Since the summer of 2023, the mill has been used to generate electricity for the entire house.
For much of the year this is sufficient, only on the really cold period electricity from the external grid is used, as the house is heated electrically.
The wheel with a diameter of about four meters is driven from above by the water of the supply channel(bief).
The amount of water can be regulated by means of two sluice gates and a plate that can open or close.
The latter happens automatically in the opening of the plate is determined by the water pressure.
The complete installation was provided by Dutch company Gratia Hydro.
Here you can see how on the right the water flows through the sluice gate into the supply channel, and on the left the Creuzier runs.
The water entering the supply channel passes under the sluice gate here and then flows on toward the wheel.
Here you can see how the water in the supply channel flows through toward the wheel.
This is the plate used to regulate the amount of water to the wheel. This is done fully automatically, but can also be adjusted manually. Another heavy stone can be seen which ensures that the plate is heavy enough to stay at the correct opening.
This is the installation that automatically controls the opening of the plate.
This is the side lock. This is used in several situations. 1. If the water level in the supply channel is too high, opening the sluice allows the water to be diverted and then crashes down beside the wheel. (See next video). 2. If for any reason but usually for maintenance, the wheel must be stopped.
This is what it looks like when the side sluice is open and the water crashes down like a waterfall next to the wheel. The water returns to the Creuzier through two drains.
This is how it looks from above how the water lands on the wheel.
The wheel is about 4 meters in diameter and spins about 7.7 times per minute.
And this is the wheel seen from below.
Here you can see, inside the mill, how by means of a chain construction the wheel is driven.
Here you can see how the wheel eventually drives the turbine that eventually produces the power. The wheel turns about 1025 rpm.
This is the meter box that comes with the installation. It is connected to the meter box for the house which is set up elsewhere in the house (the garage). At the top you can see the current output of the installation.
This is what the meter box looks like inside.
Through an app on your phone, you can see in real time how things are looking.