Restoring a Water Wheel! Hydro Power?

Maya I think you will get more power from that wheel if you cut the feed tube shorter so the end is barely past the center pivot. This way more water enters the buckets & lengthens the power stroke of each mass of water. Kris Harbor just did a series on water wheel design & building worth learning from.

If you shorten the pipe feeding water to the water wheel to 10" before top dead center and you will get the the full 180 degrees of power from the wheel. Also the water should be applied as close to tangent to the wheel so it does not fall onto the wheel. The 10" before TDC gives the buckets time to fill so as they reach TDC they are as full as they will get. Initially it may take a helping hand to get going, but you will get more power from the wheel.

Maya, I remember when you cut back the overgrown area near the waterwheel and we saw a glimpse of it on that early video. Today's update is fantastic and thanks for it. I love to see these things restored. A couple of questions:  1. The waterwheel has another large wheel close by, what is it's purpose? 2. Also, when looking into amalgamating the waterwheel with your solar, consider using any excess solar to fill the rainwater tank, in summer, from the river. And in doing so, possibly creating a closed loop system not only for power but water for the gardens as well. Real integration and sustainability could be possible.

Maybe you would build a water wheel in the river?! Then you have lots of free electricity.

Perhaps there is a spring that could furnish water to the wheel that would provide infinite water to the wheel. Congrats on working on creating free energy for your river retreat. You are an incredibly hard worker! Your actions are very admirable. You have accomplished a great deal. Wade in Alabama, USA

My hunch is that you are overshooting the sweet spot to fill the buckets of the water wheel by 2 to 3 feet. My suggestion is to locate the best position for the pipe to end by cutting it one foot shorter in increments. Using your Architect eyes, the water should start to fill the buckets as soon as the bucket can accept water and not spill it out the back of the bucket. So by the time the bucket leaves the arc of the flowing water, the bucket should be full. I hope you will try this experiment and post a future video 😊 You can also investigate the various shafts and lubricate the shaft and bearing with light oil or grease. They are likely very dry and producing a lot of friction because the wheel has been silent for so long. I was VERY happy to see the water from your french drain draining to daylight YEAH! 👍

Loving the progress. 🎉 The watermill is an amazing kind of romantic-nostalgic-useful-crafty feature on the land. 😍

Maya! Try to use an old washing machine motor to generate electricity as cheap or free option, also you need to increase the water flow over the wheel to get extra force, because in physics the input force has to equal the output in your case the Amps.

Hi, Over time the water falling from the drain into the tank may wear the concrete away, you may want to consider placing a "sacrificial" rock on that spot in the tank.

Love your videos but they are too short. 😊 It’s nice to see you have such wonderful helpers. They really seem to care a lot about fixing and solving issues for you. I look forward to your videos Maya. Such a lovely young lady.

Its good to have men around, they are very strong, objectives, analytics and like to find solution to the uncertain. Maya you are so lucky to have them helping you.

Your videos are full of creative thinking and practical solutions🏝

Maya, always busy ... always moving ... love your tenacity! 💃 and dancing! 😊

Maya, Wow, this waterwheel is SO COOL!!!!!! I think it adds so much value to your property and a HUGE amount to your channel == it's so unique and also what a valuable resource, to be able to turn rain into power! May that little light shine on! ❤ Lee

I'm sure you've figured this out by now... but that rainwater reservoir, as you call it, is like a water battery. Big countries are building HUGE reservoirs to act as water batteries. They use wind and solar to keep the water battery full (pumping water into that reservoir) and then by controlling the rate of flow, they have a never ending source of water wheel power. Depending on how long your drop is, you can have several catchment basins and several water wheels turning generators to keep a whole bank of electric batteries charged. Depending on your location and your water source, this is the best source of electricity. The water reservoir can be kept full constantly with windmill pumps and solar-powered pumps and you get a constant flow energy source. Nice job restoring this water wheel... but think big with it... You have quite a drop there that you can take full advantage of.

When I see this, I get so curious about who has lived and worked on your farm before. Do you know anything about it? Would be nice if you could tell us something about it if you know. What kind of farm it was? What did they grow? When it was built, etc. I love seeing how you restore it bit by bit.

How exciting! The water wheel is going to bring you even more independence. Love watching your progress and seeing your happy smiles! You truly are an amazing person, not afraid to try new things, learning and working hard to make your dreams come true.

Schicke dir ein dickes ❤. Die Welt braucht Menschen wie dich, danke für deine Inspiration.

Maya 😍 Mais uma fonte de energia renovável! Adoro o progresso do teu paraíso!! Saudades! 😘

You need to grease the system starting at the pillow blocks that support the wheel shaft on both sides. Use marine type lithium grease . Also change oil in the gear box. Build a simple cover over assembly to keep off rain and keep chain and belt dry and clean .