Electronics Repair (sci.electronics.repair) Discussion of repairing electronic equipment. Topics include requests for assistance, where to obtain servicing information and parts, techniques for diagnosis and repair, and annecdotes about success, failures and problems.

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  #41   Report Post  
Active8
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

In article , soundguy2
@worldnet.att.net says...
On Mon, 06 Oct 2003 15:51:06 -0700, Lizard Blizzard
wrote:

oldsoundguy wrote:
[snip]

my Linear .. Dolby 5.1 amp set up (on all the time) 32'HDTV .. screen


WOW! You must have a theater with a screen that big!

[snip]


that was the intent!!

LOL. i haven't seen a big screen TV that big. not even projected. i
suppose if you were really moving in relativistic terms, it would be
that big,

brs,
mike
  #44   Report Post  
Watson A.Name - Watt Sun
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

In article t,
lid mentioned...
[snip]

at least my CPUs have a fan to force the air through the coffee filters
that keep the above implied dust out.


brs,
mike


I remember back in the late '70s and early '80s there was a guy who
put an air filter from a car on the back of his S-100 system. It
worked well, but looked odd with the dinner-plate sized chrome cover
and wing nut. ;-)


--
@@F@r@o@m@@O@r@a@n@g@e@@C@o@u@n@t@y@,@@C@a@l@,@@w@ h@e@r@e@@
###Got a Question about ELECTRONICS? Check HERE First:###
http://users.pandora.be/educypedia/e...s/databank.htm
My email address is whitelisted. *All* email sent to it
goes directly to the trash unless you add NOSPAM in the
Subject: line with other stuff. alondra101 at hotmail.com
Don't be ripped off by the big book dealers. Go to the URL
that will give you a choice and save you money(up to half).
http://www.everybookstore.com You'll be glad you did!
Just when you thought you had all this figured out, the gov't
changed it: http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html
@@t@h@e@@a@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@m@e@e@t@@t@h@e@@E@f@f@l@ u@e@n@t@@
  #45   Report Post  
Watson A.Name - Watt Sun
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

In article t,
lid mentioned...
[snip]

at least my CPUs have a fan to force the air through the coffee filters
that keep the above implied dust out.


brs,
mike


I remember back in the late '70s and early '80s there was a guy who
put an air filter from a car on the back of his S-100 system. It
worked well, but looked odd with the dinner-plate sized chrome cover
and wing nut. ;-)


--
@@F@r@o@m@@O@r@a@n@g@e@@C@o@u@n@t@y@,@@C@a@l@,@@w@ h@e@r@e@@
###Got a Question about ELECTRONICS? Check HERE First:###
http://users.pandora.be/educypedia/e...s/databank.htm
My email address is whitelisted. *All* email sent to it
goes directly to the trash unless you add NOSPAM in the
Subject: line with other stuff. alondra101 at hotmail.com
Don't be ripped off by the big book dealers. Go to the URL
that will give you a choice and save you money(up to half).
http://www.everybookstore.com You'll be glad you did!
Just when you thought you had all this figured out, the gov't
changed it: http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html
@@t@h@e@@a@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@m@e@e@t@@t@h@e@@E@f@f@l@ u@e@n@t@@


  #48   Report Post  
Jerry G.
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

Depending on your location, the cost can vary from about $0.02 ( two cents )
to about $0.20 ( twenty cents ) per kW/hr. This is for most parts of North
America. You should check on your power bill for the cost that they are
charging to you, or call them.

Many power companies pro-rate their pricing. As you use more, the price will
drop, as per volume discounting. In some regions where they want the
customers to use less, they pro-rate the cost in the opposite direction.
Some power distributors, want to give preference to industrial users,
therefore, they charge higher rates, as the user consumes more power. This
is known as "reverse pro-rated costing".

To know your rates, and how they work from your power distributor, you
should call them and ask.

--

Greetings,

Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG
=========================================
WebPage http://www.zoom-one.com
Electronics http://www.zoom-one.com/electron.htm
Instruments http://www.zoom-one.com/glgtech.htm
=========================================


"Watson A.Name - Watt Sun" wrote in message
m...
In article t,
lid mentioned...
In article ,

says...

[big snip]

"Watson A.Name - Watt Sun" wrote in message
m...
I was watching the local ABC News and they had a piece on vampire
appliances. They said that an appliance could be using about 5 watts
when it's turned off, and that's about $4.00 a month. This sounded a
bit high to me. But since I don't get an electric bill, I have no way
to tell.

5 watt-hours times 730 hours a month is 3650 watt-hours or 3.65 kWh.

More than a dollar a kWh?


