements or equipment would be of use to you. Does your creek have large seasonal changes? If so what is the minimum that it can provide at the lowest flow during the year. I don't know what country or state you live in, so I don't know what sort of suppliers you have access to. Do you have sufficient head to go direct AC? 50hz or 60hz, what is the standard in your country? What voltage is standard? If insufficient head and pressure to do AC, then you would do DC with batteries and an inverter. How far does the power need to be transmitted to where it will be used? There is a good book to read "serious Micro Hydro" by Scott Davis. Available hardbound or Kindle from Amazon. www.amazon.com/Serious-Microhydro-Water-Solutions-Experts/dp/0865716382 It has numerous examples of both AC and DC systems taken from a magazine "Home Power" which were published over the years on the topic of Micro Hydro. Its a good place to start to acquire an understanding of how it all works. He edited another book "Microhydro: Clean Power from Water" which I haven't seen but assume is good. I learned the basics by taking a class at SEI in 1995 and then had any years of working with my first system to gain my understanding. www.solarenergy.org/micro-hydro-training/ Back then, the internet did not have the resources that exist today. They are numerous. In terms of how my house is wired, I wouldn't suggest doing it all yourself, but find a local electrician that understands the electrical codes in your area and get there guidance or advice. its pretty easy to kill someone or burn down your house if it isn't right. I don't know how I could have been more explicit or precise in the detail I put into the series without being too much information. The answers about process are there in the series, but you have to understand it is not a one size fits all sort of technology. There is an enormous amount of detail I have given over the years in the comments section to many other people. Reading through lots of comments may answer your specific questions. It all requires having an understanding of the basic principals and process and then making lots of choices specific to your own topography, water flow, power potential, power demand, peak demand, legal restrictions, and finances. Also, what materials are available in your area and where can you save costs because you will be paying for all future power up front and it won't be inexpensive? What is your budget for doing it all? Who will perform the work and what will they cost? How much of the work can you do yourself or with friends? My most earnest advice is to become as educated as you can with books and online resources before you go about actually doing anything. Do your study, measurements, and homework first. You will save yourself a great deal of money by planning specifically and not overbuilding a system that creates more power than you can use.
Loved watching this series, we have the potential at our off grid cabins for about 250ft of fall and 100-150gpm i just wish we had the money to invest in making something a little smaller scale then this. Maybe someday. But keep posting updates i love these videos
Thanks for watching that sounds like a really good amount of fall and water. You should be able to do enough power to power most anything if it’s DC convert AC and you could also add Solar to it if it was not Enough. Thanks for watching
How small and simple do you want to go just to start with as proof of concept? You could add multiple units with a flow of 100-150gpm...... ua-cam.com/video/Xb6TIWub6KU/v-deo.html
I wonder if you could take the remaining water pressure and spin a compressor, to run a geo thermal system. seems to me spinning the compressor directly would be efficient way to heat home.
There is plenty of power to run a compressor with electricity but the cost of a geothermal system is way out of reach compared to simple resistive baseboard heaters. Also there is no excess water pressure and the powerhouse is 1200 feet from the house so it’s impractical anyway. Thanks for watching and for your suggestion.
Really love the drone footage! "Kind of sorry that you can't do any thing about the eroding every single spring... one wonder what type of options could be actually be used to stop the river from removing your land and constantly changing the topography of the land!
Yeah its a force of nature. I have thought about building gabion baskets with rock from right there. Might do it, but need to wait for early spring before the melt off comes in June. Might just be too much force to prevent the erosion regardless of what I try. Part of the problem is that the hillside is liquified and soaked by a spring or two 400 ft up the north side of the hill which make it all slide towards the raging waters. Thx for watching!
Shout out from New Hampshire, we are planning on finding specific property with a year round water source to do a similar hydro system. What drone do you use to do your killer videos?
Thx for watching! I have the first version of the DJI Magic pro and for anything requiring preprogrammed flight I use an app called Litchi. Best of luck for your search and your project. Be sure to investigate what sort of non consumptive water rights you may need to acquire. Every state has different rules and procedures.
Wow a commited viewer. Thanks for watching!! I appreciate the viewers and its fun to make the series. i worked in hwood for decades as a DP. Retired now, so this is a good way for me to continue with my lifelong passion for filmmaking and photography.
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and understanding of hydropower. I particularly enjoyed your explanation of you data taking and drone observations. You referred to megawatts produced as one of your displays...I'm wondering if that is megawatts or megawatt hours... Thanks again for you thoughtful and beautiful videos.
Yes you are right it is Megawatt hours. I also made a small mistake in the database display in the video. I mistakenly showed the KwH that gets calculated for 2 turns instead of 3 turns in that Est KwH/day field in the lower left hand of the numbers. All of them should have been 150% of the value shown. Opps, its hard to catch every mistake. Didn't notice until I had posted, so we shall see if anyone catches it and comments. Thanks for watching and the kind comment.
Awesome videos very informative! What drone are you using, I just am curious I have been starting with my mavic flight plans wondering if that was same.
Its difficult to find new topics to make videos on my own system here, but this was a cinch. Glad you liked it. More videos to follow. thx for watching
@@mrhydrohead hey... Thanks for sharing. Using the drone to turn something that I'm certain could be a daunting task into something so easy it's almost cheating. I was slow clapping for you when you started explaining what you were doing with the drone. I'm sure it probably seemed like a no-brainer considering you're the one who has to make that trip, but I don't know how many trips it would have to taken me before that light bulb went off in my head. Lol!
It started out with me thinking about doing surveillance for poaching hunters on our neighbors and our land. That was just flying a course, but then I got to thinking I could identify altitudes and specific way points. It doesn't always frame the view as well as in the example I've shown, but its certainly good enough to see if the waters are flowing properly. Takes about 10-12 minutes for a full flight and beats trudging through really deep snow with skis or snowshoes.
@@mrhydrohead *slow clapping* you sir, have just won the internet for best use of drone. It did a very good job filming on this day. Plus it'll pay for itself the first time you can catch an issue before it becomes a serious problem. If it hasn't already. I can't remember if that's your only power supply now, but if it is then you definitely wanna know right away if you have a possible issue in the works with the added benefit of being able to assess the situation and figure out what tools and materials you'll need before ever stepping foot off the porch. I always thought it'd be a good idea to have a wireless camera setup on all the major areas of concern, but I think this is even better. Wireless cameras don't always wanna cooperate in the cold and you may not have the equipment or service needed to run wireless cameras hundreds of feet away from the house. Anyway... Love your videos. Been a long time subscriber and always learn something new and interesting from you. So thank you for sharing!
