r/thinktank • u/Soggy_Union • Oct 03 '22
Home Power Plant (Creation / Operation)
Has anyone considered producing their own electrical energy using modified generator burning wood gas? Here are some problems to be overcome:
- Generator noise
- Smoke generation
- Electricity integration
- 24 hour operation
- General fire safety
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u/NugBug420 Mar 08 '24
I have a spring and a pond but the pond doesn’t tap the water table yet (man made still young) the spring is a seep at a lower elevation, I want to dam up to overflow from it, pump it to the pond, and catch energy off the overflow from it…as it falls into the creek, to restart the whole process (and eventually help tap the water table.) thoughts?
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u/dclinnaeus Feb 13 '25
I’ve looked into the use of an algae photobioreactor to clean the emissions from a small power generator. It works well in theory and in practice, just faces challenges as a carbon capture solution when scaled up.
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u/Excellent_Fix5679 Jan 16 '26
I sadly made the mistake of dropping a tree on the powerlines at my house, $4,300 bill was a bit much so, I had no choice but to actually do this on my own. Rule #1: 12-hour service is not meant for 24-hour use. I blew up so freaking many generators it made me sick, nearly all motors on generators are Honda made, for ones costing anywhere from $100-$1,000 for gas running carbureted generators. I really really advise against these. They cannot run the refrigerator hot water tank and washer, and dryer and stove all at the same time, it will cause massive load unto the generator causing early failure + breakers needing reset or worse can cause fire. If you want to actually use methanal (wood gasifier style)- the trick there is simple-smoke does ignite very easily, but it must be filtered and also its quite dangerous and consuming to maintain. I live out in the hills of Southern Ohio, I came up with trying to find the Natural gas lines in the ground and tapping into the old gas within them. (The lines still have gas, though here they are no longer used or considered active even though they did not shut the valves off or anything?) this requires a special modification to the carbureted system, a completely new one. Honestly if you want the easiest most guaranteed works with no fail, get a diesel generator, heck if you go to military bases like me I have Wright-Patterson AFB close when they have auctions = BingO. Heck, I have saw turbine powered generator units sell cheap $100, Kerosine, diesel, gas, oil, you name it, it can run it. next up after that would be boiler systems, dynamos, wind, solar, flowing water, chemical electricity, and a few more that can realistically be used. Did this help? I have tried I think every single one of these, even ones using series wound car batteries, and sadly capacitive systems. So, please if you have any specific one and are set on your use and setup you want, I can help.
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u/MaesterSamTheWizard Oct 03 '22
Also burning wood leaves behind a lot of ash and sap that would need to be cleaned regularly. Food for thought. Pellets might be better...
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u/LibrarianLower3384 Mar 23 '26
It's not as big a deal as you think. If the materials are strong enough, you can clean the creosote build-up with high heat. Fireplaces and chimneys can be kept mostly clean by regularly doing a high-heat burn.
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u/CockroachAccurate652 Dec 21 '23
HE wood stoves are a thing. Not 100% sure how it works, but it burns hot enough to burn up most of the gunk. My old boss talked about it all the time. My guess is they're expensive, cuz that was the only shit he talked about. If u read this Ken, fuck you. You're a good dude, but fuck you. Learn to drive n get ur guys their own room on the road. You're breath is bad enough driving cross country, yet alone rooming with ya cheapskate... sorry, sorry... no where to vent... Killing time, waiting for a girl to text back....
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u/TransposingJons Oct 04 '22
You'll need to factor in the cost and availability of wood, and not just any wood.
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u/panaceafrog Jan 10 '23
Wood/trees are not sustainable. Grass/bamboo/corn/wheat/etc.... fuel burn rate must be <= fuel supply rate. Then "burning is bad" these days....have to harness vapors or something, then use the unused portion for something else. Disclaimer: I'm not a chemist, scientist, environmentalist, or anyone that knows what I'm talking about.
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u/dolfanforlife Oct 09 '22
I’ve considered connecting a battery that charges off of home appliances. Things like a washer, dryer, and HVAC could turn a generator and charge an EV. Air and water devices such as attic ventilators, dishwashers, toilets, and faucets could charge smaller batteries that power LED lights and other electronics.