Hello from Southwest Ontario!
My family and I recently (two years ago now, COVID makes time fly!) purchased a farm that we have aptly named the Squeaky Mill farm.
While I do love our namesake, the Squeaky (wind)Mill, I would much rather use it to generate useful power or pump what may be a well underneath it.
Attached is a picture of our Squeaky Mill, hopefully soon to be the functional Mill.
Looking forward to picking your brains over how to best tackle this project.
Hello from the Squeaky Mill!
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squeakymill
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2022 8:49 am
- Location: Petrolia, Ontario
- Contact:
Hello from the Squeaky Mill!
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PaulV
- Site Admin
- Posts: 1011
- Joined: Wed Dec 12, 2018 10:52 pm
- Location: Collinsville, Oklahoma
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Re: Hello from the Squeaky Mill!
Welcome to the forum, Dorian! Glad to have you here. Look forward to contributing to your colorful project. We're here to help.
PaulV
Re: Hello from the Squeaky Mill!
Can you climb up safely? Look inside? Take a few pictures?
If all the cast parts numbers have an A before them, it's an 8 ft mill. (measured across the wheel) (fan)
If it is an 8 ft, and if it's empty on oil, it takes 2 quarts. Don't know what that is in metric. There are folks on here from Canada, maybe with some luck, one may be halfway close. Canada is VERY big though. lol
If all the cast parts numbers have an A before them, it's an 8 ft mill. (measured across the wheel) (fan)
If it is an 8 ft, and if it's empty on oil, it takes 2 quarts. Don't know what that is in metric. There are folks on here from Canada, maybe with some luck, one may be halfway close. Canada is VERY big though. lol
Call Dan Benjamin for parts. P M me for the phone number.
Re: Hello from the Squeaky Mill!
The wire coming down from up top is a pullout wire. It turns the tail parrallel to the fan (wheel) to take the mill out of the wind. That way, the wind hits the wheel on the edge, instead of the face. There is a brake band that encircles the hub, and when you pull down on the brake handle at eye level on the ground, the tail folds over, and the brake band gets tight on the hub, stopping the mill from turning(feathering) in the wind.
Call Dan Benjamin for parts. P M me for the phone number.
Re: Hello from the Squeaky Mill!
Don't disconnect the wood pole yet from the welltop. You can post a picture of the welltop for advice on what to do. It may be a good well, therefore you don't want to drop any hardware down it by disconnecting the wrong thing at the wrong time.
Call Dan Benjamin for parts. P M me for the phone number.
Re: Hello from the Squeaky Mill!
And the mill will not stay open without a tailspring on it to hold it open. Aermotor tailsprings and parts are available all over.
Call Dan Benjamin for parts. P M me for the phone number.
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squeakymill
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2022 8:49 am
- Location: Petrolia, Ontario
- Contact:
Re: Hello from the Squeaky Mill!
Hi windybob, thanks for all the replies!
I've climbed up to the underside of the platform, the wood looks a little spongey and I didn't have a harness to secure myself while climbing over the edge of the platform so didn't progress and haven't been back up since.
Looking at replacement springs it looks like I need to know the size of the fan before I can order that. Maybe once the weather warms up I can get back up there. I'll bring a bottle of 10w40 with me, is there anything securing the oil compartment/fill? Should I bring a funnel?
Looking at my own picture for the first time, I see the wooden pole looks to be broken/disconnected near the top and the wire brake does not appear to be in the pulled position. If I pull this wire would I engage the brake? or, given the age of the brake, is it probably rusted in place?
The pump flops around on the end of the pole, it only has about 3ft of pipe coming out of the bottom so I think it was just to pump water out of the barrel and into the pond via waterfall. It would definitely explain why the pond water level and the well water level seem tied together.
Someone else mentioned that this would not generate useful power but could pump water. Has no one ever connected a car alternator to the rotating gears up there and connected that to a battery? Surely there must be SOME useful power to be generated off of this, even if it's just enough to run an electric well next to the windmill? Sorry I don't mean to be completely ignorant or rude, just trying to explore my options once I get this operational again.
Thanks,
Dorian
I've climbed up to the underside of the platform, the wood looks a little spongey and I didn't have a harness to secure myself while climbing over the edge of the platform so didn't progress and haven't been back up since.
Looking at replacement springs it looks like I need to know the size of the fan before I can order that. Maybe once the weather warms up I can get back up there. I'll bring a bottle of 10w40 with me, is there anything securing the oil compartment/fill? Should I bring a funnel?
Looking at my own picture for the first time, I see the wooden pole looks to be broken/disconnected near the top and the wire brake does not appear to be in the pulled position. If I pull this wire would I engage the brake? or, given the age of the brake, is it probably rusted in place?