BIG WIGGLE yes its our only source other than a gas generator we have. Provides most of our heat, so this time of year it IS critical. The intake is a good Half mile from the house, so this HAS been a good way to simply monitor any issues which might arise. I do appreciate the feedback. Have a good one. Cheers 🍻
This project is so inspiring! How did you file for your non-consumptive use right? Did you use an attorney, and did your case go to water court? Did you apply for the right before diverting the water and putting it to use, or the use before right? Finally, do all of your diversions go through your own land? I ask this last one because there's a small stream near me - smaller than yours - that I'd like to use for micro hydro, but the headrace channel would need to go through national forest land for a hundred yards or so. I'm wondering how I'd get the easement to put up the pipe and maintain for the short distance it would have to cross public land...
I initially used a lawyer for the rights on the spring water source (parts 1-5) but I was also seeking domestic, piscatorial (fish), and other rights. It did go through water court. First you file for rights and you are granted a “conditional“ right. This will last up to 7 years and can be extended additional 7 year periods by refiling. Once you show beneficial use you can file to make the rights “absolute” which means they are final and can’t be disputed and you don’t need to refile. When I filed on the creek water I learned I could forgo the lawyer fees by filing “pro se” which means by yourself. It isn’t all that complicated and you can figure it out by researching in depth and water commission people can be helpful to you. All our diversion paths do reside on property I own and that simplifies things. As far as getting forest service permission that may be difficult, although I have no first hand experience on that. I would think asking a water lawyer about that would provide a simple answer about if it’s possible to get that sort of easement. Hope this helps some and thanks for watching. If you subscribe there are upcoming videos currently being worked on.
@@mrhydrohead Thanks for your response! Did you need any kind of permit? Since your project isn't grid-tied, I suppose a FERC permit wasn't needed, but did you need to get a Nationwide permit? I appreciate you fielding these questions.
Internet has been down since Tuesday AM. Not sure when it will be back up. It reveals how reliant we’ve become on it. I’ll reply in detail once it is back
Internet is finally back! As I said, I filed pro se for and received a conditional water right ( in 2000 when Bush took office) and renewed it twice before I actually began construction in 2014 Each renewed filing gives you 7 years to prove the beneficial use of the water. This is with the regional water court. At least this is how it is in Colorado. I don’t know about other states. I did not file with FERC as the size and water source did not require it. I hope this info helps and my apologies for the slowness of response.
@@mrhydrohead I appreciate your response! I've been talking with a few large landowners in my area who have creeks on their land, and a few of them are open to the idea of hydropower on their land. I've identified one site that I'm particularly excited about, and have already begun working down all the licensing and legal paths I'll need to develop the site. This site has a 550 ft static head and will require a 4200ft pipeline to utilize the full potential. I may also be able to divert about 20cfs during spring runoff, generating about 500kW - I've set up gauging stations to determine the annual flow variability and to build a rudimentary model to correlate the flow on this tributary to the flow through a USGS gauge on the main stream. My next step is to start estimating construction costs. You're starting to branch out into documenting other hydro projects, do you have anyone I could contact regarding pipe sizing and pricing, as well as the turbine size and pricing? Thanks in advance!
Its great to be able to post a new video. I suffered a serious health setback that nearly killed me and I’ve been in recovery mode since April 2020. Not Covid thank god. Staph Sepsis, highly lethal. Doing better now and looking forward to doing an update on our own system and travelling about documenting others’ systems. Our Micro Hydro continues to chug along providing about 170kWh/day with our Winter settings. Like, Subscribe, and Share - It helps the channel grow. Thanks for watching this latest episode!
That might be a benefit. However we make so much more power than we can effectively utilize that adding efficiency isn’t necessary. Thx for watching and the suggestion!
Didn’t know there was a proper setting. Bought 4 of them surplus off ebay. No docs provided. Do you know the proper torque setting? If not I’ll look for that info. They seem fine Thx for watching
I find the drone surveillance really smart, do you have it on a timer, or manual start? When the winters are very hash, you could always install heating elements on the places where the frost doesn’t belong, you have the energy for it
If I document another turbine system it will be on someone else’s property. I might possibly install a second jet into my turbine to allow more water flow through the system. Right now I am limited to about 300 gallons per minute or 2/3 of one CFS. The second jet would enable me to maximize the available power from the system which would be 10 kW of continuous AC power. Thanks for watching
A pleasant and welcome surprise this Saturday morning! I have enjoyed your series. Have you documented your over all cost and break even point? Not trying to be nosy....just recognized some rather costly items in the building of your system, and I'm curious what you time is for ROI(compared to similarly sized home, on grid electrical use) and any annual maintenance cost. It is beautiful where you are, and if Im not mistaken not too far from my home one the Western Slope
@@mrhydrohead I did read through comments looking for this figure on most videos of the series, and I didn't see a cost breakdown. Did you ever get a solid number that you do not mind sharing? Sorry to hear you were in the hospital as well. Hope you're feeling better. Thanks for the inspiration. EDIT: I saw your response in another comment! Copying below. Leaving my comment for the algorithm, lol. " That initial system cost around 25k in 1996 dollars. We also got gravity pressurized domestic water and a pond for raising fish at that price. When we moved the existing equipment to the creek we incurred additional costs of around 55k in 2015 dollars because we needed a full redesign of penstock, powerhouse, transmission and load management. "
Original spring fed system ran about $25k in 1996, the rebuild onto the creek was an additional 55k. As you probably saw in other responses, those costs were compared to costs of bringing in utility lines at 140k in 1996 and 250-300k in 2015. So, a no brainer. Thx for watching and the get well thought. I’m out of hospital and in slow recovery from spinal injury.
Any suggestions on finding properties with water and proper head? Best I've come up with is just scour the realty sites and filter to only show water front properties, water views, and mountain views
Finding a suitable site isn't easy and I sort of lucked into it myself. Water on a property is one of the most crucial aspects to require in my view. Remember that high head isn't necessary if you have good year round flow. Its the combination of head/flow that indicates the potential power from the site. Even an output of 1kw if combined with batteries is 24kWh/day where 30kWh/day is what most US homes use on average. efficient lights and appliances help lower that too. There are lots of different methods of harnessing power, each one best suited to a particular head/flow/power need. Extensive research for the best method with save lots of money. I don't have specific ideas of how to search but you might ask these brokers if they have insights: livewaterproperties.com While their focus is on super expensive properties and hunting(which is not my thing) they may have ideas which may help. Sorry I don't have more to offer. Thanks for Watching!
