One of the most difficult challenges of the installation of a
wind turbine is assembling and erecting a tower. Fortunately,
the engineers here at Southwest Windpower have designed towers
that are easy and safe to install. A number of heights for each
product are available. Keep in mind, the larger the turbine the
more complex the tower design. None of the towers require any
kind of welding or machining and only the largest towers may
require concrete. Most designs can be installed within a few
hours to a day. Lastly, all work with Southwest Windpower towers
is done on the ground.
You will NEVER
need to climb a tower.
All of Southwest
Windpower’s tower kits include everything you need with the
exception of:
1) Pipe material
2) Anchors
3) Power wires
To keep your costs
low and to consider site variables, these components should be
purchased locally. When selecting the materials for the
construction of your tower, please consider the following:
Pipe
Material: For most conditions, we
recommend a “schedule 40” pipe material. This offers a wall
thickness of .125” which is strong enough to resist most wind
conditions. If you are using fence pipe material, make sure you
ask for “SS40”. If you live in an environment were your winds
will never exceed 80 mph (140 km) then we suggest using a
thinner wall material such as a “schedule 20”. In conduit
material, this is called “SS20”.
Anchors: The anchors are by far
the most difficult part of installing a tower. Once you have
them in the ground, a tower installation gets really easy. There
are various soil materials that you should consider prior to
installing your tower. The type of anchor should also vary. Our
owner manuals have recommendations based on soil type.
Power
wires: Because of the size of
turbine and variable length from the turbine to your
batteries/inverter, it is impossible to know the proper wire
size. Once you have understood the distance from the turbine to
the battery, refer to the wind turbine’s owners manual for the
proper wire size. Be sure to select the right type of wire for
your environment.
VERY
IMPORTANT: Prior to the
installation of your tower, read the owners manual thoroughly
and make sure you understand the environmental conditions at
your site prior to purchasing materials. We offer manuals that
are free to download and review prior to purchase.
Below we have made
available all of our tower kit manuals so you the user can gain
a full understanding of how to install an AIR or Whisper wind
generator prior to purchase. If you have any questions, please
contact us or your local dealer.
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