27 FOOT LAND TOWER KIT For AIRtm WIND MODULE Made in the USA by: Southwest Windpower 1801 W. Route 66 Flagstaff, AZ 86001 (928) 779-9463 AIR is a trademark of Southwest Windpower Inc.
SOUTHWEST WINDPOWER DOCUMENT 0228 REV A 27 Foot LAND TOWER KIT CONGRATULATIONS! You have just received the simplest, most economical tower kit available for your AIR wind turbine. This kit is designed to be very easy to assemble and erect, however it is important that you read this manual thoroughly before beginning assembly. If you have any questions on proper installation or usage please call either Southwest Windpower or your dealer for more information.
SOUTHWEST WINDPOWER DOCUMENT 0228 REV A Introduction This tower kit is designed specifically for the Southwest Windpower “AIR” 303 and 403 wind turbines. To our knowledge this is the most economical and user friendly tower kit available for the “AIR” wind turbines. Guy wire supported construction allows the use of lightweight tubing while providing plenty of strength for all but hurricane conditions. Two people can easily erect a tower with this kit in an hour or so.
SOUTHWEST WINDPOWER DOCUMENT 0228 REV A Wire set Tower Base Staples 3/8” x 1 ½” Bolts 3/8” Locknuts Cable Thimbles Cable Clamps 1 2 2 2 4 8 Figure 1 (Parts List) Tools Needed: Round or Half Round File 5/16” or 8mm Wrench, Socket or Nut Driver (preferred) (2) 9/16” or 15mm Wrenches or Sockets Sledge Hammer Pliers Carpenters Level 5/16” allen wrench (supplied with turbine) Items Not Included In This Kit: Anchors (The type of anchors used will depend on the soil conditions at your tower site.
SOUTHWEST WINDPOWER DOCUMENT 0228 REV A Electrical Wire Wire Connectors (preferably copper split bolts) Pipe Insulation (to prevent wire “rattle” inside pole) * Electrical tape Tubing for the tower (this is explained in Step 2 on page 6) * optional items (these are explained in detail in their relevant assembly sections) Step 1: Site Selection Site selection is the most important factor affecting the performance of your wind turbine! The energy in the wind is the kinetic energy of the moving air mass.
SOUTHWEST WINDPOWER DOCUMENT 0228 REV A lighter wind conditions. If a long distance between the tower and batteries is necessary, using a large wire size will help to address this issue. The person laying out your power system should be aware of these considerations when the system is in the planning stages. Please refer to the section on “Tower, Base and Anchor Layout”. The amount of space available to assemble and raise the tower may also affect where your tower can be placed.
SOUTHWEST WINDPOWER DOCUMENT 0228 REV A Three Pieces Are Needed: 24 foot length of pipe for tower (wall thickness selected for local conditions) 3 foot length of pipe for tower (wall thickness selected for local conditions) 6 foot length of tubing for tower base (.065 in. wall thickness) ****In some areas there are subsidies and grants available for installing renewable energy systems.
SOUTHWEST WINDPOWER DOCUMENT 0228 REV A Be sure that the anchor points and base position are in a line when sighted from anchor to anchor. This will insure that the forces on the guy wires are balanced properly, and will make final guy wire adjustments simpler and will help a great deal during the actual raising of the tower. The side anchors and tower base should also be at the same height.
SOUTHWEST WINDPOWER DOCUMENT 0228 REV A Step 4: Guy Wire Anchor Installation There are four types of anchors that are most commonly used with our towers; screw in “Auger” type anchors, hammer driven “duckbill” anchors, cast concrete anchors and expansion bolts (for use only in solid rock). What anchor should be used depends on the soil type that the anchors will be placed in.
SOUTHWEST WINDPOWER DOCUMENT 0228 REV A Augers depend on the ability of the soil to hold together for their strength. If augers can not be screwed in, simply digging a hole and burying them will not work. We recommend buying augers, and if they can not be screwed in properly, a hole can be dug and the auger cast in concrete. This will provide a good loop for guy wire attachment and make an excellent anchor in the concrete.
SOUTHWEST WINDPOWER DOCUMENT 0228 REV A Holes for concrete anchors should be at least 2 feet in diameter and at least 3 feet deep. The attachment should be placed in the hole and concrete or cement poured around it to a depth of at least 1 foot. Once the concrete has set it should be buried before use. Anchoring in Rock: If your tower site has large rocks around it or is located on solid rock, expansion bolts in the rock may be the best means of anchoring your guy wires and base tube.
SOUTHWEST WINDPOWER DOCUMENT 0228 REV A Step 5:Tower Base Assembly To assemble the base, a 6 foot long piece of tower tubing is positioned half way through the base tee as shown in the drawing below and the set screw tightened to hold it in position (use the 5/16 inch allen wrench included with your turbine). The base “T” should now be placed on the position chosen for the base of the tower, perpendicular to the direction that the tower will be raised.
SOUTHWEST WINDPOWER DOCUMENT 0228 REV A The basic method you will be using to raise the tower will involve assembling the tower on the ground then raising the tower. Assembly of the tower begins as follows: 1) The electrical wires for the turbine should be straightened and cut a couple of feet longer than the tower height. 2) Trim and strip the ends of the turbine wires so that the wires are staggered about 2 inches (red wire 12 inches, black wire 10 inches, green wire 8 inches).
SOUTHWEST WINDPOWER 10) DOCUMENT 0228 REV A Run the turbine wires through the tower base and slide in the tower pipe. Tighten the set screw in the tower base to 8-10 ft.*lb. of torque. Step 7:Attaching Guy Wires to Anchors With the assembled tower laying on the ground the guy wires at the sides and rear of the tower should be attached now.
SOUTHWEST WINDPOWER DOCUMENT 0228 REV A MAKE SURE THAT ALL GUY WIRES ARE SECURE BEFORE PROCEEDING ! At this point the turbine should be propped up on a box, chair, stool or milk crate so that the blades are not damaged when they are installed. Mount the blades onto the turbine at this time.
SOUTHWEST WINDPOWER DOCUMENT 0228 REV A Before attempting to raise the tower be sure that all side and rear guy wire are attached and that all clamps are tight. Also be sure that the two bolts on the coupler are tight. If two people are available one person should push the tower up into position while the other pulls by the unattached guy wire. With the tower off the ground a few feet make sure that all the wires are coming up cleanly.
SOUTHWEST WINDPOWER DOCUMENT 0228 REV A Once the tower is straight, make sure that all the cable clamps are tight. If the tower is to be lowered, only undo the bolt side cable so that, when the tower is re-erected, only that cable will need to be readjusted. Step 10: Junction Box and Lightning Arrestor Installation A junction box for the wire connections can be attached to the tower base. A lightning arrestor can be installed on this box as well.
