"Rod Speed" wrote in message
...


wrote in message
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On Saturday, 1 December 2018 10:37:01 UTC, Marland wrote:
Robin wrote:
On 01/12/2018 09:28, Bob Eager wrote:
On Sat, 01 Dec 2018 00:48:12 -0800, tabbypurr wrote:

On Saturday, 1 December 2018 08:31:58 UTC, Jim GM4DHJ ... wrote:
Has anybody who has not got a water meter ever thought about
installing
a small hydro electric generator to reap back some of the water and
lecy bills?

they were available in the 1940s. One could perhaps charge batteries
with one eventually. If you have electricity they're pointless.

Rudyard Kipling had one at his house in Sussex. Reportedly, he asked
an
expert (Sir William Willcox) for advice. Willcox had just completed
what
he described as "a trifling affair on the Nile" - the first Aswan
Dam.

He got enough power to charge batteries for lighting each evening,
which
was what he wanted.


Some of it was still in place when I visited the house many years ago,
including the cast iron turbine - which I remember as it surprised me
as
I'd been expecting a water wheel would have been used in (I think)
1902.





Noting we have moved away from the OPs suggestion into more practical
territory the use of Turbines became popular around that period to
replace
Water Wheels on many mills around that time.
Near to where I grew up a mill that by the time I knew it in the mid 60's
was no longer milling but had two turbines in place, one had been
converted
in the 40's to drive a DC generator but that by the time I knew it had
fallen into disuse with the coming of mains electric.
I last visited the site about 5 years ago and the turbines were still in
place but the supply leat and sluices
had collapsed beyond easy repair and due to the sale of land leat and
mill
are now in different ownership making any attempt to reinstate
difficult.
Can't access the location now as the person I knew there has died.


Not too far from where I am there is a functioning Mill with turbines
installed in 1904 that is open to the public.
https://sturminsternewton-museum.co.uk/mill/

I have to say it just doesn't seem as atmospheric as one with a
traditional
water wheel,fortunately there is one of those not far away either and we
get our flour from them.
https://www.alderholtmill.co.uk

Production was halted this summer due to water shortage so anyone
depending
on small scale hydro should account for that possibility.
And that is before you work out how such a mill may only provide around
10
kilowatt so people used to mains supply would have to use personal
demand
management in the household.

GH

10kW is about 40A, so demand management would not be a challenge. I still
remember a load of flats each on a 5A supply. That was easy enough to
live with once you knew how, but I don't think any of the occupants did.

I ran the entire house on a 10A supply, builders temporary supply,
when I had moved into the house I was building as soon as that
was possible, before the CU had been done. No gas for anything.
Full wall oven and ceramic hob and mains pressure storage hot water.

I only stopped doing that when the electricity
supply authority chucked a tantrum.

shocking disregard for the law .......