Well, with all those followups, I've yet to see an answer to my
original Q, above. Like, nowadays, is the cost electricity a dollar a
kWh?



--
@@F@r@o@m@@O@r@a@n@g@e@@C@o@u@n@t@y@,@@C@a@l@,@@w@ h@e@r@e@@
###Got a Question about ELECTRONICS? Check HERE First:###
http://users.pandora.be/educypedia/e...s/databank.htm
My email address is whitelisted. *All* email sent to it
goes directly to the trash unless you add NOSPAM in the
Subject: line with other stuff. alondra101 at hotmail.com
Don't be ripped off by the big book dealers. Go to the URL
that will give you a choice and save you money(up to half).
http://www.everybookstore.com You'll be glad you did!
Just when you thought you had all this figured out, the gov't
changed it: http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html
@@t@h@e@@a@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@m@e@e@t@@t@h@e@@E@f@f@l@ u@e@n@t@@


  #49   Report Post  
Jerry G.
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

Depending on your location, the cost can vary from about $0.02 ( two cents )
to about $0.20 ( twenty cents ) per kW/hr. This is for most parts of North
America. You should check on your power bill for the cost that they are
charging to you, or call them.

Many power companies pro-rate their pricing. As you use more, the price will
drop, as per volume discounting. In some regions where they want the
customers to use less, they pro-rate the cost in the opposite direction.
Some power distributors, want to give preference to industrial users,
therefore, they charge higher rates, as the user consumes more power. This
is known as "reverse pro-rated costing".

To know your rates, and how they work from your power distributor, you
should call them and ask.

--

Greetings,

Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG
=========================================
WebPage http://www.zoom-one.com
Electronics http://www.zoom-one.com/electron.htm
Instruments http://www.zoom-one.com/glgtech.htm
=========================================


"Watson A.Name - Watt Sun" wrote in message
m...
In article t,
lid mentioned...
In article ,

says...

[big snip]

"Watson A.Name - Watt Sun" wrote in message
m...
I was watching the local ABC News and they had a piece on vampire
appliances. They said that an appliance could be using about 5 watts
when it's turned off, and that's about $4.00 a month. This sounded a
bit high to me. But since I don't get an electric bill, I have no way
to tell.

5 watt-hours times 730 hours a month is 3650 watt-hours or 3.65 kWh.

More than a dollar a kWh?


Well, with all those followups, I've yet to see an answer to my
original Q, above. Like, nowadays, is the cost electricity a dollar a
kWh?



--
@@F@r@o@m@@O@r@a@n@g@e@@C@o@u@n@t@y@,@@C@a@l@,@@w@ h@e@r@e@@
###Got a Question about ELECTRONICS? Check HERE First:###
http://users.pandora.be/educypedia/e...s/databank.htm
My email address is whitelisted. *All* email sent to it
goes directly to the trash unless you add NOSPAM in the
Subject: line with other stuff. alondra101 at hotmail.com
Don't be ripped off by the big book dealers. Go to the URL
that will give you a choice and save you money(up to half).
http://www.everybookstore.com You'll be glad you did!
Just when you thought you had all this figured out, the gov't
changed it: http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html
@@t@h@e@@a@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@m@e@e@t@@t@h@e@@E@f@f@l@ u@e@n@t@@


  #50   Report Post  
Ian Stirling
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

In sci.electronics.misc Lizard Blizzard wrote:
Ian Stirling wrote:

In sci.electronics.misc Watson A.Name - "Watt Sun" wrote:

I was watching the local ABC News and they had a piece on vampire
appliances. They said that an appliance could be using about 5 watts
when it's turned off, and that's about $4.00 a month. This sounded a
bit high to me. But since I don't get an electric bill, I have no way
to tell.

snip
Some devices draw lots more power when "off".
My satellite reciever draws almost exactly the same power when off and
when on. Off is around 30W, on around 32.

snip
They mention that sat rcvrs draw almost as much power. What did you use
to measure the power with? A DMM on the AC current range? Then
multiply by the line voltage? I sure miss my Amprobe, which got stolen.
Really handy, however it required that the hot lead of the line cord
be separated from the others.

It was a kila-watt clone, which is a little device you plug into the
socket, and then plug your device into.
The reason is that it wants to keep practically all of the
circuitry active, in order to recieve software updates, keep track
of program listings, and look for signals to kill the viewing card.

Relatively cheap, though very inaccurate on some loads.

--
http://inquisitor.i.am/ | | Ian Stirling.
---------------------------+-------------------------+--------------------------
Two fish in a tank: one says to the other, "you know how to drive this thing??"


