Apology to All in the Pacific

[sailing now]

BTDT? sorry, don't know that one,

[cantxsailor]

I have been in the area of many types of wind turbines and frankly cannot figure out what huge noise y'all are complaining about. If it's the slight whoosing sound of an Airx Marine that I can barely hear above the wind in the rigging and the clanging of halyards and the waves on the hull, I'm just not able to get too worked up about it.

I have heard ONE turbine with a bad blade that DID get my attention when it was turning over the dock sounding like a 172 on take off but that is the only really noisy one I've ever heard. Most are less annoying to my senses than most outboard motors.

I believe that some of you who are obsessing about this slight noise have alterior motives. Perhaps you own stock in solar or oil. Maybe the only people who can hear the sounds own boats bigger than 30ft, I don't know.

My real thought is you just can't find anything else to complain about in paradise so in order to feel fulfilled you complain about turbines.

Sheesh most of you lived in cities before you went sailing. Do you mean to tell me these things make more noise than the firetrucks and traffic or your home A/C unit that you are used to?

Get over it. It's not that big a deal. Take a big lung full of that fresh sea air and shut up whining. The owner is not going to take it down to make you happy. YOU(hopefully) aren't going to do anything stupid either, so forget about it. Relax, breathe, take another sip of your boat drink and turn the tunes up another notch.

There now, don't that feel better than whining?.........m

[Intentional Drifter]

As with most things, there are people who are more sensitive to something and others who are less. Be thankful if you're one of the "less". For lots of others, though, the whine of certain brands of wind generators is very irritating. That "fingernails on the blackboard" sort of irritation, too. Probably has something to do with the frequencies and harmonics. Regardless, it has been an on-going subject of complaints for years. You'd think that the manufacturers would get better about it, since it is one of the most frequent comments. Indeed, they are aware of it, as indicated by their promise of "much quieter". Some just don't live up to their promises.

ID

[john landrum]

I agree nothing ruins a quiet anchorage worse than jet skis or a noisy wind generator. the difference being jets skiers have to sleep and the noise goes away. but the wind generator just keeps on whining ALL NIGHT LONG. Much like their defenders.

[john landrum]

I also would like to have the added charging capacity that wind generators provide If they could be made quieter. But currently meet all my needs with solar. I do have a honda 2000 that can be used for tools etc. I think that having the ability to shut down the wind generator at night(in a crowded anchorage) would make for a "quieter" debate.

[witzgall]

I am one that has heard and not minded the sound of an Air-x. I got a free one that I will be installing at some time. I will do two things that are I think important:

1. Install a stop switch. Important for safety reasons.
2. Pay attention to the fairness of the blades. I have read that careful sanding of the leading edges of these blades can make a world of difference in the noise they generate. There are also aftermarket blades that supposedly are quieter.

In the end, I will evaluate and gather opinions. If many find it rudely annoying, I may remove or replace the unit. If Gretchen or I find it rude and annoying, away it goes.


PS this thread is the first that I have heard of the breeze not being quieter than the air-x. I would like to hear form different sources as well. What I have read so far backs up the companies claims. At least one other cruiser I know has one and is happy.


Chris

[Fishman_Tx]

Re: airX and Breeze... Seems I remember recently seeing a fix that significantly reduced the noise from these rigs. I'll see if I can find it again......

[Fishman_Tx]

Well cant find the blooming thing. Had to do woith sanding down the edge (leading...trailing...?) of the blades significantly reduced the noise. You can always change the blades to a 3rd party 6-blade hub that works better in lighter air...

Oh well

[cantxsailor]

I guess I must be deaf. I'm at most 20ft from a turbine anytime I'm on my boat and I honestly can't hear it unless I pay attention for a change of the slight swooshing sound it makes. I would have probably been able to hear it however while it was in hurricane Ikes winds last year but I bet anybody around would have had more important things to worry about. Maybe thats it, I have more important things to worry about.

If the swooshing sound, not a jet engine by any stretch of the imagination, doesn't bother me or my crew at all at 20ft how is it possible that anyone can even hear it at a couple of hundred feet.

In all seriousness I am asking is it possible that these things sound different from different distances?

I know that I can hear my neighbours yard apes screaming and yelling from quite a distance but then I generally hate kids so perhaps it's the same kind of thing........m

[zeehag]

a friend of mine had an airX that made noise--he sent it back to factory and they put new bearings into it and when he got it back it was awesome quiet...there is no reason for air X to be noisey--is the bearings .....goood luck. the airX h got back was quieter than KISS... go figger....

[Fishman_Tx]

The AirBreeze was supposed to be the "fix" for the Air-X, they even got an upgrade kit; Air-x to Breeze, but I hear they have issues too.

[Chief Engineer]

BTDTGTTS

Originally Posted by sailing now

BTDT? sorry, don't know that one,

[YOGAO]

Originally Posted by cantxsailor

I guess I must be deaf...

Are you in a marina or at a quiet anchorage? In a marina there is a huge amount of other noise that might mask the wind gen noise.

There is a significant difference between the Air-X and most other brands out there. Almost every study measures the db output of the various brands. The Air-X is typically noisier, but a good charging performer and easy to install. The 3rd party blades also make a significant difference.

I have a partial hearing loss in one ear, but in any anchorage I can easily identify the noise from an Air-X specifically and from others generally except the Rutland and the D400.

Full disclosure: I do NOT work for anyone and don't own any oil company stock.

Fair Winds,
Mike

[s/v Jedi]

Yogao,

You must've never been around a Kiss or SuperWind as they are the most silent WindGen's I've ever seen. I do know the Rutland and yes, it is silent too, but that's because it isn't producing any serious power output. I do not know the D400, never even heard of it before. Can you give some pointers to it?

thanks,
Nick.

[YOGAO]

Au contraire,

We have spent time listening to every wind gen we could find in every anchorage from Maine to Trinidad. This includes the Super Wind, Kiss, Red Baron, the Aerogens, etc.

Here is one anecdotal story from the folks @ Island Water World (IWW) in Grenada:

Two buddy cruisers buy wind gens. One buys the Kiss, the other buys the D400. They go off and anchor in Clarks Court Bay. The Kiss guy calls IWW on the VHF and says, "The D400 is noise free! Please get me a D400 and sell this one on consignment."

Our non-scientific study had me talking to another cruiser with a D400 in 15 knots directly above our heads. When silent, I could hear a slight hum, but was totally unaware of it while talking in a normal voice.

I conducted the same experiment with other boats in the same anchorage that had a SuperWind and a Kiss. The noise was evident but not really annoying with both.

We have a friend with an Aerogen 6 - sound was similar to the D400, but not as much output. He says that if he could do it over, he would get the D400.

We also spent a week rafted with a cat with an Air-X, OMG was it noisy! Yes, we lived with it and aren't ending any friendships over it...YET!

Of course, there are other variables especially mounting that can add/detract from the noise and vibration.

Here is the link to Eclectic Energy

Spreco Lda says they make carbon fiber blades to replace the noisy Air-X ones.

Have we sufficiently hi-jacked this thread yet?

Fair Winds,
Mike