On Fri, 25 Mar 2005 22:27:57 GMT, wmbjk
wrote:

On Fri, 25 Mar 2005 09:52:40 GMT, Gunner
wrote:

Ive been looking around for a genset for the homestead. Not so much
for emergency power, but to run my welders from. Emergency backup is
icing on the cake.

My normal monthly electric bill is $150 or so (**** you Gray
Davis!!!!) and it seems that the minute I turn a welder on..it goes to
$300 a month.

No can afford this sort of thing anymore.

Ah.... at say, 15 cents a kWhr, that $150 extra is 1000kWhrs. Even at
10kw draw (pretty heavy welding), that's 100 hours per month. Somehow
I doubt that.... But if you were using that much, a fair guess might
be 100+ gallons of diesel per month to supply it from a generator. So
if you get the generator for free, and if it never needs any
maintenance, and if you don't mind hauling a barrel of fuel every
couple weeks, then it will only cost about $100 a month extra to use
the generator. The more you weld, the higher the premium will be, and
the rising cost of fuel will make it even worse. If you really want to
save money, then buy an inverter-based machine. At 100 hours a month
of use, it would pay for itself in a couple of years.


My welders run at most, perhaps 6 hours a month actual ON time, less
for welding time.

I cant afford to buy an inverter based machine. That takes cash. Hard
money. Aint got any of that. I was able to swap/trade for the
machines I do have. If I wasnt able to..there would be no machines.


But better yet, put one of these
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...1475 412&rd=1
on your appliances (especially your friggen computers!) one a time,
and I bet you'll figure out why your bills are so high. Check into TOU
utility rates as well.

And one last thing... you're using about three times as much
electricity as I do in your normal month, and sixth times as much in
your high months. That ain't Gray Davis's fault.

Wayne

http://www.pge.com/tariffs/ERS.SHTML#ERS

how do I find out what a :baseline rate is..the tarrif listing above
is greek to me.

Kern County, residential. 1.5 residents (Im only home on weekends),
see other post about gas appliences, florescent bulbs..

I asked the guy down at the PG^E payment office about running a
welder, and he flat told me even a buzzbox on weekends would tend to
double my rates. My bills appear to reflect that.

Now I turn on a welder, run the shortest bead I can get away with,
then turn it right back off. I dont have any Power Factor caps in
the welders that I know of.

Gunner


Lathe Dementia. Recognized as one of the major sub-strains of the
all-consuming virus, Packratitis. Usual symptoms easily recognized
and normally is contracted for life. Can be very contagious.
michael