  #51   Report Post  
Ian Stirling
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

In sci.electronics.misc Lizard Blizzard wrote:
Ian Stirling wrote:

In sci.electronics.misc Watson A.Name - "Watt Sun" wrote:

I was watching the local ABC News and they had a piece on vampire
appliances. They said that an appliance could be using about 5 watts
when it's turned off, and that's about $4.00 a month. This sounded a
bit high to me. But since I don't get an electric bill, I have no way
to tell.

snip
Some devices draw lots more power when "off".
My satellite reciever draws almost exactly the same power when off and
when on. Off is around 30W, on around 32.

snip
They mention that sat rcvrs draw almost as much power. What did you use
to measure the power with? A DMM on the AC current range? Then
multiply by the line voltage? I sure miss my Amprobe, which got stolen.
Really handy, however it required that the hot lead of the line cord
be separated from the others.

It was a kila-watt clone, which is a little device you plug into the
socket, and then plug your device into.
The reason is that it wants to keep practically all of the
circuitry active, in order to recieve software updates, keep track
of program listings, and look for signals to kill the viewing card.

Relatively cheap, though very inaccurate on some loads.

--
http://inquisitor.i.am/ | | Ian Stirling.
---------------------------+-------------------------+--------------------------
Two fish in a tank: one says to the other, "you know how to drive this thing??"
  #52   Report Post  
Jerry G.
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

The cable TV amplifier is drawing current. The meter you used probably
cannot measure it because of its load characteristics. A simple DVM or home
type Amp meter is not sophisticated to take accurate readings on devices
that are very reactive, or non linear in their power consumption rate. But,
you have a very good idea of what is going on, according to your
descriptions.

Your cable TV amplifier should be drawing about 0.8 to about 1.5 Watts on
the average. If your GE TV is an old set without remote control operation,
then it would be using a hard power switch, and draw no power when off. It
would normally be pulling about 3 to 6 Watts on the average in the OFF mode,
if it is a modern set. Due to the characteristics of the power supply, your
meter is not measuring it properly. Check the specifications in the user
booklet that came with the set. Usually for most models they will indicate
the power off, power consumption.

You can put external power switches to devices, but their internal
processors will stop working. If you have pre-set memories and etc, these
will be lost after some time. Some units will loose these in about 20
minutes or so. Others with backup batteries will hold it much longer, but
you will be changing the batteries from time to time. This has an added
cost. If these units are using internal batteries on the circuit boards,
you will be in for some extra maintenance work, that will also be more
costly in the end.

In a home that we tested we have a number of devices that are pulling
current when off. We have done a number of homes for power consumption
evaluation. This is a typical family home. We have about 7 months a year
where heating is required, and about 3 months a year where a lot of air
conditioning is required. There is about 2 months of the year where the
temperatures are moderate, and heating and air conditioning costs are low.
We have been doing power evaluations for homes, and below is a typical
medium family home. You would be surprised with all the modern type
appliances, what the actual power consumption is. If you add up the whole
country, this is a very large number for all the devices when turned off!
Maybe we should go back to the 1960's type design without the computer
controlled options...

4 TV sets 20 Watts
3 Computer monitors 15 Watts
1 Short wave radio 3 Watts
2 Cable TV amplifiers 2 Watts
3 Computers 30 Watts
5 Electric Clocks 12 Watts
1 Microwave Oven 6 Watts
1 Electric Stove 6 Watts
1 Fax Machine 5 Watts
1 Alarm System 15 Watts
4 Cordless Telephones 15 Watts
1 Sound System 20 Watts ( all units together )
1 Cable TV Decoder 40 Watts
2 VCR's 16 Watts
1 DVD Player 10 Watts

This list does not cover the cost of cooking, freezers, refrigerators, air
conditioning, lighting, washing machine, dryer, and heating. The
refrigerator, freezer, air conditioners, furnace, and washing machine, are
the most costly devices in the home when evaluated over a long duration.
Since the freezer, furnace, air conditioner, and refrigerator use
microcomputer controlled electronic thermostats instead of the mechanical
ones (like 20 years ago), they each also pull about 5 Watts of power on the
average when in the standby mode.

The list above, not including the major appliances, heating, air
conditioning, and lighting, gives a total of 215 Watts for standby power
devices. The rate is about $0.05 US Kw/Hr, pro-rated to $0.07 US Kw/Hr. In
our area, this evaluation example would cost $0.0129 US per hour average.
This is $0.31 US per day, or $9.28 per month average. At this rate, nothing
has been turned on yet.

This household has an average power bill of about $130 US per month when
including the usage of all the utilities. This is $1560.00 US per year. In
relation to running a complete household, I would not complain about the
standby costs.

