# Windmills in the Vineyard?



## Runningwolf

Has anybody seen these before. Driving down a different road today I saw this vineyard with about a dozen windmills in it. I thought what a cool idea. Later on I found out they are not windmills but Wind Machines. They are actually turned on when they is threat of a frost. They pull warmer air in to protect the crop.


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## Wade E

Pull warmer air in from where?


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## Runningwolf

This is in a slight valley and I think any kind of air movement will help prevent frost. I saw one in Ohio that was built like a box and blew the cold air back in to the atmosphere. Each one was suppose to protect 5 acres of crop. I put a link to wind machines on the first post if you want to look at it. I really don't know anything about them and was hoping Rich and Al might.


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## rob

That is a cool idea, last year we had a mothers day frost May 12th and it took out 1/3 of my vineyard, late frost can really put a hurt on the vines, they do come back, but with little or no fruit


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## grapeman

I don'r know a lot about them, but they act by moving the air, much the way it won't freeze on borderline nights when the wind moves. Apple orchards around here have used them for a half century to keep frost from settling into pockets. You can tell cooler sections by looking where there are wind machines.


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## Runningwolf

I wonder why they don't use them in Florida with the oranges.


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## Airplanedoc

Runningwolf said:


> I wonder why they don't use them in Florida with the oranges.



Hurricanes


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## AlFulchino

there is a new type of wind machine out now too that you place in the center of your vineyard and the fan blows upward, sucking the air in at ground level ( the fan is only five to ten ft off the ground)....so air is sucked in at ground level from all around the machine and then that cool air blown upward


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## Runningwolf

Al that is the one I saw in Geneva, Ohio and they said each one will protect five acres.


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## ibglowin

Wade, Wade, Wade........

Everyone knows that cold air falls. All the way to the ground.....

There is warmer air just 5-15 feet higher. The fan basically mixes up the air and redistributes the warm air and can raise the temp 3-5 degrees in some instances.

We have lots of canyons in these parts. If you ride a bike in the early morning you can feel the air go from fairly warm on top to OMG freezing cold at the bottom of the canyon. n



Wade E said:


> Pull warmer air in from where?


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## Wade E

Mike, like I always say. Im not a smart man when it comes to anything to do with science! That I knew but it just seemed to me unless it was slightly tilted it would just blow the same air around.


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## woodsxdragon

just another example of why ohio is awesome... right?


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## ibglowin

Your plenty smart, trust me! I was just playing around. I have had plenty of life lessons as well as school which sometimes teaches you more in the long run. 

Growing up in South Texas we had forced air conditioning. They always put the ducts up high towards the ceiling which allows for max cooling in the room as the cool air drops towards the ground.




Wade E said:


> Mike, like I always say. Im not a smart man when it comes to anything to do with science! That I knew but it just seemed to me unless it was slightly tilted it would just blow the same air around.


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## jtstar

Those look just like the one's we have here in eastern Nebraska and northeast Iowa but these are used for producing electricity


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