# maplin 50w wind turbine ???



## pianosonic

Hi
   Has anyone tried the maplin wind turbine generator for motorhomes.?Is it any good? Looks a interesting gadget maybe a alternative to solar panels.I havnt seen one before.
                             regards terry


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## maingate

I have an 80 watt Rutland windcharger. You have to remember that a windcharger will only give its maximum capacity in gale force winds.

Even then, if the air is turbulent then you will not get anywhere near maximum.

We tend to stick to coastal areas and it does operate nicely in a stiff breeze but is only putting as trickle charge back into the batteries. That is why I also have a 90 watt solar panel.

Get a solar panel would be my advice.


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## sasquatch

They can also be very noisy!! Almost as bad as a genny


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## maingate

Sorry Saquatch but that is not the case any more. I know that some of the older ones did. My Rutland gives off a very low hum at high speed. You have to be outside, standing beside it to hear it.

If I ever get the spare time (I am retired and very busy nowadays) I intend to make my own wind turbine. I will experiment with making my own turbine blades and I bet they will be noisy.

There is a gap in the market for a small wind turbine. 80 watts is too small to be practical and the next size up is a bit too bulky. I do have the room for the bigger one but I could have had 2 big solar panels fitted for the same price.


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## edina

*Why substitute for solar panels?*

I have had experience of wind gennys on boats and would not want to fit one to my van. To get a decent output you need a large genny and a lot of wind. If however you are set on that route I would definitely go for Rutland and not a cheapy from Maplins.
We live on a narrowboat in the UK for the summer and take the van down south for the winter so producing leccy is important for us. Our solar panels just sit there producing electricity without having to mount them at every stop and trail wires everywhere then dismount them and store them somewhere when we move on. The only maintenance they need is a quick wipe over to keep them clean, though with the rain we had in Portugal last winter they were virtually self cleaning!
Good luck with whatever choice you make.


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## maingate

Hi edina,

I do not mind setting up the wind turbine, it only takes a few minutes.

There is a lot of truth in what you say but I get to meet a lot of people since I got the Rutland 504. They cannot resist coming over and asking about it.

I believe I can make up a much better small, yet fairly powerful wind turbine. Certainly better for a motorhome application, as there was nothing suitable when I was looking for one. I have noticed that there are a couple of new ones on the market now but I have not had a chance to investigate.


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## Dennis Edwards

*Maplins Vertical Axis Wind Turbine.*

S





pianosonic said:


> Hi
> Has anyone tried the maplin wind turbine generator for motorhomes.?Is it any good? Looks a interesting gadget maybe a alternative to solar panels.I havnt seen one before.
> regards terry


 
Hi.
I ordered mine in July this year, it was delivered 27 September. I did a few tests which you might find of interest.
I turned a fan on it, quite a powerful one: nothing happened, the turbine didn't turn. I took it outside on a breezy day: trees & branches moving: no movement what so ever. My advice? Save your money.


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## maingate

Hi Dennis,

Your little experiment means nothing. I did exactly the same as you when I first got mine.

Mount it as high as possible on a pole. None of them work well in turbulent air so it will be hopeless if you are surrounded by trees and houses. We normally wildcamp on the coast anyway and get better operating conditions.

For what it is worth, I have just been on the Northumberland coast for a few days and I had my turbine and solar panel operating. They work differently. A solar panel will bang in the charge under ideal conditions but are useless at night. The wind turbine puts in a lower rate of charge but will do it for as long as the wind blows. The only time I have seen a big difference to my batteries in a short time was during gale force winds in Scotland recently.

My turbine is rated at 80 watts but if you were to half that, it would be more realistic. Your 50 watt Maplins one will probably be no better.


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## Mastodon

Similar results to Maingate... We have the little Rutland 503 gen and an 80w solar panel. Most of our winter camping is on the W coast of Scotland which is often breezy. The gen needs 5kts just to get going and a few knots more for a decent charge so it's not often being useful, but it does work at night. I've made a new mount for the solar panel to allow it to tip up and make the most of low sun angles - this can result in a 60% improveement in efficiency, so between the 2 we can stay off grid.