We found that using compact florescent lamps give a big cost savings for
power consumption. Some people do not like the type of light they give off.
They are more expensive to purchase, but they do make up in the final cost
over their lifespan. The best buys are the ones that go on sale from time to
time. In the fall we generally see them reduced in purchase price by about
30%. This is the time to stock up on them. The brand name does not make
much difference, since it is only a few companies producing them, and they
all must meet the UL and CSA standards.

A 12 Watt compact florescent will give off nearly the same amount of light
as a 60 or 70 Watt incandescent lamp. This gives about a 4 times savings in
the power consumption. The only drawback with these is that most types
cannot be used on a dimmer, if you want dimmers. The dimmer type models are
much more expensive, and then there will be a much less cost savings. In
areas where the lights are left on very often, such as the kitchen,
hallways, outdoor address box, and other similar places where there are no
dimmers installed, are the ideal places for these types of lamps.




--

Greetings,

Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG
=========================================
WebPage http://www.zoom-one.com
Electronics http://www.zoom-one.com/electron.htm
Instruments http://www.zoom-one.com/glgtech.htm
=========================================


"default" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 6 Oct 2003 06:21:42 -0700, Watson A.Name - "Watt Sun"
wrote:

I was watching the local ABC News and they had a piece on vampire
appliances. They said that an appliance could be using about 5 watts
when it's turned off, and that's about $4.00 a month. This sounded a
bit high to me. But since I don't get an electric bill, I have no way
to tell.

5 watt-hours times 730 hours a month is 3650 watt-hours or 3.65 kWh.

More than a dollar a kWh?

This is probably good info. if they mean average wasted power around
the house as a result of power supplies idling without doing any work.

I opened up my typewriter some years ago and was surprised at how hot
it was inside. I got my clamp on ammeter and went around the house
measuring everything. Here's some of what I found (calculated on 120
VAC):

CD player OFF 10 watts
Cable amplifier ON:noreading
Cable convertor OFF 16.3 watts
GE TV OFF: no reading
Microwave OFF: 4.3 watts
Sony TV OFF: 12 watts
VCR OFF 14 watts
Computer printer OFF 9.6 watts
Word Processing TypeW 10.0 watts
Police Scanner OFF 3.0 watts
Computer scanner OFF 5 Watts


It amounts to ~$5+ a month for the stuff that doesn't provide any
useful function when off. I think that is significant.

Worth installing a switch for things one uses infrequently.

Wonder how much power that amounts to nationwide?


-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----


  #53   Report Post  
Jerry G.
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

The cable TV amplifier is drawing current. The meter you used probably
cannot measure it because of its load characteristics. A simple DVM or home
type Amp meter is not sophisticated to take accurate readings on devices
that are very reactive, or non linear in their power consumption rate. But,
you have a very good idea of what is going on, according to your
descriptions.

Your cable TV amplifier should be drawing about 0.8 to about 1.5 Watts on
the average. If your GE TV is an old set without remote control operation,
then it would be using a hard power switch, and draw no power when off. It
would normally be pulling about 3 to 6 Watts on the average in the OFF mode,
if it is a modern set. Due to the characteristics of the power supply, your
meter is not measuring it properly. Check the specifications in the user
booklet that came with the set. Usually for most models they will indicate
the power off, power consumption.

You can put external power switches to devices, but their internal
processors will stop working. If you have pre-set memories and etc, these
will be lost after some time. Some units will loose these in about 20
minutes or so. Others with backup batteries will hold it much longer, but
you will be changing the batteries from time to time. This has an added
cost. If these units are using internal batteries on the circuit boards,
you will be in for some extra maintenance work, that will also be more
costly in the end.

In a home that we tested we have a number of devices that are pulling
current when off. We have done a number of homes for power consumption
evaluation. This is a typical family home. We have about 7 months a year
where heating is required, and about 3 months a year where a lot of air
conditioning is required. There is about 2 months of the year where the
temperatures are moderate, and heating and air conditioning costs are low.
We have been doing power evaluations for homes, and below is a typical
medium family home. You would be surprised with all the modern type
appliances, what the actual power consumption is. If you add up the whole
country, this is a very large number for all the devices when turned off!
Maybe we should go back to the 1960's type design without the computer
controlled options...

