RockyHydro System Assembly Info Packet RockyHydro sells a wide degree of micro-hydro components for various kits. Our customers enjoy the benefit of being able to carefully match a turbine and generator to their site, so they can confidently proceed knowing their system will be extremely efficient. This info packet details how to put these components together with the pre-built heavy-duty aluminum housing.
Congratulations on your purchase of a RockyHydro micro-hydroelectric generator system. Please read these directions completely, including the important note below, before starting. AMOST ALL ROCKYHYDRO KITS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LETHAL AMOUNTS OF ELECTRICITY! Please Note- Working with hydroelectric systems can be very dangerous due to the possible exposure to high pressure water, fast moving parts, power tools, and electricity. By beginning construction of the generator kit, the user releases RockyHydro, Father Son Projects LLC, and all other distributors from all liability associated with this kit or the hydroelectric project in general. STEP ONE UNPACKING AND INSTALL NOZZLE HOLDERS Begin by unpacking the contents of your package. You should find: The housing box 2 Nozzle holders A generator Turbine wheel PVC pipe and caps for nozzles A Rectifier (not included with the DC series generators, as this component is built into the generator itself) Hardware, including generator mounting bolts and the turbine arbor (if not attached to the turbine already) Please keep in mind as you are unpacking that your work area needs to be clean; as the extremely powerful magnets in the generator can suck up metal fragments which will cause damage to it internally. Your system was completely assembled to correctly align the nozzles, then dissasembled for shipping. The first step is to reattach the nozzle holders with the machine screws and nuts provided. Once the nozzle holders are attached securely, the generator can be installed.
MOUNT THE GENERATOR Most system will come with a small seal, or in the case of the DC series, a simple O ring. Place this either around the generator shaft, or around the shaft hole in the housing. Now place the generator on the housing, with the shaft going through the hole down into the center. Try to center the generator shaft in the middle of the hole to prevent any friction. Use the provided washers to correctly space the generator to the housing, and bolt it together. The seal or O ring should have pressure on it, but the spacing washers should keep it from being crushed as you bolt the generator to the housing. INSTALL THE NOZZLES You will need to drill a hole in the provided PVC caps to create a nozzle. The hole needs to be smooth, with clean edges, and centered for the water jet to be smooth and powerful. The hole needs to be sized correctly to allow enough your available flow to pass, and no more. If the nozzles are too large and it is using too much water, your system will start to suck air and it will quickly lose efficiency. If the nozzles are too small you ll be limiting the flow rate to less than what you have available, also reducing your output. You can use our free online calculator to get an idea of nozzle size, but in reality it is best to experiment. The nozzles do not have to be connected to the system to do this. Keep in mind as you re testing the nozzles that increasing the flow increases pipe friction. Hopefully you have used our online calculator to see how big of a pipe you ll need to keep friction to a minimum so this won t be an issue. If you have installed a pipe that is too small, it may be better to have smaller nozzles to reduce flow and pipe friction, even if you have more water available. Slide the PVC pipe through the nozzle holders. Use electrical tape to keep the pipe centered in the holder. Now install the nozzle inside, but do not glue the nozzles together yet!
MOUNT THE TURGO Depending on the model, you may have a keyway or a flat or threads on the generator shaft for mounting the turgo to. Go ahead and slide/screw the turgo on, and attach it as it makes sense. You should have set screws in the turgo arbor to tighten down on the generator shaft to hold it in place. Depending on your model, it may be easier to first attach the arbor to the generator, then the turbine to the arbor. Other times it may be simpler to attach the turbine to the arbor first, then the arbor to the generator. Just do whatever is easiest. Keep in mind that it is wise to use anti-seize compound in this step to prevent things from seizing up on you. Also keep in mind that the threads on the arbor are reverse from the direction of the spoons. This keeps the turbine from loosening itself during operation. It is very important to remember if you have reverse threads, so you don t kill yourself or damage the system trying to remove the bolt that in reality you re un-knowingly tightening! Make sure the nozzles are aimed at the turgo correctly, and that the turgo is not going to hit the nozzles as it spins. The turgo can be adjusted up or down by adjusting its location on the generator shaft, or by using spacing washers on the arbor. The spacing washers are removed in the picture on the left, and included on the picture on the right. In some extreme cases, it may be necessary to trim part of the nozzle cap back, so it will stick down less toward the turbine. Once everything looks good, remove the turbine, glue the nozzles, and reattach the turbine. Using a ring of electrical tape or gluing a ring of PVC around the top end of the nozzle holder will keep the nozzles from sliding down toward your spinning turbine. Finally, attach the front cover and your system is finished! Sometimes you may need to remove the turbine before you can attach the front cover. Then once the cover is on the turbine can easily be re-installed. Try to get it as tight as possible, but remember that the threads on the arbor are reverse, so even if the turbine feels loose, it will actually tighten as the turbine starts to spin when water hits it.
INSTALL SYSTEM TO PENSTOCK AND SLUICEWAY Aluminum is so easy to work with that the system can be installed over a drain multiple ways. Holes can be drilled easily through the aluminum so that it can be screwed to just about anything that will hold it in place over a drain. PVC is also easy to work with as you attach the nozzles to the penstock. Keep in mind that if you have higher flows you ll want to increase the pipe size as soon as possible to the size of the penstock. Also keep in mind that using a union will allow you to disconnect the system from the penstock quickly and easily. Using hose as a union also works great and it provides flexibility to the connections. We also encourage the use of valves on the nozzles to vary flow or shut it off for easy maintenance. WIRING THE ELECTRONICS All of the generators produce 3 phase AC power. This will need to be rectified to DC power before it is sent to a charge controller. The DC5 generator series include an internal rectifier. If you are not using the internal rectifier, see the below picture for rectifier hookup. The side of the rectifier with a green or yellow dot is the negative side. The 5 ground plugs and two screws in the picture are included with the rectifier. From the rectifier the charge controller will be hooked up. Be sure to connect the negative side of the rectifier to the negative input on the charge controller, and the positive side of the rectifier to the positive input of the charge controller. Doing otherwise may damage the charge controller. Please read the product manuals for more information on charge controller installation, and for the installation of the rest of your systems components such as batteries and an inverter. The following diagram is a good system guide however.
Good Luck! You ll be making electricity in no time! **For more information on installing the water intake, penstock, or any other part of the system, please view our website or contact us at sales@rockyhydro.com