Love your video as always. You seem to do a really thorough job of explaining all the factors that go into things, including stuff like erosion that I wouldn't have thought of. I always appreciate it when you explain the reasoning behind some of your decisions, it helps me understand so much better. :-) Love the idea of the drone to check on the intake, but I'm also a little curious/concerned about the flight path. Is there any collision-avoidance system if, say, a tree came down across the meadow right into your flight path? Or if a bird got curious and knocked the drone down when its only halfway back? Since I don't have a drone myself, I always wonder about that sort of thing.
Thx for the comment and watching. I try to my best at splainin' The drone gets programmed at elevations to avoid all that. It took a bit of trial and error to figure it out. It does have collision avoidance built in. Not in all directions, but forward and down yes. You need to stay below 400ft above the ground (AGL) to be legal and that isn't a problem. No trees are that high around here. Birds tend to just avoid the sound and hence the drone. If it crashes at some point I have a no deductible insurance policy that will replace it. I have crashed 3 or 4 times doing regular flying, but only lost a prop or two. In all a fun hobby that the FAA is eager to outlaw, but thats a few years away at earliest if it happens at all.
I’ve watched a lot of micro hydro videos, but your setup is by far the most comprehensive. Very impressed.
Its the most unique and has a shit load of power generation.
Thx for watching
I’ve seen others that are larger but haven’t gotten permission to film them yet. Would love to find a DC system document but no luck so far
@@mrhydrohead with ur style of vids.... I wish u could film them all and not give any locality details.... best kept as a secret. Water is so precious and I ain't no greenie either. :)
OffGrid Aussie Prepper™ Yup...water is life
I have never been as happy as when i saw you uploaded
That makes my day. Thx for watching
Your video series has been a big inspiration to me over the past years. It's also one of the reason why I decided to become a Civil Engineer. Thank you so much for the documentary videos that you have been making over the past years. Keep creating good videos and keep inspiring people like us. Thank you once again 🙏
That is, I think, the kindest comment I've ever received. Thank you so much. It makes the effort to share what I've learned all worth it. I wish you great good fortune in your life and work.
Update: Removing the stream inlet from harms way is a very clever approach to minimizing damage created by a nearly unpredictable stream flow. This is an excellent installation that serves your needs.
Thank you for the stunning scenery on your latest video. We intend to visit that area during our next Western trip.
That was absolutely beautiful and fascinating, thank you!
I bet the drone programming took a bit of trial and error - I once programmed mine to fly around a mountain based on google earth height info, but undershot and had to hike a mile up a 40 degree slope to find and rescue it from the trees!
Having a drone means I've climbed more trees after age 50 than I ever did as a kid!
Lesson - always go and measure the exact coordinates and altitude yourself first!
Yeah it did. I sort of refined the litchi path as i went along. Framing isn’t always perfect but it saves the trip up there. Haven’t had any crashes yet. At least not up there. 3 or 4 elsewhere. Haven’t had to climb anything to rescue so far, but best shots do come from flying close by things. Thx for watching
Have to ask what drone and program for it are you using??
Keith Robbins DJI Mavic Pro I with Litchi software control Thx for watching
Indian Guy working in Dubai - absolutely no chance to use hydropower, hell no flowing water attal where I live, still I watched the entire series
I worked as a meteorologist at the NWS in Grand Junction for 3 years. Spring melt flooding was always fun to work. Cool video!
This past year was a doozy of a melt off. Thx for watching
This project is absolutely fascinating and inspiring. After stumbling upon one of your videos this morning, I immediately went back to the beginning and watched every single one of them in one sitting. Hours later I am wishing there were hours more still to watch. Thank you for the time spent creating this series. I see so many comments regarding the cost and worth of such a project, to me the cost is irrelevant when you're given the opportunity to take a step back when its all finished and enjoy this project as a well thought out and complete working system. I know I would find myself spending an embarrassing amount of time in that powerhouse just watching the system operate.
Awesome update. I love how the drone is programmed to make a specific route-check. Amazing use of simple technology!
The drone makes it so simple and we never really went up there this winter. It started out as a way to look for poaching hunters and evolved into checking the intake. Thanks for watching
Farmers have drones that can fly over fields and spray them with insecticide. That is a pretty cool application too.
Definitely the best Hydro channel if you are interested in how to manage a complex system- Love the homestead property. Beautiful!
This channel is so underrated. Just one word WOW! Thanks for taking the time to share this with us!
Wow, I came for hydro information and also received a drone lesson and a photography lesson, thank you! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Most welcome. Thx for watching
Still comming back to this channel for inspiration and dreaming of one day being able to buy my own land and build my own hydro system. Thank you sir and I hope you and your family are doing well 😊
I love to get comments like this. It’s the reason I put the series together. I hope you are successful in manifesting that dream. It took me a long time to do it myself and it has been worth all the effort. Thanks for watching
Following you from Nairobi Kenya.
Thank you sir for the remarkably good engineering work and video documentation. I discovered your channel today and thanks to Covid-19 lock down, I had time to watch all your videos and I am thoroughly inspired. We have many streams and rivers without the problem of snow or ice. Many rural homes are still without electricity.
Consider touring our country and see lions and other big game. I shall be happy to take you around. Please continue uploading videos.
Thank you for the very kind comment. It’s someone like you that I made the series for. I just want to share everything I learned in doing my project. There are lots of different systems which can be best size to the source of water . flow and head will dictate the best equipment when priced out for the best cost.
@@mrhydrohead Thank you very much for your response. Looking forward to your next video.
My favourite ongoing youtube series! Keep us updated - Newcastle UK
Will do. Thx for watching
The fact that you were/are in the film business really shows. I'm loving the footage!
Thanks for the kind, and thanks for watching
cant wait for the 2022 update! these videos are very relaxing to watch and also very interesting too
Just posted a new one today. Its great to be able to post a new video. I suffered a serious health setback that nearly killed me and I’ve been in recovery mode since April 2020. Not Covid thank god. Staph Sepsis, highly lethal. Doing better now and looking forward to doing an update on our own system and travelling about documenting others’ systems. Our Micro Hydro continues to chug along providing about 170kWh/day with our Winter settings. Like, Subscribe, and Share - It helps the channel grow. Thanks for watching any new episodes!
@@mrhydrohead oh man sorry to year that you haven't been doing so good. But I'm glad you are better now since that sounds rough. I'll be sure to watch the new video when I have a moment. Also thanks for replying to my comment even though it was from ages ago, people on youtube don't usually have the time due to the nature of the platform. But its nice to have a wholesome response every once in a while. Anyway hope you continue to recover well and best wishes for the future.
Thank you for such beautiful images accompanied by renewable mechanisms...
Thx for watching
Yup, I could definitely retire there, beautiful views
I agree! Maybe some day (i hope) + I love his content
I love the land you live on. Beautiful scenery and its got to be very satisfying generating your own power from nature.