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## maingate

Hi Mastodon,

I have not mounted my solar panel on the roof either. I made a wooden frame inside the garage. I open the small rear door and it slides out and I prop it up. Like you we wildcamp in Winter plus we have to get a very big van into some tight places and it would get damaged eventually.


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## Byronic

maingate said:


> Hi Mastodon,
> 
> I have not mounted my solar panel on the roof either. I made a wooden frame inside the garage. I open the small rear door and it slides out and I prop it up. Like you we wildcamp in Winter plus we have to get a very big van into some tight places and it would get damaged eventually.



Does this not mean that you can omly have the panel out whilst you're close by keeping an eye out for the local tea leaf? Also you'd always have to make certain a sudden wind gust doesn't take the panel?


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## maingate

Hi Byronic,

The panel has already blown over once but they are tougher than they look and it is fine. I have now made a small mod to ensure if it blows over again, it will not fall face down but since it happened, I am more aware of the problem.

We do put the panel away when we leave the van but that is not a problem. I only need to open the rear locker door and slide it back in. The places we stay are very quiet anyway. I reckon that I would get less input from the solar panel if it was on the roof, especially in winter so it is a trade off.


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## Mastodon

maingate said:


> Hi Mastodon,
> 
> I have not mounted my solar panel on the roof either. I made a wooden frame inside the garage. I open the small rear door and it slides out and I prop it up. Like you we wildcamp in Winter plus we have to get a very big van into some tight places and it would get damaged eventually.



Mine is actually on the roof but thanks to a cunning design sits flush with the roof bars and is lower than the highest point of the van. Setting the angle involves the previously mentioned furtling through the heki. In 'normal' "summer" conditions it stays flat and does fine.


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## maingate

I like a good furtle myself but the wife is not so keen.

It must be an age thing.


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## Mastodon

maingate said:


> I like a good furtle myself but the wife is not so keen.
> 
> It must be an age thing.


I can fettle as well, though this is probably illegal in the Home Counties. Sithee.


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## syldale

*Windchargers*



pianosonic said:


> Hi
> Has anyone tried the maplin wind turbine generator for motorhomes.?Is it any good? Looks a interesting gadget maybe a alternative to solar panels.I havnt seen one before.
> regards terry


 hi pianosonice. my advice save your money and buy the biggest solar panel you can get on your roof we had a 85 watts but found it no good for England changed it to 120 watts even on a dull day it still puts out  and all for £385. happy camping


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## John H

We too have a solar panel on the roof - 80 watts - and we are very pleased with it. The problem is that we obviously use most power at night when the solar panel is not operating. We have asked many people about wind turbines but the prevailing answer seems to be that they are very expensive and generate little power. This view seems to be matched by most posters here - and I do not have maingate's expertise to start building one myself. I am still hoping that one day they will be more efficient and more affordable because in principal the idea is great.


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## muddy4x4

*Silent Wind Turbine?*

A friend of mine in Kent lives totally off the grid in their eco-home. They have a very large bank of solar panels and have had a silent wind turbine installed a few months ago. It really is clever. They are custom made. 

Silent Wind Turbine - by Luethi Enterprises. Patented vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT)

Worth a look if you fancy something different!

Graham


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## maingate

I like the look of that Luethi wind turbine. A scaled down one would be ideal for a m/home because of the efficiency in low wind conditions.

There must be some Chinese blood in me, I am already thinking about copying the idea.


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## John H

I think if I tried to put that on my van it would fall over! But it is interesting to read how efficient they can be nowadays - maybe it won't be long before we can get one specifically designed for a motorhome - either that or I'll put in an order with Maingate Intenational Chinese Engineering (MICE for short)!


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## chrisinbrighton

*wind gen*

i use i rutland 913 not at all noisy vibrations a bit i gale force winds i filled my steel pole with silicon ok makes it slightly heavier but stops any vibration i mounted mine on a pivot attached to back step to enable me to lower it even in high winds if moving on the wind gen keeps my batteries topped up at night on dull days when my 2 85w solar panels arnt active the 913 will charge upto 20 ah but mostly 1 to 3 in a moderate breeze if anyone wants to know more please let me know i live in my camper 365 days a year and never have power probs ive tv dvd satellite laptop erberspacher heating stereo phone chargers led lighting ect have 2 x 125 amp batteries


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