The pump flops around on the end of the pole, it only has about 3ft of pipe coming out of the bottom so I think it was just to pump water out of the barrel and into the pond via waterfall. It would definitely explain why the pond water level and the well water level seem tied together.
Someone else mentioned that this would not generate useful power but could pump water. Has no one ever connected a car alternator to the rotating gears up there and connected that to a battery? Surely there must be SOME useful power to be generated off of this, even if it's just enough to run an electric well next to the windmill? Sorry I don't mean to be completely ignorant or rude, just trying to explore my options once I get this operational again.
Thanks,
Dorian
Re: Hello from the Squeaky Mill!
Been tried and won't work. You can spend a lots of money trying and would have been better off to buy a real wind generator made for the job of producing power.
Re: Hello from the Squeaky Mill!
No, you do not want to stepping on a dangerous platform if it is rotten. One thing that we do, is take a chain up, wrap it around the tower, and use it to step on. The chain of course can't slide down a tapered tower. Check any one of the cast iron parts, including the case itself. If the numbers all start with an A, it is an 8 ft mill, measured across the wheel.
There is a nut on the top of the helmet. Take a small adjustable wrench or pliers up with you. If oil is above the bottom of the large gears, it's ok for now. The main thing to do up there is to check inside, and maybe get a few pictures. Check the gear mesh. The small gears wear out before the large gears. See if they are really worn, sharp, badly aligned, etc. If you take a can of spray oil up, spray all the connections under the head, and probably everything else that moves or pivots. The lever that the wire hooks to should move up and down, that's what pulls the tail over, and applies the brake. If you are able to turn the (fan) while you are up there, do so, and see how the insides work. If things go around, and makes things go up and down, it's a start for now. If you are a little mechanically inclined, you can see how the mill works.
The steel rod that goes down thru the middle of the head, to under the head is the pump rod. There is a swivel on the bottom that the wood pole hooks to. The swivel should work free. Don't bother hooking it up now. You are just looking things over. If fact, if you so inclined, you can maybe make up a new platform out of steel mesh, or wool to replace the old one. A friend can maybe help install a new one, so you can at least get up there to do something in the future. You will see how a new one could bolt to the tower.
You can NOT make a power windmill from this. It has been tried over and over and over and over. However, once you get used to working on this mill, and are completely familiar with the operation and function, maybe you can take on a project of making your own generating mill. Down here there are 2 towers close together on properties, one for water, the other for electric. That was common back in the day.
There are places all over that sell Aermotor parts. There is a LOT of info all over too. Start reading! The more you read, the more sense it will make inside the helmet. Check the library section here is a good start. Yours is an Aermotor. Skip the others for now. Don't need to be confused by other brands just yet.
There is a nut on the top of the helmet. Take a small adjustable wrench or pliers up with you. If oil is above the bottom of the large gears, it's ok for now. The main thing to do up there is to check inside, and maybe get a few pictures. Check the gear mesh. The small gears wear out before the large gears. See if they are really worn, sharp, badly aligned, etc. If you take a can of spray oil up, spray all the connections under the head, and probably everything else that moves or pivots. The lever that the wire hooks to should move up and down, that's what pulls the tail over, and applies the brake. If you are able to turn the (fan) while you are up there, do so, and see how the insides work. If things go around, and makes things go up and down, it's a start for now. If you are a little mechanically inclined, you can see how the mill works.
The steel rod that goes down thru the middle of the head, to under the head is the pump rod. There is a swivel on the bottom that the wood pole hooks to. The swivel should work free. Don't bother hooking it up now. You are just looking things over. If fact, if you so inclined, you can maybe make up a new platform out of steel mesh, or wool to replace the old one. A friend can maybe help install a new one, so you can at least get up there to do something in the future. You will see how a new one could bolt to the tower.
You can NOT make a power windmill from this. It has been tried over and over and over and over. However, once you get used to working on this mill, and are completely familiar with the operation and function, maybe you can take on a project of making your own generating mill. Down here there are 2 towers close together on properties, one for water, the other for electric. That was common back in the day.
There are places all over that sell Aermotor parts. There is a LOT of info all over too. Start reading! The more you read, the more sense it will make inside the helmet. Check the library section here is a good start. Yours is an Aermotor. Skip the others for now. Don't need to be confused by other brands just yet.
Call Dan Benjamin for parts. P M me for the phone number.
Re: Hello from the Squeaky Mill!
Darian , heed the advice from the most knowledgeable guys in the business !
It's amazing the experiences they have had , and are freely willing to share .
Don't try to reinvent the wheel , its already been done .
Mike B
New Braunfels TX
It's amazing the experiences they have had , and are freely willing to share .
Don't try to reinvent the wheel , its already been done .
Mike B
New Braunfels TX