Oh yes definitely. Thx for watching
All while maintaining the balance of nature and keeping things beautiful and balanced, AMAZING!
Your hydro set up is impressive and equally impressive is your video quality. Very relaxing and you have a great voice for narration.
Also love the use the the drone. Great example of how they are more than just a toy.
Thanks for watching and the very kind comment comment
This may very well be my favorite series on UA-cam! Thank you!
Thanks so much. I appreciate the viewers and its fun to make the series. i worked in hwood for decades as a DP. Retired now, so this is a good way for me to continue with my lifelong passion for filmmaking and photography. Thanks for watching
Thank you for the update! I had to stop everything I was doing so I could watch this long-awaited video. All the best.
Wow a commited viewer. Thanks for watching!!
@@mrhydrohead Indeed. I work in the hydropower field as an engineer, so I really like seeing what you are doing out there.
Beautiful scenery and informative. Nice to see everything working as it should.
Thx for watching
I have always enjoyed watching your series and the scenery around your home is beautiful.
We do love it. I find the channel somewhat of an excuse to post the most beautiful things I see. Glad you liked it. More videos to follow. thx for watching
Fantastic use of the drone for remote inspection. Looks like it gets quite close to some of the branches.
It did take some trial & error and the framing isn’t always perfect but works quite well. Haven’t crashed it up there so far. Thx for watching
Always a pleasure! Your production quality continues to improve each time. Good luck with the erosion!
Thx for watching. We shall see how it works out.
Good thinking with the drone inspection!
Effortless, hassle-free inspection once you have the drone programmed properly!
Yes, it took a while to get a precise program but now it flies and reports back and it’s hassle free. Thanks for watching!
@@mrhydrohead If I may ask, are you using a DJI drone with the Litchi flight app? Thanks!
Best video series on the internet in regards to micro hydro power generation. Thank you sir. Beautifully crafted series with attention to detail and a more 'big picture' approach. Again, thank you.
Thanks so much. I appreciate the viewers and its fun to make the series. i worked in hwood for decades as a DP. Retired now, so this is a good way for me to continue with my lifelong passion for filmmaking and photography. Thanks for watching
Super underrated channel. Great content. Keep it up.
thanks for watching and the kind comment
It's just amazing how absolutely beautiful many parts of America are.
Yes indeed! Thx for watching 👀😉
A good day when MrHydro uploads, love the vids like always
Thx for watching 😉
Thank you so much for the update! Its great to see the system established and well running like this.
Thx for watching. It’s been running like a champion
just rewatched this video. Colorado is stunning, really want to visit. The local tourist board should use your video's! thank you
Colorado is gorgeous and so many different types of beauty. Thanks for watching thanks for your very kind comments. I haven’t made any videos lately because I’ve been in the hospital for seven months. I miss the property so much!
@@mrhydrohead Get better soon, can not wait for any new video's.
Sending good vibes.
In the natural forces on Earth if you don't go with the flow one tends to get swept aside. lol Thank you for your creativity and genius!
Yup. Thx for watching
Now i got to watch The series again. For The 34th Time. The scenery is so beautiful, and The music makes it Even better and the knowledge is just amazing . But i got the notification just now, Even tho its Been 3 weeks up. Much love from Finland, and keep em kWs running :)!
Don’t know why the notice took so long from YTube. I would think they go out as soon as it gets posted. Anyway, Thanks for watching and the very kind comment
This felt like a diary entry from Dances With Wolves... love your videos, keep up the good work.
Thanks so much. I appreciate the viewers and its fun to make the series. i worked in hwood for decades as a DP. Retired now, so this is a good way for me to continue with my lifelong passion for filmmaking and photography. Thanks for watching
AMAZING! I would LOVE to see a low head high volume build of a homebuild DIY water vortex power generator, not only is it safe for the environment but requires even less diversion or need to move the water to lower locations to get greater head pressures..
Either way I have watched this series from almost the beginning and it's utterly amazing the MEGAWatts of energy harnessed and used for heating and power a home...GREAT JOB!!!
I have someone local that has a property with potential. I'm thinking that a vortex system would be ideal for his site. We shall see if I can talk suppliers and him into venturing into the micro hydro realm and letting me document the process. In the meantime, I continue to search new topics and aspects to share. Someone just commented on MwH levels per year for our system and I found that we had nearly 39 MwH per year harnessed on average since moving to the creek. It was an awakening to figure those numbers out for the first time. Not bad to say the least.
I do appreciate your support of the channel. thx for watching.
It's been so long since I last watched! Glad to see a new video.
Thx for watching
Thanks for this - We aim to deploy these methods with our retreat we are going to build in the forest
Cool. Thx for watching
This must be one of the most beautiful places in the world! You are so lucky!
We are definitely blessed and I pinch myself every time I go outside and see the beauty. "How was I ever so lucky to get here" goes through my head. Thanks for watching
Great to see you have uploaded a new video. Made me want to visit Colorado.
It’s definitely a beautiful state. Thx for watching
your visual is impressive, beautiful shot. feeling like watching a documentary
Thanks so much. I appreciate the viewers and its fun to make the series. i worked in hwood for decades as a DP. Retired now, so this is a good way for me to continue with my lifelong passion for filmmaking and photography. Thanks for watching
Awesome video. Makes me wish I lived somewhere that's not totally flat.
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 ua-cam.com/play/PLtTypVpmDd-vkT9bJQkXw4I1t0e_4jMYA.html
The whole series is in about 25 videos.
Another fantastic video. Very cool how you programmed the drone to make your inspections.
Excellent use of the drone. Nice work.
Thanks so much and thanks for watching!
This is professional level drone video, I would watch any of your videos that feature the landscapes around your home throughout the seasons
Thanks so much. I appreciate the viewers and its fun to make the series. i worked in hwood for decades as a DP. Retired now, so this is a good way for me to continue with my lifelong passion for filmmaking and photography. Thanks for watching
Thank you for another wonderful video! I’m already looking forward for the next.
Thx for watching. It gets hard to come up with new things to show on our now stable install, but I eventually want to document other peoples systems. Haven’t found one nearby yet
What an edifying video, thank you
Thx for watching
@@mrhydrohead you are always welcome,just waiting for an update after a year
I’ve been watching since part 1. Love tour videos. Keep it up!!! 😀
Awesome series!! Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge.
Thx for watching
I absolutely love your channel...very glad to see you uploading a new video :)
The scenery is amazing...no matter the time of year...it is always so beautiful there!
Were those bunny tracks @6:34?
