“Wind Turbines for the Home”

Article by Glenn Byers
There are a couple of factors when determining if you can use a wind turbine for your home. The first factor is do you have enough wind? Do you have enough space to place a turbine? Remember the turbine needs to be taller than anything in the area to get the most wind. If you have enough wind that can generate electricity, then check with your local code enforcement for any restrictions and if you live in a deed-restricted community check the codes. If there are no codes restricting having a turbine and the wind is a fair amount, then you will be a potential candidate for a wind turbine. While checking the codes you need to make sure that the height is not going to be an issue since your system could be 30 feet above your house.There are roof mounted wind turbines but I do not recommend these as they can damage your roof. Remember they are the tallest thing around so lightning can strike it. There are freestanding masts that most of the turbines for homes are mounted. These masts are 30 feet or more up in the air so you can plant a garden underneath it. The land will still be available to use. I know a farmer who has them in his fields with a crop planted underneath them. Our turbine is out by our garage. It is mounted on a pipe that has guide wires to the ground and to the garage for stability. The base is cemented into the ground with the base being pivotal to bring it down during hurricane season.There are vertical and horizontal wind turbines. We have found that the vertical wind turbines are quieter than the horizontal, but they both make noise. Living on a small farm, we do not notice the noise but if the turbines were close to the house, you would notice the sound.Keeping the turbines high in the air makes it safe for children. Remember these turbines do not stop on a dime and are going at remarkable speeds so teach children not to play on or near the turbine. Children are especially interested in the turbines that look like airplanes. They think they are a toy. They are very dangerous.
Wind turbines for the home are manufactured by many different companies. Make sure the one you buy is of good quality and has withstood the test of time. You do not want to purchase another wind turbine after the one you purchased bent, cracked, twisted and some even fell apart of 1 year of use. Find out if there are replacement parts, warranty on defect products and what is determined to be defective. This is a big expense on your part to get this system and you want the best system available. There is one thing I recommend. Some companies sell a camping wind turbine that you can take with you camping. These are relative inexpensive compared to a whole system. Buy one and try it out. Maybe run the charger for your boat batteries or run something outside to try it. Maybe run a stereo for a party or take it camping to watch TV or listen to radio. Try this and see if you can live with the noise and reliability of the wind turbine.
About the Author
Wind Turbines Pros and Cons is dedicate to helping though our articles and references. I have an article called My Diy Wind Turbine this is the project I built check it out if you have some extra time.

