Gray-B-Gon wind-powered evapotron for graywater disposal

Step 26 Propeller: mount it and balance it

Materials:

• 2-3 ft 12- or 14-gauge copper wire, bare or insulated.
• blue tape.

Mount the propeller on the arm. Is it balanced? If not, some copper wire will fix it.  The balance doesn't have to be perfect, but the better it is, the more readily the propeller will turn in light winds. The length of time the propeller turns, not the speed it turns at, is what governs the rate of water disposal.

Do this step indoors, or on a day with no wind at all.  Measure from the wheel axle to the middle of the rim, and cut wire to that length.  Coil it to make a compact bundle.  With the unbalanced wheel at rest (heavy side down, in other words), use blue tape to stick the wire bundle to the top spoke or blade.  Move the wire bundle in toward the axle, or out toward the rim.  When the wheel's balanced, it will come to a stop in any orientation, more or less. That's the situation described in the picture.  Don't waste time striving for perfection.

If the wire coil, moved out to the rim, isn't heavy enough to balance the wheel, wrap it permanently around the rim's light spot and a nearby spoke.  Start by bending over one end, to make a hook that will catch on the rim wall.  Wrap the wire around the rim, going on both sides of a spoke if possible.  Finally, bend the wire end into the rim or around the spoke so that it's not sticking out.     Now start balancing again with another length of wire.

When the wheel balances, more or less, measure from the wheel axle to the middle of the coil and cut the wire to that length. Wrap it around the rim and a nearby spoke.