Thx for the kind words and watching. Yes on the bunny 🐰 or thats my best guess
Finally a useful application of drones :-)
I have to admit that I get bored with a lot of the drone videos posted on youtube. This seemed a good application for the unit. The drone makes it so simple and we never really went up there this winter. It started out as a way to look for poaching hunters and evolved into checking the intake. Thanks for watching
what a beautiful place there.
thx for watching
Great to see an update and lot of beautiful shots. The auto drone setup is really smart. I wish you found ways to utilize the extra power grow plant? mine cryptocurrency? EV charging?
Thx for watching. Still may mine crypto someday, just not convinced it will pay out well. I had a viewer offer me some gear but we haven’t worked it out yet. Do plan to get an EV someday if can find a price/model that’s right
@@mrhydrohead I have not looked into the mining either but there is of course the hardware cost besides just power and of course your own time. Maybe you could buy HW cheap that is not as efficient and thus not good for people who has to pay for electricity. There are a lot of good EVs coming out in Europe at the moment and I am sure the US too but so far perhaps not ideal cars for somebody living where you are. The Rivian looks great but expensive. Personally I love gardening and would build a greenhouse and you could harvest food all year long with "free" electricity you really have some amazing options both heating the space and lighting the space in the darker months. Again glad to see an update and hope to hear from you again when spring arrives.
@@mrhydrohead If you do get an EV, or even if you want to talk to some owners before buying one, there is a Western Colorado EV Club. facebook.com/groups/1691902797561519/
Hmm. Roughly 3 Megawatts a year in power from a stream? Nice! Thank you for all that you have done to show the rest of us that micro hydro isn't a pipe dream (no pun intended).
Disregard that previous calc. My mistake. I'll refigure and send you better numbers
I've looked back to when we first moved the system to the creek and we've averaged 38834.52 KwH per year since June of 2015 or 38.834 MwH per year. Something I just did not know or had ever calculated. A remarkable number. I usually only look at the KwH/daily number.
Thanks for getting me curious and for watching
@@mrhydrohead I just read an article about Jimmy Carter where it mentioned his solar array produced 50% of the electricity for his town in GA. He produces 1.3MW of power per year. If you are doing roughly 10MW of power per year do you back feed into the grid or do you have something that consumes the excess? I'm just amazed at how much power is produced. Keep up the good work. I wish someone would do a case study on your setup and costs to show small towns/cities it can be done and it can save the environment and the taxpayers money in the short and long term.
Not sure but I think what that article would be referring to MegaWatts produced per hour. 1 MW would be 1000 KW. I was referring to KiloWatt Hours which adds the measure of time involved. There’s no way I’m generating enough power for a small town. Its a difference of terminology MwH vs MW and KwH vs KW. We do make a lot of juice cumulatively nonetheless. 😎
Thank you for posting this update! I really appreciate it.
Thx for watching
Thanks for the new video, I have watched all your videos.. it make me feel happy to hear how you explain ... I wish I have an land where there is water all year around and make use of it as you are..thanks again for the wonderful video of Micro Hydro power ...
Thx for watching. Happy to share
Highest quality Micro Hydro Power video I've ever seen. Great work!
Thanks so much. I appreciate the viewers and its fun to make the series. i worked in hwood for decades as a DP. Retired now, so this is a good way for me to continue with my lifelong passion for filmmaking and photography. Thanks for watching
Liked, then watched!
Thx for watching
Excellent set up. I suggest you add some cover to the stream bank near the pipe bridge to slow the erosion. Once a stream establishes a channel like that it will continue the erosion. Another thing that may work is to dig a channel on the other side of the creek and put the dirt and stone on the eroded side.
Were there any problems with the local water use regulators? Was some kind of license required for the diversion?
just stumbled across this... subbed, will re-watch from beginning this weekend. thank you, looks interesting... "a german living in australia"
Suggest you watch parts 20-1, 20-2, 20-3 first. That is a synopsis. Parts 1-5 are about our first system and parts 6-19 are the how-to of the redesign. If the music bothers you there are non-music versions of several in the 6-19 set. The early ones were low quality with quality improvement as time goes by. Thx for watching 😉
Amazing drone footage, incredibly cool.
YES the video s back 😁I need more info | I've probably watched whole setup from start to finish 10x so far 🤣
Wow that’s commitment! Thx for watching. If you’re not joking what info do you need? 😎
@@mrhydrohead No! I didn't jokening (like most of comments will say your setup is most simple and straightforward giving the challenges of terrain) and I would agree. I would really like to see exact topology of setup where you take and return resurse into a stream and some of crucial wiring (I would be satisfied even w/ drawing) so I can wrap my head around all! Why? Because I have alo a small creek which could be of same use to me (and I would like to make something like your setup) because of the flow of that creak. And because the power company becoming to gready (I would like more of technical piece) separated in individual content but w/ more detail in specific part) I know that is a task on it's own but I've literally watched your series at least 10x from start ti finish (if you asking me I thing that will proper transformer be the biggest problem + motor / generator at power house) if I decide to do something. Small parts w/ crucial details would be perfect - sorry you asked what info I need 😁 love simplicity of the build.
1st. Establish you have the legal rights to make an installation. 2nd. Measure head and seasonal flows. 3rd. Determine how much power is available and how much you really need. 4th. Design the system to fulfill those needs and as much of overhead for future needs as you feel you need.
Every site is unique, so I'm not sure my specific measurements or equipment would be of use to you. Does your creek have large seasonal changes? If so what is the minimum that it can provide at the lowest flow during the year. I don't know what country or state you live in, so I don't know what sort of suppliers you have access to. Do you have sufficient head to go direct AC? 50hz or 60hz, what is the standard in your country? What voltage is standard? If insufficient head and pressure to do AC, then you would do DC with batteries and an inverter. How far does the power need to be transmitted to where it will be used?
There is a good book to read "serious Micro Hydro" by Scott Davis. Available hardbound or Kindle from Amazon. www.amazon.com/Serious-Microhydro-Water-Solutions-Experts/dp/0865716382
It has numerous examples of both AC and DC systems taken from a magazine "Home Power" which were published over the years on the topic of Micro Hydro. Its a good place to start to acquire an understanding of how it all works. He edited another book "Microhydro: Clean Power from Water" which I haven't seen but assume is good.
I learned the basics by taking a class at SEI in 1995 and then had any years of working with my first system to gain my understanding. www.solarenergy.org/micro-hydro-training/ Back then, the internet did not have the resources that exist today. They are numerous.
In terms of how my house is wired, I wouldn't suggest doing it all yourself, but find a local electrician that understands the electrical codes in your area and get there guidance or advice. its pretty easy to kill someone or burn down your house if it isn't right.
