Real World Conditions - Weather Proofing

[Tim McMurran]

Looking for ideas to prevent these types of conditions on our other turbines. The image below is of a Whisper 100. As best as we can tell the three forged bolts which held the magnet can in place sheared off inside the hub. The can was held in place by magnetic force thus permitted water build up to create rusting and eventual cracking of some of the magnets. It has been suggested to spay a clear marine varnish inside on the stator to help with rust, or a Teflon based coating.

Southwest has stated that they are sending out a replacement turbine, and I really do not want the same to happen to it either. This unit was only flying for seven to eight months when this was caught due to a no spin. If it would have been a no wind day this would not have been caught due to the second unit providing charge. Luck of the draw I guess.

Any ideas on which would be best to use for this process?

[Tim McMurran]

Well after two weeks, Southwest has still to as much as offer a tracking number for the replacement they stated would be sent for the unit seen above. I am starting to think that Southwest Wind Power has some issues, and not just with the turbines but also with the business unit. Email and phone calls to AZ can be costly. I have sat on hold for 2 hours and fourty-five mins before I gave up, waited weeks to obtain a reply informing me that due to the amount of complaints it takes them a little bit longer to get back to people. If they have that many owners calling or emailing, you would think that they would correct the problems with either the hardware or staffing levels.

This from a company that was just given a ten million dollars in tax payers money. Someone is patting someones back here, and it is not the consumers.

No wonder people in North America are now looking to purchase from the EU or Asia. At least they tend to back what they sell.

[Ralph Day]

Tim,
2 hours and 45 minutes on hold? You must have a great long distance plan or the patience of Job:amazed:

Were you aware that SWWP makes marine models, which are recommended for on shore installations? I didn't until Mario deCastris (another member) told me. His first SWWP unit failed just like yours.

Ralph

[Tim McMurran]

Tim,
2 hours and 45 minutes on hold? You must have a great long distance plan or the patience of Job:amazed:

Were you aware that SWWP makes marine models, which are recommended for on shore installations? I didn't until Mario deCastris (another member) told me. His first SWWP unit failed just like yours.

Ralph

What are the real differences with the marine unit vers the land? Is it just a matter of marine varnish and stainless parts with the case powder coated? I have searched in vain to find images of the marnie version but have not been able to locate any just yet.

I did learn today that SWWP has sent the replacement out, but I just might sell it and look into something a little more robust. The original unit I have been able to salvage to the point that it can be flown again, so now I have an extra unit as a back up. That is unless anyone is interested in two Whisper 100 turbines :)

[Ralph Day]

Sorry Tim,
I'm only passing on what Mario told me about marine units. I would hope it would mean stainless steel fasteners, powder coating and good marine varnish over windings perhaps.

Hearing what your conditions are like makes me more comfortable with my setup here in Ontario. Gusty, but probably never over 95km/hr. When it gets really windy I just pretend it's like night time (can't see the turbine) and don't look at it sway on the top of the pole.

Ralph

[Tim McMurran]

Sorry Tim,
I'm only passing on what Mario told me about marine units. I would hope it would mean stainless steel fasteners, powder coating and good marine varnish over windings perhaps.

Hearing what your conditions are like makes me more comfortable with my setup here in Ontario. Gusty, but probably never over 95km/hr. When it gets really windy I just pretend it's like night time (can't see the turbine) and don't look at it sway on the top of the pole.

Ralph

No worries ;-) I think before this replacement unit goes back up I will invest in a little extra protection in an attempt to keep out the nasty elements. The only real wind damage I have seen was to the blade straps. They have bent ever so slightly so that you need to lay them on a flat surface to even notice.

The windings seem fine, rather the stator took the brunt of the rusting. This might have been due to the weaker bolts on the magnet can letting go, and permitting the magnets to come into contact with it rubbing off any protective coating that might have been present. I think that as part of preventative work I will remove the magnet can every three months to inspect it and apply coatings as required. I had been told that a good teflon spary will mitigate most damage like this if you keep up with it.