Apology to All in the Pacific

[mesquaukee]

Nothing but nothing is quieter than a Kiss (for the power output). Have one on the mizzen and one on the bow (at anchor). Only above 20-25 knots do they begin to hint that they are even there.
The one on the mizzen has run continuously for 10 years, blades are badly abraided but it is still quiet. Just keep the blades balanced.
My wife is very picky about noise, she find an Air-X objectional at a 1/4 mile or more.

[s/v Jedi]

Mike,

Ah yes, D400 from Eclectic. I've seen those dribbling into the scene; yes, quiet.

The Aerogen is good sound-wise, but output indeed low plus it looks so fragile.

About the people not hearing the Air-X : indeed, you're all old enough not to hear that anymore (joke but it's true ;-)

cheers,
Nick.

[osirissail]

- - There are "work-arounds" for the Air-X and other clones of the same machines. You can order a new blade set from independent manufactures which use more blades and actually do cut the noise level. Or you can do about a couple of hours of hand labor reworking the original blades to correct mold manufactoring problems and also cut the noise in half.
- - They are still the cheapest wind generators in their output range (especially at wholesale) which is probably why they are still being purchased. And I have found out that their blade life is about 8 to 10 years and then the blades self-destruct due to UV degradation.
- - But I am personally am looking at the new D400 units. They are popping up in European boats coming into the Caribbean recently. Does anybody have any personal experience with the D400's?

[Alchemist]

I had a noisy air303 died after continuous use for 10 years. I then replaced it with an air breeze It is very quite, I can not notice it above the background at 15 knots. Most of the competition are very expensive and need extra regulation

[Talbot]

D400 is a great machine, and it is very quiet with a very high output.

However, it achieves this by being very heavy and having big blades. You need a more robust pipework arrangement to keep it in the air compared to other machines - but the benefits are worth it.

It is from the same guys that make the duogen - a towed water generator that can also be air driven. (but expensive)

[osirissail]

- - One of the forgotten aspects of wind generators is the power regulation. With liquid lead acid batteries the is only minor consequences of over-voltages. But with Gel-Cells and especially AGM technology batteries, overvoltage can cause serious damage and significantly reduce the life of these batteries.
- - With low output wind "turbines" (I differentiate between the two styles - 3 or less blades are wind generators and 6 blades or more are wind turbines) - the outputs are low and can do less harm to the batteries - but they take much longer to charge a battery bank. With high output wind generators getting into the 20 to 40 amps and 16 to 17 volts (unregulated) you can fry your batteries.
- - So some sort of voltage regulation is necessary. Either by external diversion regulators or internal (inside the wind generator) regulators. All the Air-Marine incarnations have internal regulation. The prices of a good diversion regulator can be significant and then you have to provide a place for the diverted power to go.