I don't know how I could have been more explicit or precise in the detail I put into the series without being too much information. The answers about process are there in the series, but you have to understand it is not a one size fits all sort of technology. There is an enormous amount of detail I have given over the years in the comments section to many other people. Reading through lots of comments may answer your specific questions.
It all requires having an understanding of the basic principals and process and then making lots of choices specific to your own topography, water flow, power potential, power demand, peak demand, legal restrictions, and finances. Also, what materials are available in your area and where can you save costs because you will be paying for all future power up front and it won't be inexpensive? What is your budget for doing it all? Who will perform the work and what will they cost? How much of the work can you do yourself or with friends?
My most earnest advice is to become as educated as you can with books and online resources before you go about actually doing anything. Do your study, measurements, and homework first. You will save yourself a great deal of money by planning specifically and not overbuilding a system that creates more power than you can use.
I do appreciate your watching the videos numerous times and would like to help you, but making a specific video to give you detail that may not apply to your specific needs but suited my own is asking too much. The amount of time and effort I have put into the series and making each video is enormous and has taken years.
I hope the series is useful and that you take this advice seriously to heart.
Unless the side the support is on is the one with the slow creep you can armor that section of creek bank with the fence rock sandwich. Turns the energy of the creek from moving dirt to trying to more the multi ton mat of rocks.
May do just that in the coming spring utilizing Gabion baskets and rock from the creek itself. thx for watching
What a beautiful slice of heaven.
We agree. Thx for watching
Extremely beautiful views of nature! What heating do you use, have you ever considered heat pumps?
It’s complicated. We have passive solar design, some baseboard heaters, an in floor gycol system that has a propane boiler we rarely use and wood stoves of course. I have wanted to plumb another electric heater into the gycol system to use instead of the baseboard units which were considered temporary. Haven’t been able to get our plumber out to do that yet unfortunately. I should have put a heat pump loop in the trench for the electrics when it was open, but neglected to think of it at the time. We had -17 F the other night, no problem staying warm with a fire 🔥 Thx for watching
Hopefully a part 22 update video will come out soon.
I’ve been away from our property for just over a year dealing with a medical crisis which befell me April 2020. While I’m still recovering our plan is to get back there late this month and put together a new vid shortly after. Thx for watching and your continued interest 🙏🏼
K, Thx for staying tuned. Anxious to get back there. We did have some changes take place in my absence. Plan is to document them upon our return. Best of luck with your future plans and dreams🙏🏼👍🏻✌🏼
Thank you for this update. Now I'll be on the look out for a good property with access to flowing water. BUT that can be hard to find here in Australia.
Good to see all your hard work paying itself off. Also funny as I would have anticipated your winter heating power usage to be more of a draw.
However, I suddenly realised that cooling draws more than heating. True?
Yeah finding the property can be the hardest part. 1st hydro system i saw in 80’s was on an aussie ranch. Got me started thinking 🤔
A good measure of our Winter heat comes from passive solar design with south facing windows and a prow on the roof for summer shade. Cooling? Well 8600 ft at night in summer with open windows at night keeps it all comfortable. Fresh clean air too.
Best of luck in your search mate
This video was largely enjoyable! Hope I can obtain land at some point with access to be able to do micro hydro power.
1st. Establish you have the legal rights to make an installation. 2nd. Measure head and seasonal flows. 3rd. Determine how much power is available and how much you really need. 4th. Design the system to fulfill those needs and as much of overhead for future needs as you feel you need.
Every site is unique, so I'm not sure my specific measurements or equipment would be of use to you. Does your creek have large seasonal changes? If so what is the minimum that it can provide at the lowest flow during the year. I don't know what country or state you live in, so I don't know what sort of suppliers you have access to. Do you have sufficient head to go direct AC? 50hz or 60hz, what is the standard in your country? What voltage is standard? If insufficient head and pressure to do AC, then you would do DC with batteries and an inverter. How far does the power need to be transmitted to where it will be used?
There is a good book to read "serious Micro Hydro" by Scott Davis. Available hardbound or Kindle from Amazon. www.amazon.com/Serious-Microhydro-Water-Solutions-Experts/dp/0865716382
It has numerous examples of both AC and DC systems taken from a magazine "Home Power" which were published over the years on the topic of Micro Hydro. Its a good place to start to acquire an understanding of how it all works. He edited another book "Microhydro: Clean Power from Water" which I haven't seen but assume is good.
I learned the basics by taking a class at SEI in 1995 and then had any years of working with my first system to gain my understanding. www.solarenergy.org/micro-hydro-training/ Back then, the internet did not have the resources that exist today. They are numerous.
In terms of how my house is wired, I wouldn't suggest doing it all yourself, but find a local electrician that understands the electrical codes in your area and get there guidance or advice. its pretty easy to kill someone or burn down your house if it isn't right.
I don't know how I could have been more explicit or precise in the detail I put into the series without being too much information. The answers about process are there in the series, but you have to understand it is not a one size fits all sort of technology. There is an enormous amount of detail I have given over the years in the comments section to many other people. Reading through lots of comments may answer your specific questions.
It all requires having an understanding of the basic principals and process and then making lots of choices specific to your own topography, water flow, power potential, power demand, peak demand, legal restrictions, and finances. Also, what materials are available in your area and where can you save costs because you will be paying for all future power up front and it won't be inexpensive? What is your budget for doing it all? Who will perform the work and what will they cost? How much of the work can you do yourself or with friends?
My most earnest advice is to become as educated as you can with books and online resources before you go about actually doing anything. Do your study, measurements, and homework first. You will save yourself a great deal of money by planning specifically and not overbuilding a system that creates more power than you can use.
Loved watching this series, we have the potential at our off grid cabins for about 250ft of fall and 100-150gpm i just wish we had the money to invest in making something a little smaller scale then this. Maybe someday. But keep posting updates i love these videos
Thanks for watching that sounds like a really good amount of fall and water. You should be able to do enough power to power most anything if it’s DC convert AC and you could also add Solar to it if it was not Enough. Thanks for watching
How small and simple do you want to go just to start with as proof of concept?
You could add multiple units with a flow of 100-150gpm......
ua-cam.com/video/Xb6TIWub6KU/v-deo.html
Have been through all the videos more then ones, and could easily watch some periodic inspections to. :-)
I’m always trying to think up new topics that will remain interesting. Thanks for watching. More to come
Beautiful footage, thanks for the video!
Thx for watching
Awesome! And so beautiful nature! Thanks!
Thx for watching
I wonder if you could take the remaining water pressure and spin a compressor, to run a geo thermal system. seems to me spinning the compressor directly would be efficient way to heat home.
There is plenty of power to run a compressor with electricity but the cost of a geothermal system is way out of reach compared to simple resistive baseboard heaters. Also there is no excess water pressure and the powerhouse is 1200 feet from the house so it’s impractical anyway. Thanks for watching and for your suggestion.
