Had to choose between a used Pelton turbine or a DIY build for my micro hydro setup

I wanted to power my cabin off-grid near Asheville, NC. I looked at a used Pelton turbine for $600 on Craigslist, but the guy couldn't prove it was sealed right. I ended up building one from a PVC pipe and some scrap metal for about $40. It took me 3 tries to get the nozzle angle right, but now it charges my battery bank on just a small creek. Has anyone else tried a cheap DIY hydro setup that actually worked?

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sethb4515d ago

Yeah, the sealed right thing is a real gamble with used turbines. $40 is a steal compared to that $600 risk. I'm impressed the nozzle angle only took three tries, I spent an entire weekend tweaking mine on a similar setup and never did get it perfect before a tree fell on the pipe. You've got more patience than me. That's the kind of hillbilly engineering I respect.