Is Sencenbaugh Wind Electric still in Business?

[Ray kerhan]

Hello,

I am trying to find out if the manufacture of the Sencenbaugh 1000-14 Wind Generator is still in business.

Back in the 1980's I installed a Sencenbaugh 10kw Wind Generator on a 120 foot tower in north Central Vermont. I recently visited the property, (it has changed hands a couple of times). The current owners are really interested in have the turbine functional again. The prior owner never did any maintenance on any part of the system, which led to the system failing.

The tower/wind generator is still up, however the blades have since completely shattered. We are considering various alternatives, including a NEW Turbine installation , or restoring the existing turbine. At the time of original installation, the system was not tied into the grid, operated as a stand alone system with a bank of deep cycle batteries and inverter. operated flawlessly for several years until I sold the property. The year round average windspeed is north of 12 mph, so never ran out of power.

So in the interest of possible restoration, I am searching for the original manufacture and or original operating/installation manuals.

Any advice or information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance
Ray

[Joe Biondo]

Hi Ray, I purchased a 1979 never used still in the crates Sencenbaugh 14-1000 wind generator last year, and is now for sale. I only used it for a few days, and it performed great, but am opting for an older 32 volt Jake instead. It did not, however come with a control box, but it isn't any big deal as there are others available. I used a Coleman Air 440 to run it and my solar panels....For your own information Jim Sencenbaugh evidently retired and does not consult. I tried to contact him but...... If you're interested in this machine, it is going on ebay within a month of today, 6/21/2021, for $3500.

[Dave Lahar]

Hi Ray,

I put up several Sencenbaugh's in that area, and that time frame, and may have worked on yours? We also operated one in the NEK for nearly three decades. They are pretty solid, but relatively low power, and at 12V, come with high losses. To be clear they are rated at 1 kW (I assume the 10 kW is a typo), but even 1 kW is high; 20-35A in decent winds is more typical in my experience.

I sold most of the remaining stock that I had to Joe. I'm not sure how much he may have. His unit sounds like a good find, but you will want some spare parts if you go that route (control boards in particular).

If the client is, or plans to be grid-tied, PV would be a better choice, and may be anyway. I still love wind. We built a home-built axial, but it is hard to say that small wind competes any more, except with remote, off-grid installs where there is no other viable option.

I still have manuals and can send you a pdf copy if you need.

d (aka kitestrings)

[Joe Biondo]

Dave, great to hear from you- it's been quite a journey since I first saw a Sencenbaugh. It was a belt-driven 750-14, the 1976 precursor to the one we both owned. Fast forward to 1986 when my brother and I scoured the New Mexico countryside for old Jacobs 32 volt pre-REA wind generators. I bought one off a farmer, but never was in a position to put it up on a tower. I was really impressed at how quiet they ran. Since my Bergey XL-1 and my Sencenbaugh 1000-14, I finally have come full circle and am looking for a used Jake to anoint my 3-legged Wincharger tower. Hey, how's that axial coming along? Tell Neil I said Hi, Joe

[Dave Lahar]

The axial we built (15' dia) has been running since Dec '13, with some significant alterations last year, described here:

https://www.fieldlines.com/index.php/topic,149894.0.html

It produces a lot more power than our Sencenbaugh, but is not as quite, at least not at, or just above cut-in when the controller is clipping the waveform. We have the furling motorized which works great. I can start or stop the turbine from the house. This time of year the PV does the heavy lifting and we rarely use it. Come fall/winter that reverses.

The Jacobs were near silent and well made. Unfortunately 32V is not real user-friendly for most though.