Really love the drone footage! "Kind of sorry that you can't do any thing about the eroding every single spring... one wonder what type of options could be actually be used to stop the river from removing your land and constantly changing the topography of the land!
Yeah its a force of nature. I have thought about building gabion baskets with rock from right there. Might do it, but need to wait for early spring before the melt off comes in June. Might just be too much force to prevent the erosion regardless of what I try. Part of the problem is that the hillside is liquified and soaked by a spring or two 400 ft up the north side of the hill which make it all slide towards the raging waters. Thx for watching!
Thank you for the update I really enjoyed series very well done and many details included thank you once again for sharing the update
Thanks for watching!
Shout out from New Hampshire, we are planning on finding specific property with a year round water source to do a similar hydro system. What drone do you use to do your killer videos?
Thx for watching! I have the first version of the DJI Magic pro and for anything requiring preprogrammed flight I use an app called Litchi. Best of luck for your search and your project. Be sure to investigate what sort of non consumptive water rights you may need to acquire. Every state has different rules and procedures.
This video was a nice surprise. Thanks for the great update
Thx for watching
Its a good day! You uploading just makes my week!
Wow a commited viewer. Thanks for watching!! I appreciate the viewers and its fun to make the series. i worked in hwood for decades as a DP. Retired now, so this is a good way for me to continue with my lifelong passion for filmmaking and photography.
@@mrhydrohead nice! Im happy you are still doing what you love and being green for the Earth!
Great project 👍🏻 best regards from Germany
Thx for watching!
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and understanding of hydropower. I particularly enjoyed your explanation of you data taking and drone observations. You referred to megawatts produced as one of your displays...I'm wondering if that is megawatts or megawatt hours...
Thanks again for you thoughtful and beautiful videos.
Yes you are right it is Megawatt hours. I also made a small mistake in the database display in the video. I mistakenly showed the KwH that gets calculated for 2 turns instead of 3 turns in that Est KwH/day field in the lower left hand of the numbers. All of them should have been 150% of the value shown. Opps, its hard to catch every mistake. Didn't notice until I had posted, so we shall see if anyone catches it and comments.
Thanks for watching and the kind comment.
Awesome videos very informative! What drone are you using, I just am curious I have been starting with my mavic flight plans wondering if that was same.
I have the first DJ I Mavic not the Mavic two but the original one. I use Litchi to do the program flight paths
That's one of the best drone uses I've see by far!!! That's awesome!!
Its difficult to find new topics to make videos on my own system here, but this was a cinch. Glad you liked it. More videos to follow. thx for watching
@@mrhydrohead hey... Thanks for sharing. Using the drone to turn something that I'm certain could be a daunting task into something so easy it's almost cheating. I was slow clapping for you when you started explaining what you were doing with the drone. I'm sure it probably seemed like a no-brainer considering you're the one who has to make that trip, but I don't know how many trips it would have to taken me before that light bulb went off in my head. Lol!
It started out with me thinking about doing surveillance for poaching hunters on our neighbors and our land. That was just flying a course, but then I got to thinking I could identify altitudes and specific way points. It doesn't always frame the view as well as in the example I've shown, but its certainly good enough to see if the waters are flowing properly. Takes about 10-12 minutes for a full flight and beats trudging through really deep snow with skis or snowshoes.
@@mrhydrohead *slow clapping* you sir, have just won the internet for best use of drone.
It did a very good job filming on this day. Plus it'll pay for itself the first time you can catch an issue before it becomes a serious problem. If it hasn't already. I can't remember if that's your only power supply now, but if it is then you definitely wanna know right away if you have a possible issue in the works with the added benefit of being able to assess the situation and figure out what tools and materials you'll need before ever stepping foot off the porch. I always thought it'd be a good idea to have a wireless camera setup on all the major areas of concern, but I think this is even better. Wireless cameras don't always wanna cooperate in the cold and you may not have the equipment or service needed to run wireless cameras hundreds of feet away from the house. Anyway... Love your videos. Been a long time subscriber and always learn something new and interesting from you. So thank you for sharing!
BIG WIGGLE yes its our only source other than a gas generator we have. Provides most of our heat, so this time of year it IS critical. The intake is a good Half mile from the house, so this HAS been a good way to simply monitor any issues which might arise. I do appreciate the feedback. Have a good one. Cheers 🍻
This project is so inspiring! How did you file for your non-consumptive use right? Did you use an attorney, and did your case go to water court? Did you apply for the right before diverting the water and putting it to use, or the use before right? Finally, do all of your diversions go through your own land? I ask this last one because there's a small stream near me - smaller than yours - that I'd like to use for micro hydro, but the headrace channel would need to go through national forest land for a hundred yards or so. I'm wondering how I'd get the easement to put up the pipe and maintain for the short distance it would have to cross public land...
I initially used a lawyer for the rights on the spring water source (parts 1-5) but I was also seeking domestic, piscatorial (fish), and other rights. It did go through water court. First you file for rights and you are granted a “conditional“ right. This will last up to 7 years and can be extended additional 7 year periods by refiling. Once you show beneficial use you can file to make the rights “absolute” which means they are final and can’t be disputed and you don’t need to refile. When I filed on the creek water I learned I could forgo the lawyer fees by filing “pro se” which means by yourself. It isn’t all that complicated and you can figure it out by researching in depth and water commission people can be helpful to you. All our diversion paths do reside on property I own and that simplifies things. As far as getting forest service permission that may be difficult, although I have no first hand experience on that. I would think asking a water lawyer about that would provide a simple answer about if it’s possible to get that sort of easement.
Hope this helps some and thanks for watching. If you subscribe there are upcoming videos currently being worked on.
@@mrhydrohead Thanks for your response! Did you need any kind of permit? Since your project isn't grid-tied, I suppose a FERC permit wasn't needed, but did you need to get a Nationwide permit? I appreciate you fielding these questions.
Internet has been down since Tuesday AM. Not sure when it will be back up. It reveals how reliant we’ve become on it. I’ll reply in detail once it is back
Internet is finally back! As I said, I filed pro se for and received a conditional water right ( in 2000 when Bush took office) and renewed it twice before I actually began construction in 2014 Each renewed filing gives you 7 years to prove the beneficial use of the water. This is with the regional water court. At least this is how it is in Colorado. I don’t know about other states. I did not file with FERC as the size and water source did not require it. I hope this info helps and my apologies for the slowness of response.
