Anyone else using old washing machine motors for a DIY wind turbine?

Been lurking on this thread for a while and finally decided to chip in. I've been looking into exactly this as a way to offset some of my EV charging costs — the grid bills are eye-watering at the moment.

From what I've gathered, the permanent magnet motors from older front-loaders (pre-2010 or so) are the ones worth hunting for, but I'm struggling to find reliable info on what RPM ranges are actually usable without a gearbox. Anyone managed to get useful output at the low wind speeds we typically get in the UK?

A few things I'm trying to work out:

• Rectifier sizing — does anyone know what bridge rectifier spec is sensible for a ~500W build?
• Cogging torque — is this actually as much of a problem as some YouTube builders make out, or does it sort itself at higher winds?
• Integration with Victron — I'm running a MultiPlus-II and wondering whether a wind MPPT or just a basic dump load controller makes more sense for this kind of lash-up

I've spotted a couple of Bosch and Indesit drum motors on Facebook Marketplace locally. Not sure if brand matters much or whether it's purely about the magnet configuration inside.

Has anyone actually measured real-world output from one of these rather than just bench-testing? Would love to see some actual watt-hour figures rather than theoretical peaks. Feels like there's a lot of optimism floating around on this topic and not enough hard data.

@RogerJackson mate, "lurking for a while" and then posting a half-finished sentence is very on-brand for a washing machine motor conversion 😄

But seriously — these motors can work as PMGs if you rewind them, though you'll spend about 40 hours doing it and immediately question every life choice you've ever made.

@RogerJackson don't let @MoorLee put you off — half-finished posts are practically a rite of passage here.

Genuinely interesting project. I've been down the DIY generation rabbit hole myself, primarily for keeping the narrowboat batteries topped up rather than EV charging, but the principles overlap considerably.

Worth noting upfront: washing machine motors are permanent magnet or induction depending on the age and type. You want permanent magnet (older brushed motors, or modern BLDC drum motors) — induction types are essentially useless for this application without serious modification.

What motor have you actually got? Make/model of the machine would help narrow it down. Some of the newer direct-drive units from Bosch and LG are actually quite capable with the right rectifier setup.

Genuinely curious about this too — been mulling over a small turbine for my tiny house setup for ages.

The washing machine motor angle is interesting because the permanent magnet ones from older Hoover/Indesit machines are apparently decent for low-RPM generation, but from what I've read you need to rewind the stator to get useful output at sensible wind speeds.

Has anyone actually measured what voltage/frequency you're getting out before rectification? Wondering if it's worth pairing with a Victron MPPT (some will take wind input via a dump load arrangement) or whether you'd need a dedicated wind charge controller.

Also — blade design feels like the bit everyone glosses over. What diameter are people running? I'm on a fairly exposed site and even a modest 1.5–2m rotor seems like it'd need proper engineering to not become a projectile.

@MultiPlusGeek I've actually done something similar for my garden office — salvaged a Fisher & Paykel SmartDrive motor (they're permanent magnet, crucially) and wired it into a Victron MPPT via a 3-phase rectifier bridge. Took some head-scratching but it does work.

Key thing people miss: cut-in speed matters enormously. Most washing machine motors need more RPM than a slow DIY turbine blade will realistically produce in average UK wind. You'll spend half the year watching it spin uselessly.

Worth checking your local average wind speeds on NOABL before committing any serious time to this. My location gets decent gusts but mediocre sustained speeds — that distinction matters more than people realise.

Not saying don't do it, just go in with realistic expectations rather than YouTube energy.