| By :
Roger Brown
Windmax is one of the most popular small wind turbines on the market and is available through amazon.com. They manufacture a range of wind turbine products, but in this review we are taking a close look at the model HY400. The biggest limitation a small wind turbine or any wind turbine has is low wind performance. The selling point for Windmax unit starts turning at 6.7 mph cut-in speed, where many popular wind turbines for the home don't begin producing power until at least 9 mph. How much does it cost and what comes with the kit? Anytime you make an investment in a home wind turbine, there are 2 aspects to cost you must carefully consider: 1. First Cost - which includes the cost to buy the turbine and install the device In this case, the Windmax HY400 itself costs approximately $700. You need to budget at least that much to install the system and get connected to your home's electrical system. If you are going to connect the unit to charge a battery, no need to call an electrician. 2. Recurring costs - this covers regular maintenance and any schedules replacement of parts. You need to budget approximately $200/year for maintenance. • 450 Watt Max/400 Watt Rated • Generator • Blades • Controller (and screws/bolts) • Tower not included The generator is brushless which means it requires less torque to start turning, which gives it the much lower cut-in speed. Important things about the components… Blades - they are made of injection molded fiberglass and nylon, making them very strong but light weight. This is another reason Windmax offers such a low cut-in speed. The 3-blade system has a diameter of 4-1/2 feet. Aerodynamically, the blades have been designed to keep them from over-speeding. Controller - is a hybrid design which incorporates both solar and wind driven technologies. It is also electromagnetically controlled to slow the turbine speed down before "furling" occurs - that is a fail-safe that turns the system out of the prevailing wind in high wind conditions to keep the unit from over-speeding. Max Speed - the maximum wind speed the unit can operate in is 134 mph. Before that though, the unit will furl and protect itself from being destroyed. Weight - the entire unit weighs in at 60 pounds (that's without the tower), so you can mount it on your roof without fear of damaging the underlying structure with strong winds. Bottom line - Windmax is a quick and simple way to start making energy from the wind that's blowing by you every day. I would even go so far as to say, this type of small wind turbine represents the future in this category. It is small enough to be quick to assemble and mount and get set up to produce power, but it is sturdy enough to last for at least the 20 year average life you should get out of a home wind turbine. Recommendation - If you are looking for a way to get started making electricity from wind, Windmax HY400 offers an excellent low-cost entry point.
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