@@mrhydrohead I appreciate your response! I've been talking with a few large landowners in my area who have creeks on their land, and a few of them are open to the idea of hydropower on their land. I've identified one site that I'm particularly excited about, and have already begun working down all the licensing and legal paths I'll need to develop the site. This site has a 550 ft static head and will require a 4200ft pipeline to utilize the full potential. I may also be able to divert about 20cfs during spring runoff, generating about 500kW - I've set up gauging stations to determine the annual flow variability and to build a rudimentary model to correlate the flow on this tributary to the flow through a USGS gauge on the main stream. My next step is to start estimating construction costs. You're starting to branch out into documenting other hydro projects, do you have anyone I could contact regarding pipe sizing and pricing, as well as the turbine size and pricing? Thanks in advance!
Hope all is well .......cheers
Its great to be able to post a new video. I suffered a serious health setback that nearly killed me and I’ve been in recovery mode since April 2020. Not Covid thank god. Staph Sepsis, highly lethal. Doing better now and looking forward to doing an update on our own system and travelling about documenting others’ systems. Our Micro Hydro continues to chug along providing about 170kWh/day with our Winter settings. Like, Subscribe, and Share - It helps the channel grow. Thanks for watching this latest episode!
your hydro system is the best i have seen
Thx for watching
just watched all the videos
Thx for watching
Wow this is fascinating! I will watch the whole thing, thank you.
Thanks for watching.
I have missed your uploads!
It s been tough to find new topics on a system that is so stable. Plan is to find an promote other systems of interest. thx for watching.
Instead of "V" belts try power bands (cogged belts) ! Power bands will give you an increase in efficiency of 10% by eliminating "V" belt slippage.
That might be a benefit. However we make so much more power than we can effectively utilize that adding efficiency isn’t necessary. Thx for watching and the suggestion!
Did you properly torque the bands on the Husky couplings that replaced the Fernco's?
Didn’t know there was a proper setting. Bought 4 of them surplus off ebay. No docs provided. Do you know the proper torque setting? If not I’ll look for that info. They seem fine
Thx for watching
I find the drone surveillance really smart, do you have it on a timer, or manual start? When the winters are very hash, you could always install heating elements on the places where the frost doesn’t belong, you have the energy for it
And you could always install extra sunpower collectors on you roofs. When the snow falls, just heat the panels up.
I just periodically fly it manually to check it. Thx for watching
Been thinking about something like this for our roof where we get ice dams forming on the shaded north facing valleys.
Hey how is it going nowa days with the micro hydro power system?
Running just great. I spent 13 months away from the property healing from sepsis, hence I’ve been slow to post an update. Working on one now
@@mrhydrohead Wow, never hear about sepsis before and I just looked it up. It really doesn't sound good. I hope you will get better soon!
Hey there! You have mentioned to install anther turbine, how much power do you need now? What are your plans for future consumption?
If I document another turbine system it will be on someone else’s property. I might possibly install a second jet into my turbine to allow more water flow through the system. Right now I am limited to about 300 gallons per minute or 2/3 of one CFS. The second jet would enable me to maximize the available power from the system which would be 10 kW of continuous AC power. Thanks for watching
Thanks for the very interesting and well made videos....
Thx for watching
A pleasant and welcome surprise this Saturday morning!
I have enjoyed your series. Have you documented your over all cost and break even point? Not trying to be nosy....just recognized some rather costly items in the building of your system, and I'm curious what you time is for ROI(compared to similarly sized home, on grid electrical use) and any annual maintenance cost.
It is beautiful where you are, and if Im not mistaken not too far from my home one the Western Slope
Long answer that I have formulated many times. Was going to cut/paste for you. Instead I’ll rewrite it, but tomorrow. Ill get back to you 😉
@@mrhydrohead
I did read through comments looking for this figure on most videos of the series, and I didn't see a cost breakdown. Did you ever get a solid number that you do not mind sharing?
Sorry to hear you were in the hospital as well. Hope you're feeling better. Thanks for the inspiration.
EDIT: I saw your response in another comment! Copying below. Leaving my comment for the algorithm, lol.
"
That initial system cost around 25k in 1996 dollars. We also got gravity pressurized domestic water and a pond for raising fish at that price.
When we moved the existing equipment to the creek we incurred additional costs of around 55k in 2015 dollars because we needed a full redesign of penstock, powerhouse, transmission and load management.
"
Original spring fed system ran about $25k in 1996, the rebuild onto the creek was an additional 55k. As you probably saw in other responses, those costs were compared to costs of bringing in utility lines at 140k in 1996 and 250-300k in 2015. So, a no brainer. Thx for watching and the get well thought. I’m out of hospital and in slow recovery from spinal injury.
Any suggestions on finding properties with water and proper head? Best I've come up with is just scour the realty sites and filter to only show water front properties, water views, and mountain views
Finding a suitable site isn't easy and I sort of lucked into it myself. Water on a property is one of the most crucial aspects to require in my view. Remember that high head isn't necessary if you have good year round flow. Its the combination of head/flow that indicates the potential power from the site. Even an output of 1kw if combined with batteries is 24kWh/day where 30kWh/day is what most US homes use on average. efficient lights and appliances help lower that too. There are lots of different methods of harnessing power, each one best suited to a particular head/flow/power need. Extensive research for the best method with save lots of money.
I don't have specific ideas of how to search but you might ask these brokers if they have insights:
livewaterproperties.com While their focus is on super expensive properties and hunting(which is not my thing) they may have ideas which may help. Sorry I don't have more to offer.
Thanks for Watching!
loved the series, thanks
So glad!
Love your video as always. You seem to do a really thorough job of explaining all the factors that go into things, including stuff like erosion that I wouldn't have thought of. I always appreciate it when you explain the reasoning behind some of your decisions, it helps me understand so much better. :-)
Love the idea of the drone to check on the intake, but I'm also a little curious/concerned about the flight path. Is there any collision-avoidance system if, say, a tree came down across the meadow right into your flight path? Or if a bird got curious and knocked the drone down when its only halfway back? Since I don't have a drone myself, I always wonder about that sort of thing.
Thx for the comment and watching. I try to my best at splainin'
The drone gets programmed at elevations to avoid all that. It took a bit of trial and error to figure it out. It does have collision avoidance built in. Not in all directions, but forward and down yes. You need to stay below 400ft above the ground (AGL) to be legal and that isn't a problem. No trees are that high around here. Birds tend to just avoid the sound and hence the drone. If it crashes at some point I have a no deductible insurance policy that will replace it. I have crashed 3 or 4 times doing regular flying, but only lost a prop or two. In all a fun hobby that the FAA is eager to outlaw, but thats a few years away at earliest if it happens at all.
@@mrhydrohead Thanks for the reply, that answers my questions. Glad to hear that it isn't a huge risk. I know drones can be expensive. :-)