1. Not Checking out the wind speed for the DIY wind power turbine before installing. It is a good idea to make sure you are placing the unit in the best possible site for maximum benefit. Erecting an anemometer in areas where you can’t be sure, like hilly areas. Flat areas are generally not a problem is a good idea.
It just makes sense to make sure you are getting the most out of your wind generator. You need not waste any energy by wrong placing if you do this first.
Sometimes it is the little things that can make a huge difference in your energy out put. Wind speed maps for all areas can be found at the department of energy online. The only variables are if you have hills or large trees around you. How high you put your unit also can make all the difference. Are there large building near you? They could be a factor as well.
It is easier to do it right the first time than go back and rework the system.
2. Not checking on local permit requirements first. This should be looked into before anything else.
Some cities or counties haven’t yet even implemented permits for wind turbines and sometimes they will start with some huge price like they did with a man in NH, his original permit fee was going to be $10,000.
When it was finally settled on it was a mire $200. So what ever it is, do your homework and be persistent and get those permits costs etc out of the way before you do anything else.
Remember that whatever fee they first are offering you are not set in concrete, they will come down to earth and you will be on your way. Some states are a head of the pack when it comes to wind energy. They are open to it and are friendlier to those embarking on the technology. Others may just need to be educated enough to want to help you achieve your goals.
3. Getting the best help or education possible through books, videos and DVDs etc first before starting their DIY wind power project. (See our recommendations so you don’t waste money on a useless system.)
This is essential to avoid many of the common DIY windpower mistakes. The cost of this help minuscule when compared to the knowledge you gain and pit fall you will avoid.
If you are a electrical engineer you could most likely pass this up and figure out everything on your own with some plans. We like most people are not and needed all the help we could get.
We wished we’d had the help that is available now day at so little cost. We could have saved our selves not only hundreds of hours but a great deal of money not to mention the stress.
The hands on pictures, videos etc make it all the easier for those of us who just can’t figure things out unless we see it being done with our own eyes.
Only you know for sure what you are capable of. You may be a real handy person who has done all your own electrical repairs etc and find building your own unit from plans not so hard or you may need everything so simply laid for you that even a 10 yr old would succeed.
If this is the case you will most definitely stand to benefit the most from one of the manuals, DVD’s etc we have available on this site. The products we indorse are the best out there and we think their guarantee says it all about how confident they are in giving you what they promise. We advocate you click the link and buy directly from them at the best possible price online.
4. For those buying a ready made unit to install, not researching the product or the seller thoroughly enough. It is essential to have good technical support from either the manufacturer or sales company.
There should be an 800 type number for you to contact them. You may want to get the number from them to try it out before buying to see if they answer their phone or not and if you can get through, when and how often.
You don’t want to be left hanging in the middle of your project waiting for some email response that never comes. Better to find out if their support is real or not before investing your hard earned money.
After all one of the main reasons most embark on creating free energy is to save money. You don’t want your unit to end up in the back of your garage as a relic to some idea you had you could never finish or make work. We all have a few of these we’d rather not think about.
5. Not making sure you understand the kind of warranty offered.
If you can’t make sense of the warranty then you will have a hard time getting them you honor it. It should be simply written, with terms like “any defects found in” what ever amount of time, generally 1 yr at the very least “and unit will be replaced or refurbished at seller’s expense”.
Look at simple warranties you already have and they should be along these lines. Make sure your seller will take it back with a full refund if you receive the item non working. You should be already set up to find this out right after receiving the unit, not 6 months later.
6. Not discussing your plans with close by neighbors to head off any opposition before taking out permits. Sometimes they will oppose things they were not made aware of first.
It’s good time to make sure you won’t end up in some kind of lawsuit later on after you’ve already paid for permits etc. Getting permits from your city or county doesn’t mean some mean neighbor can’t drag you into court down the road. You will most likely win but only after you’ve had to deal with some aggravation first. It is better to avoid such conflicts when you can. Sometimes they just want to be assured there won’t be noise or other problems they may not understand are not real concerns with wind turbines.
7. Not making contact with others who have blazed this same trail before you. They are a wealth of information from hands on perspective.
Small-wind-home yahoo groups is a good start as many there are installing their own systems or already have and are willing to help others do the same.
