Wind power

[vsheetz]

A wind power generator for an RV would be limited by the physical installation. The actual size and mounting of the wind generator would be hard to so and for minimal performance a height of 30' or greater is typically recommended. And then one needs to consider how much wind is available in any given location.

Solar is the way to go for a MH.

[Hooligan]

Ed is correct. It's a 12 volt system, to charge the batteries you need a 12 volt charging system. If you have two 6 volt batteries in series you just made a 12 volt battery. Now --if you want to use a 6 volt charger, you could only charge one battery at a time, not very efficient.

The article in Triker's post is good info..Thanks

[RVBaby]

Wow! You guys are amazing! Thanks for your input! At first I thought wind power is not worth pursuing but now I wonder.... Anyone know the cost of purchasing and installing it, the length of time it takes to charge those coupled 6 volt batteries and can the "wind" be produced as I drive the coach down the road?

[homeless]

Good for the last post, I have always wondered why wind power always had to be considered in a fix location. I got to think going down the road with a turbine that could handle the wind speed would be an option???

[az bound]

Originally Posted by RVBaby

Wow! You guys are amazing! Thanks for your input! At first I thought wind power is not worth pursuing but now I wonder.... Anyone know the cost of purchasing and installing it, the length of time it takes to charge those coupled 6 volt batteries and can the "wind" be produced as I drive the coach down the road?

I do not know of any that can be used while driving, but there may be some. Many have a governor that applies a brake if the wind speeds are to high, to prevent destroying the bearings.
Prices start around $250. and go up from there depending on features and wattage.
Too many variables to determine charging time.

[dieselclacker]

Originally Posted by RVBaby

Wow! You guys are amazing! Thanks for your input! At first I thought wind power is not worth pursuing but now I wonder.... Anyone know the cost of purchasing and installing it, the length of time it takes to charge those coupled 6 volt batteries and can the "wind" be produced as I drive the coach down the road?

No need for a wind powered battery charging system as you drive down the road. Your vehicles alternator charges them.

[RVBaby]

well of course they are being charged as I drive down the road!duh! Lol! Sometimes I just fail to think things through! But again, thank you all for your input!

[CapnMorgan]

Here is one:
Low Tech RVing: Inexpensive Do-it-Yourself Wind Turbine for Your RV

And you see them on sailboats all the time.
About.com: http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/wind-sun/Air-X.pdf

Another article
RVers Go Green With Wind Power

[ralphie]

Correct; my neighbor has a new Tiffin with two 6v batteries. His electric lasts a bit longer than mine with two 12v batteries. WRT wind power, I noticed a fairly large but apparently portable wind generator on an RV in an adjacent boondock CG; I'll see if I can stop in and ask him how he's doing. We have fairly strong ENE winds in Key West this time of year, generally 10-15mph or more daily. I've also noticed many boats in the KW moorings sporting wind generators.

[Ed-Sommers]

Originally Posted by ralphie

Correct; my neighbor has a new Tiffin with two 6v batteries. His electric lasts a bit longer than mine with two 12v batteries. WRT wind power, I noticed a fairly large but apparently portable wind generator on an RV in an adjacent boondock CG; I'll see if I can stop in and ask him how he's doing. We have fairly strong ENE winds in Key West this time of year, generally 10-15mph or more daily. I've also noticed many boats in the KW moorings sporting wind generators.

At that wind speed, the wind generators that even have a prop turning just may have some readable voltage being generating, but amperage would be just about non existent.

Ed

[az bound]

Originally Posted by RVBaby

As I gleefully sat in my "new" mh enjoying my very first camping trip I noticed a small white thingy spinning on top of my "neighbors" fancy coach. I had no clue what this was but it made me start to wonder if wind power could be used to charge the 6 volt batteries? I have been trying to grasp an understanding of solar power so perhaps someone out there might have an answer for me about wind power!

Wind power is a viable option. I have one that was purchased about 20 years ago.
I have since switched to solar mounted on the roof because of the hassle of having to set up the wind generator, make the connections and storage issues when traveling. In most cases the blades will have to be removed.
It takes a substantial tripod or pole to support a wind genny and guy wires to secure it. To get the best performance, the higher off the ground, the better.
Its not just a matter of hooking up the power leads and charging batteries. A controller is also needed to keep from over charging the battery bank.
The advantage is it will make power day and night as long as there is wind.
In my opinion, solar is the better investment for a portable situation, and one can build a solar system in increments as desired, with no assembly and dis-assembly every time.

[Caveman CBB]

I don't know about wind power for RV's but there is a wind generator company renting land on my farm land and it starts producing electricity at anything over 5mph. But, that's a whole different sort of animal really.

[Kayjulia]

I would be interested in the experiences of some sailors who have wind generators on their sailboats. Of course wind over water has different characteristics than over land. Still some sailboats have both wind and PV to keep the battery banks full-weather doesn't always cooperate for either one of these to charge the batteries.

The increase in efficiencies of energy use of electronics, lighting and energy production make PV panels a better choice, IMHO. Two things that I have noticed about wind turbines on boats were the noise and the vibration, these could be problematic for some people when they compare the silence of PV panels. An interesting topic to research.

[ruffian]

The little "Thingy" spinning on the roof is the sensor for an anemometer. Whether it is measuring for a wind speed gauge inside the coach or a way to measure wind to roll up the awning, it doesn't charge anything.

The recreational marine business is full of 12V charging systems powered by wind. West Marine catalog for example is full of wind powered charging systems.

Many reasons they would not be very popular for land-based charging. They have large props, require a lot of bracing when they are working in a stiff breeze and have to be pretty high up in the air to be effective. Also they tend to make more than a little noise.

Finally as was said in an earlier posting, they need a lot of wind. I don't want to camp where the wind will blow 15 MPH most of the time.

For a lot less money than a wind powered charger, you can buy two nice quiet Honda generators that are a lot less trouble.

keith