Wind Generator Structure Question

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I am seriously building a wind generator next summer. I took down a 80 foot TV antenna off our house. I actually do it in two sections. The first section was taking down with a angle grinder with a cut off wheel. I think you guys would be proud!  The true antenna took the blunt of the fall. I am left with about 40 feet of straight ,usable structure. Now the antenna went up to the eve and was bolted to it. It stood for 20+ years. The tower is a three sided type 10ft? sections and galvanized. Each setion weights roughly 30-40 lbs. The sections are female/male and then bolted together. I was thinking installing new bolts and welding the sections together (carefully because of galvanized metal) and using this for the structure. Now the blades will be a little more than 4 feet in diameter. The generator with be a modded Delco alternator. Lower than the blades height I will run guide wires to anchor aka deadmans in the ground. I plan on winching the tower down for maintaining it. I not climbing the dang thing The question is do you think I can use the antenna properly mounted or  I am crazing for using it.Thanks,DanMy instructor said someone will catch on fire during class...He wasn't joking!!
Reply:Don't do it.The wind loads created by mounting a wind turbine of any appreciable size in place of the TV antenna are likely to knock the tower down in the event of severe winds.  If you do this, you need to look at providing additional support by installing three or more guy-wires prevent the bending load from breaking the tower off at the ground.  I hope you've got good insurance. . . . . .BK
Reply:it could be done with the help of an engineer to check everything.butwe are talking guy wires and such.and consider worst case scenero if it were to al come tumbling down. there is an outfit east of here who have been building generators for several years their base pole seems to be just pipe. (small pipe) with guy wires. google prairie wind turbines and see what u come up with. Tim
Reply:here is one from the Miller Forumhttp://www.millerwelds.com/resources...hlight=turbineEd Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:I have worked on wind generator towers, all are very heavy duty. They need to be very strong, vibrations and gusts can bring down somethong weak, and may kill someone.
Reply:You had an 80 ft tower ON YOUR HOUSE? I think you meant to say it was beside your house, what with the "bolted to the eve" comment and all.I wouldn't be afraid to put a small generator on top of a 40 ft section of tower, properly guyed.  I used to install these things, tallest one we ever did was 90 feet tall, had guy wires every 20 feet, with the top 10" unguyed. I wouldn't weld the joints, why would you? The primary loading on them is vertical, stick with the bolts like it was designed for. You mentioned 4 foot diameter blades, which I take to mean the total diameter of the turbine. If you're talking 4 ft long blades (8 ft diameter turbine) then I'd start to worry about wind loading.Last edited by Ebbsspeed; 09-12-2008 at 09:18 PM.
Reply:Unless the alternator is going to be geared up in speed, I'd think you would need more fan speed than torque to get a reasonable output. Can you get that with  a  4' fan? My only experience with windmills is removing the 'motor' with fan from the top of a 12' Aeromotor which had the very top of the tower bent over partways. On Christmas day, in the desert by myself.
Reply:I think I might have misinformed you guys on my post. My apologies guys  The structure is a TV antenna tower I want to use. It is the structure that the TV antenna sits upon, not the TV antenna. I looked that sections I have left. Only 3 sections so I have 30 feet. This is TV tower design...The blade design is either a 2 or 3 blade. The overall width is 4 feet or 4 foot diameter.Ebbsspeed, yes it was beside our house, but held at the eve with 2 ordinary pipe clamps and wood screws. I had enough of the creaking coming from the tower in wind and the danger because it was not properly supported. So down it came this past spring. My insurance is that we have enough property. The antenna is going in a field away from any structure or any living walking thing, but I am looking into a braking system too. We live in Northern Wisconsin and a normal storm can take the power out. We have lost power for 18 hours last winter. I looking into this because I can "partial" power the furnace with a battery bank and larger inverter. I still have alot to look into though.This with be a small one and give me what is invovled to building and maintaining it. I think an owner is going to run one of these, than he better know how to repair and maintain it! Further down the road I hope to build a one that can partially power our place. DanLast edited by xccelagator; 09-14-2008 at 12:27 PM.My instructor said someone will catch on fire during class...He wasn't joking!!