wind turbine floor heating

 

I have now completed installing my tile floors with in floor electrical
heating.
Theese are the resistive type heaters controlled by a t-stat.
Five zones in all
3 amps
3 amps
4 amps
5 amps
5 amps
at 120 Vac total 20 amps.
I am not allowed by municipal bylaw to install a wind turbine where I
live.
But I am going to do it anyway. We get these hellish east wind storms
two or three times a season in the winter.
The way my house sits I am protected from the prevailing west winds but
when it comes in from the east let me tell ya!!! I am thinking about
putting my turbines in between my house and next door house to capture
this brutal cold wind (where the wind is funneled) I dont think turbine
noise will bother the neighbour becasue she has no windows there and
when its blowing from the east everybody closes the windows anyway
Here is the question.
The t-stats run off 120 Vac and are adjustable by a ref # from 0-12
I was thinking of using relays on the output side to dual power the
floor elements. That part is easy for me to wire. When there is wind and
the turbines are making power the relay will overide the grid power to
the floor elements. The more wind the more power the more cold it is
outside the more heat needed inside simple.
The problem is what size in watts and voltage should I be looking at for
a turbine to power say one of the 3 amp zone without converting the Dc
turbine to Ac.
What differant kinds of turbines are available? Will I need to divert
the turbine power when the t-stat shuts off the current going to the
element?
I was thinking five turbines at 24 Vdc each in series for a total of 120
Vdc buss.
Would the 3 amp element that draws 3 amps at 120Vac also draw 3 amps at
120 Vdc? Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question but I am not that
good a ac/dc math.
What kind of wattage am I looking for @ 24 volt Dc turbines?

 



You have some problems with this idea.

1. To generate 2.5KW with any consistency in a high & steady wind area you
would need some $10,000 worth of generator.

2. You can't mount a big genny between houses. It's go to go on a high
tower, 100' or so would be good.

3. A genny this size needs to be a couple of miles away from the nearest
neighbour. My 500w genny hacks off my neighbour. He's half a mile away!

4. Assuming you are on-grid, you will never get payback on your investment.

Save yourself a lot of hassle and just plug your heaters into the mains.

Pete.

 

Peter Mounsey wrote:


Hey I am allowed to have a hobby too!
I dont care about pay back.
The question was ac to dc math?
How much Dc watts at 24 volts would it take to get the same as 3 amps @120 Vac?

How much power can one of those turbines with a 6 foot span produce.

 



Why electric heating?  Surely more efficient methods exist.

 

JoeSixPack wrote:


The floor was installed strictly for comfort.
Not everyone here gives a rats ass about a better way and beside it was the best
way to retrofit an older house.
Its not like I am heating the whole house with it. One main floor bathroom, one
front entrance for drying out boots, one basement bathroom concrete floor, one
kitchen floor two zones in the kitchen. No need for boilers here.... to
complicated. I heat the main floor with wood. Since the concrete took about a
1/2 inch drop at the doorway it worked out perfect. The wire leveled the floor
height to the same as the hallway.
I did get some quotes on installing pipes onto existing concrete before I tiled
the basement and it was just not worth it. I was looking a 6 canuk buks a square
more.
The main floor has an original hard wood floor and I have seen what floor
heating will do to the wood. Not in my lifetime will I ever try to heat this
awesome 41 year old hard wood floor.  The wood stove has allready caused some
damage to the floor near the stove.
I heat the main floor with wood and I only turn the floor electric heaters on
when I am home.
The basement can get near freezing when the east wind blows. The worse the
weather the more heat I can get for free from that wind. It's a hobby this wind
thingy all I need to know is the watts dc ac conversion stuff.
Trust me I dont need a 100 foot tower to catch the wind hear............been
looking at my wind cups all day today I been gettin a steady 40 Kmh wind on my
roof.