Old Windmill

[odie]

I found an old windmill laying on the ground on my property, not far from the well. *I understand that the windmill blew over going on 20 years ago. *The well was used by a previous owner to pump water to irrigate who knows what. *I don't know how deep it is, but it sits on top of a hill near the end of a spur off a mountain that runs back west for miles. *The well hasn't been used for at least 13 years. *There was an electric pump sitting on top of it, that the previous owner connected to a portable generator, but that was stolen by trespassers years ago. *The previous owners said that they figured there was a hole in the plastic pipe somewhere down the well, and so they gave up using it. *Here are my questions: *Can these old Aeromotor windmills be restored? *The tower is a tangled mess, but the actual vanes and gear box, or whatever you call it, don't look too bad. *Second, how does one go about getting an old well back in service? *Any and all advice will be appreciated. *Thanks for taking the time to read this post. ???

Update January 20, 2007 - First, thanks for all the responses. They are all helpful. Let me add some additional details. I don't have a home on the land - 105 acres +/-, and I am in the process of turning it into a wildlife conservation area. I have a state wildlife biologist scheduled to meet with me to survey the land and help me develop a plan - it may take me 10 years to do all the things she suggests, but so it goes. I plan to use the well and windmill, if I can get them working, to provide a constant source of drinking water for wildlife and possibly a few cattle, depending on the wildlife conservation plan we come up with. There is no electricity on the land, and since I don't live on it, the risk of theft and vandalism is a continuing concern. As for the reliability of the winds, since it would be located on top of a hill, the winds are pretty steady. Also, about 2 miles away, as the crow flies, there is a big wind farm being constructed. Any idea how expensive the down piping and sucker pump would be if I can get the old windmill back in operating condition? In answer to another question, there is no cap on well at the present time. There is about an 8" diameter PVC pipe sticking about 8 inches out of the ground, with plastic piping and electrical wires running down the well shaft. I suspect that all kinds of critters have fell in over the years. So it would probably take a major clean up to make it potable for human consumption. But for wildlife and cattle, it should be okay. I'd plan to put a masonary watering trough - low sided for easy access - near the well, and then let the over flow run down the hill on either side into ponds that are presently filled only by rain water runoff. Not sure whether the water would make it all the way to the ponds, unless I bury plastic piping to carry it. Otherwise, I suspect it would just soak into the ground along the way, since it would be a pretty long run.

Now another question - has anyone ever built a tower for a windmill, and if so, how did you go about it? Or is it best left to the professionals?

Thanks,
Odie

[MadTripper]

It sounds like you have everything there to make it work. I would certainly concentrate at getting everything back in order.

Your first move would be to check the well to make sure it still has water. What does the cap of the well look like? Is it a stone with a hole in it or simliar? If so, you'll want to pry that off and find out where the water is at. The last time I did this we used a ball of twine with a weight at the end. Assuming there is water in it, you'll probably want to test it for contaminates to make sure that isn't the reason it went unused for so long.

Once you know there is water and it is in decent condition, you could use a electric or fuel based pump until you get your windmill back in good shape.

Sounds like a fun project with a lot of potential. Keep us posted!

Tripper

[AlchemyAcres]

Aermotor is still in business, so hopefully you can still get parts.

http://www.aermotorwindmill.com/

~Martin :)

[kawalekm]

Hi Odie
Congragulations on your find. There's nothing better for a homesteader than a reliable source of free water! Where is the well located in relation to your home site? If you got the well up and running, what could you use the water for? The first thing I thought of is that since the well head is located on a hill, you could put a holding tank there, and plumb it back to your cabin. You'd get 0.5 psi of pressure for every vertical foot of drop to your house. Use 1.5" or greater pipe, and there will be little pressure drop.

Our water situation is somewhat similar at our homestead. The well is near our cabin, but a high pressure pump pushes the water about 200 vertical feet above the cabin into tanks. After the generator is shut off, we get 100psi water on demand out of the tanks.

Depending on the cost of refurbishing the windmill it might be cheaper to switch to a solar pumping system. That would give you more control of how much water you'll be pumping. How steady are the winds in your area. I would guess that the aeromotor people have a calculator to determine how much water you can produce.

Good luck,
Michael

[CarolAnn]

Odie,
You are very fortunate to have the wind pump - and it's more than likely able to be repaired - but if you have so much evidence of thieves who steal pumps in the area, why supply them with free wind power too? If it's not your home place, I'd think long and hard about putting in improvements that can be dismantled and taken by thieves.

I knew people in Arkansas that were going to build on their land, had a large, expensive metal building delivered (boxed, not set up) - and in the two days between delivery and their arrival it was stolen. That sort of thing puts a damper on plans, for sure!

[annabella1]

Being on top of a hill does not guarantee that you will have useful wind. If the prevailing wind blows up one side of the hill it will cause turbulence quite a ways above the top of the hill. This might be what caused the windmill to fall to begin with. There could be a way to test the wind using a wind sock on a long pole to the height that you are considering, but this could be just as troublesome as constructing a tower. You would probably be best off consulting an expert about this.

[LeatherneckPA]

The Spring 2008 issue of Out Here magazine (Tractor Supply Company's quarterly rag) has an article on page 10 about a fella named Chuck Rickgauer from Tolar, TX. He has supposedly restored about 220 windmills, with more than 40 of them living and working on his farm. He allows tours of his Windmill Farm and might be a source of information for you.