BUILD A POWER PLANT FROM A DEAD HOVERBOARD AND DRAIN PIPE
A water turbine built from drain pipe and a scrapped hoverboard wheel that keeps making power after the sun sets.
by Daniel Connell
EnergyWorkshop
- difficulty
- ●●●○○
- time
- a weekend
- license
- license not specified
- repo
- repo 0 stars
●●●○○ · a weekend · license not specified · 0 stars · repo
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
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COMPAREE VERDICT
This is a genuinely low-cost micro hydro build if you have flowing water and about three metres of vertical drop. The salvage trick is the hoverboard wheel: discarded boards are everywhere second-hand and the hub motor inside is already a brushless generator with bearings built in, the expensive part you would otherwise buy new. The rest is PVC drain pipe fittings, a reinforced 120 mm PC fan as the impeller and basic hardware. The author expects around 200 watts with a three-metre drop and 30 to 40 litres per second of flow. His argument is not peak power but runtime: unlike solar it produces day and night, and he claims about ten times the daily energy of a 120-watt solar panel for half its cost. The build guide is thorough with clear photos and a printable template. The materials and tools lists are detailed; what is missing is any discussion of the rectifier and charge controller you will need to turn AC into usable DC — those are assumed knowledge. The single biggest trap is legal, not technical: many countries restrict what you can install in a watercourse without a permit, and the guide does not discuss this. If you have a stream on your own land or written permission to use one, and you are comfortable with basic metalwork and electronics, this is a weekend project with real output. If you do not have the water or the permissions, it is not.
IN THE REPO
GOOD TO KNOW
- —Full build guide with step-by-step photos is published on opensourcelowtech.org.
- —A printable circle-marking template (PDF), a full 3D model of the turbine and optional 3D-printable impellers are linked from the guide.
- —A full materials list with quantities and sizes (PVC Y connector, hoverboard wheel, 120 mm PC fan, M8/M4 hardware, O-rings, wood, aluminium bar) and a tools list are in the guide.
- —No code or electronics design: the hoverboard motor controller is discarded, the motor runs as a passive generator into a rectifier purchased separately.
- —Author states all designs are open source and license free for any purpose — this is a plain-English permission statement, not a formal SPDX licence.
- —Power output figures are the author's expected values for his site conditions, not independently verified measurements.
Parts to buy
6 itemsFrom our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.
Can I build this?
Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.
Videos
DIY water turbine build and output measurement
Open Source Low Tech's own video showing the turbine and its output; a separate free build tutorial video is on the same channel (hJbiSY2CijE).
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Start here
Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.
- 1.Read the full guide to confirm you have suitable water flow and head (The guide (archived copy) lists every tool and material and has step-by-step instructions; the original site is currently offline)
- 2.Source a dead or cheap hoverboard — one wheel is enough, you only need the hub motor(Check local classifieds, e-waste centres or repair cafés; the rest of the board is scrap)
- 3.Print the circle template, gather the PVC Y connector, end cap, pipe and M8/M4 hardware from a hardware shop(The guide suggests a 110 mm to 160 mm PVC Y connector depending on your site; confirm your hoverboard motor and fan fit before cutting)
- 4.Follow the build photos to assemble the housing, mount the motor and attach the blades(Test fit everything dry before gluing PVC joints)
Resources
Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.
KNOWN ISSUES
- No discussion of the rectifier or charge controller in the guide — you are expected to know how to turn three-phase AC into battery-safe DC, or to research it separately.
- Water rights vary by country and installing anything in a stream or irrigation channel without permission can be illegal, even on your own land in some jurisdictions — the guide does not cover this.
- Hoverboard motors vary in size and the PVC dimensions are specific to the author's salvaged wheel — measure yours before cutting pipe or you may need to adjust the design.
- Power output depends heavily on head and flow rate; the author's 200-watt figure assumes a three-metre drop and 30 to 40 litres per second, and half that head or a slow stream will produce far less — do not expect grid power from a trickle.
- PC fan blades vary — the guide calls for a standard 120 mm seven-blade fan reinforced with battery heatshrink, and a stronger server-type fan for higher drops; a flimsy fan will flex and underperform.
Can I use this if I do not have a stream?
No. This design requires flowing water with about three metres of vertical drop. Without both flow and head it will not generate meaningful power.
How much power does it actually make?
The author expects about 200 watts (around 60 V rectified at 3.3 A) with a 3 metre drop and 30 to 40 litres per second of flow, and says it will vary with your site. Running around the clock, 200 watts would be close to 5 kWh a day. That is enough to charge a battery bank or run low-power devices, not to replace a grid connection.
Do I need permission to put this in a stream?
Very likely yes. Most countries regulate what you can install in watercourses, even on private land. Check local water rights and environmental rules before building.
What if I cannot find a hoverboard?
The design depends on the salvaged hub motor being cheap or free. A new brushless motor with bearings will cost more than the entire stated budget, so without the hoverboard the economics change completely.
Is there a circuit diagram for the rectifier and charge controller?
No. The guide assumes you already know how to wire a three-phase rectifier or will use a purchased module. If that is new to you, budget time to research it separately.
Community builds
No community builds yet — be the first, we feature the best ones.
Discussion1
FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM
The author claims ten times the daily energy of a small solar panel for half the cost, because it runs all night. If you have access to flowing water, would that trade-off make you try hydro first?
Daniel Connell
Daniel Connell publishes practical low-cost renewable energy builds under the Open Source Low Tech project. The hydro turbine is part of a series of designs aimed at off-grid power generation using salvaged and widely available materials.
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DISCLAIMER
- Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
- Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
- Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
CompareeTEAM2mo agoedited
Practical notes from our verification: the guide by Daniel Connell (OpenSourceLowTech) lists materials and tools in detail, has a circle-sheet template and a full turbine model to download, and there is a separate video tutorial — but the original page currently returns an error, so you may need the archived copy. The 200 watts figure is the author's expected output at about 60 volts rectified with a 3 metre drop and 30 to 40 litres per second of flow; he says it will vary with your site, so treat it as indicative rather than guaranteed. The designs are released licence-free for any purpose, which is generous but not a formal open-source licence. The biggest non-technical hurdle is legal: many places restrict what you can install in a watercourse, so check that before you build. If you have the water and the rights, this is a genuinely low-cost build. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.