Wind turbines at B&Q - an update

[dg]

I posted just over a year ago after noticing B&Q selling wind turbines, and a large thread developed on all thing windturbiney.

These B&Q turbines seemed to be a really high price, and I recall them being by the main entrance, with dedicated sales people, and the 'benefits' getting a bit of a hard sell. Later solar cells joined the party.

Anyway, I was mooching around B&Q yesterday and noticed the turbine and the solar cell, not at the main entrance, but tucked away in the far corner of the store, covered in dust and surrounded by other items.

It was like the the wallflower, out of place at a party, or that mad deformed relative, locked away in the attic for fear of embarrassment and ridicule.

Oh well, I wonder what next years must have will be? Air conditioning units by the looks of things.

dg

[dicegeorge]

I lived in my bus with a rutland windmill bolted on to it for a decade, only moving the bus every few months.

I got 20 or so watts on average, more in wind, none in no wind, and ran my car radio off it, and phone charger and some laptop time as well, but it wasnt enough to run the laptop all the time.

later i got a solar panel to supplement it.

However if you have access to mains electricity i dont think a windmill is economic.

nowhere enough electricity for a fridge or cooker or heater.

once in a storm the whole bus shook, and several of the blades flew out of the windmill (ok wind generater, but every child knows its called a windmill)

think if you put one on your house and the force of a gale broke it of the damage it could do to your roof slates, and the subsequent rain damage!

ok for a shed with no mains, if you're out of range of thieves!

george (dicegeorge)

[Andy Hall]

That was last year's

By Christmas, these toy windmills will be on trestle tables by the door along with bilious bulbs.

On January 27th when it is learned that all of these things are unsaleable, an extra skip will be ordered to remove the debris

[David Hansen]

On Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:17:26 -0800 someone who may be dg wrote this:-

I was in a big orange shed recently. The wind turbine and solar panels were in the middle of the store fairly close to the entrance. No idea if there was more dust there than elsewhere.

[Peter Lynch]

Maybe they'll sell them off at a price that makes sense (i.e. expected life * realistic output * price per kWH) What would that be, about £40?

[Mogga]

At Oldham (Or is it Ashton store, they all look the same but have some minor differences) they've got them in the exit door, past the tills along with a hugely expensive massive water tank which costs more than several thousand litres of evian.

[Dave Liquorice]

Not wishing to defend the B&Q thing it is a larger device than a Rutland jobbie. *Peak* output is 1kW IIRC so I'd expect a couple of hundred watts some of the time.

Universal rule: If you can get there to install it thieves can get there to take it away.

[Skipweasel]

Wednesbury last week they were right by the main door being pushed hard.

[The Medway Handyman]

House at the end of my road had one fitted about 4 months ago. The guys installing it had a brand new van, brand new bight shiny hi vis jackets, new hard hats, brand new ladders etc.

The house in question also has solar panels in the roof. Don' know the ocupants but i guess they are rampant tree huggers.

It was removed 2 months ago. Don't know why, but I suspect it just didn't work.

[Andy Hall]

Given to the customer to take it away?

That would be reasonable

[Andy Hall]

You probably couldn't see it in the light of the surrounding CFLs.

[Andy Hall]

Towards the skip?

[RobertL]

I lived on a narrowboat for 10 years with no mains electricity. My experience was that wind turbines made very little electricity, even though they spun round and round playfully in the breeze. I lived in Cambridge and the wind was not often fast enough to make any charge at all. Solar panels were definitely the thing that did best. Robert

[LSR]

They could put a plug on the end instead of a socket and sell them as ceiling fans.

[Dave Liquorice]

Why don't you go and ask? In the interests of research for the group. The one near here is still there but then it is in a fairly exposed position and will get decent wind on occasion. Rather than being in your average urban enviroment that would suffer severe damage if it ever had the winds that site and we do on a regular basis. Our 6'x8' shed isn't staked to the ground for fun, it's to stop it being blown away...

[dicegeorge]

after the storm i had my rutland with only 2 blades instead of 6, i believe that in low winds this gave more electricity than if it had 6 because there was less wind resistance so it turned faster...

a regulator is essential between the battery...

i often see windmills up making a swishing noise, this means they are not connected to a battery and are not charging anything up, (in fact they are burning out) when the windmill was charging my batteries it made a motorbike noise which i liked cos it meant i had free power but my neighbours in the caravan next door werent so keen on it!

george

[Huge]

BTW, it's "were attached", not "where attached". Not a criticism!

[Man at B&Q]

noticed the turbine

They were all sold by Thursbury.

MBQ

[Dave Liquorice]

Christmas Eve 1999 the roof was blown off as whole lump. The two 3/4" OSB slightly larger than 8'x4' panels and gable bits. Almost cleared the drystone wall the other side of the road behind the wall that the "Wind Blown Shed" is leaning against.

'was "interesting" hoiking the remains of the roof over the wall and picking the debris off the road with the wind gusting to >60mph and running at the best part of 50mph.

No problem that is one of my blind spots. Should be correct after the next site update

[Andy Hall]

and returned by Fribury

(with boi ri and chip)