4 TV sets 20 Watts
3 Computer monitors 15 Watts
1 Short wave radio 3 Watts
2 Cable TV amplifiers 2 Watts
3 Computers 30 Watts
5 Electric Clocks 12 Watts
1 Microwave Oven 6 Watts
1 Electric Stove 6 Watts
1 Fax Machine 5 Watts
1 Alarm System 15 Watts
4 Cordless Telephones 15 Watts
1 Sound System 20 Watts ( all units together )
1 Cable TV Decoder 40 Watts
2 VCR's 16 Watts
1 DVD Player 10 Watts

This list does not cover the cost of cooking, freezers, refrigerators, air
conditioning, lighting, washing machine, dryer, and heating. The
refrigerator, freezer, air conditioners, furnace, and washing machine, are
the most costly devices in the home when evaluated over a long duration.
Since the freezer, furnace, air conditioner, and refrigerator use
microcomputer controlled electronic thermostats instead of the mechanical
ones (like 20 years ago), they each also pull about 5 Watts of power on the
average when in the standby mode.

The list above, not including the major appliances, heating, air
conditioning, and lighting, gives a total of 215 Watts for standby power
devices. The rate is about $0.05 US Kw/Hr, pro-rated to $0.07 US Kw/Hr. In
our area, this evaluation example would cost $0.0129 US per hour average.
This is $0.31 US per day, or $9.28 per month average. At this rate, nothing
has been turned on yet.

This household has an average power bill of about $130 US per month when
including the usage of all the utilities. This is $1560.00 US per year. In
relation to running a complete household, I would not complain about the
standby costs.

We found that using compact florescent lamps give a big cost savings for
power consumption. Some people do not like the type of light they give off.
They are more expensive to purchase, but they do make up in the final cost
over their lifespan. The best buys are the ones that go on sale from time to
time. In the fall we generally see them reduced in purchase price by about
30%. This is the time to stock up on them. The brand name does not make
much difference, since it is only a few companies producing them, and they
all must meet the UL and CSA standards.

A 12 Watt compact florescent will give off nearly the same amount of light
as a 60 or 70 Watt incandescent lamp. This gives about a 4 times savings in
the power consumption. The only drawback with these is that most types
cannot be used on a dimmer, if you want dimmers. The dimmer type models are
much more expensive, and then there will be a much less cost savings. In
areas where the lights are left on very often, such as the kitchen,
hallways, outdoor address box, and other similar places where there are no
dimmers installed, are the ideal places for these types of lamps.




--

Greetings,

Jerry Greenberg GLG Technologies GLG
=========================================
WebPage http://www.zoom-one.com
Electronics http://www.zoom-one.com/electron.htm
Instruments http://www.zoom-one.com/glgtech.htm
=========================================


"default" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 6 Oct 2003 06:21:42 -0700, Watson A.Name - "Watt Sun"
wrote:

I was watching the local ABC News and they had a piece on vampire
appliances. They said that an appliance could be using about 5 watts
when it's turned off, and that's about $4.00 a month. This sounded a
bit high to me. But since I don't get an electric bill, I have no way
to tell.

5 watt-hours times 730 hours a month is 3650 watt-hours or 3.65 kWh.

More than a dollar a kWh?

This is probably good info. if they mean average wasted power around
the house as a result of power supplies idling without doing any work.

I opened up my typewriter some years ago and was surprised at how hot
it was inside. I got my clamp on ammeter and went around the house
measuring everything. Here's some of what I found (calculated on 120
VAC):

CD player OFF 10 watts
Cable amplifier ON:noreading
Cable convertor OFF 16.3 watts
GE TV OFF: no reading
Microwave OFF: 4.3 watts
Sony TV OFF: 12 watts
VCR OFF 14 watts
Computer printer OFF 9.6 watts
Word Processing TypeW 10.0 watts
Police Scanner OFF 3.0 watts
Computer scanner OFF 5 Watts


It amounts to ~$5+ a month for the stuff that doesn't provide any
useful function when off. I think that is significant.

Worth installing a switch for things one uses infrequently.

Wonder how much power that amounts to nationwide?


-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----


  #54   Report Post  
LASERandDVDfan
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

CD player OFF 10 watts
Cable amplifier ON:noreading
Cable convertor OFF 16.3 watts
GE TV OFF: no reading
Microwave OFF: 4.3 watts
Sony TV OFF: 12 watts
VCR OFF 14 watts
Computer printer OFF 9.6 watts
Word Processing TypeW 10.0 watts
Police Scanner OFF 3.0 watts
Computer scanner OFF 5 Watts


My equipment doesn't draw any power when off because they are connected to one
central power tap. When the equipment is not in use, I simply yank one plug
and everything is isolated from the mains. However, I did this to protect my
equipment from lightning and power surge damage in the only sure way: by
unpluggging. - Reinhart
  #55   Report Post  
LASERandDVDfan
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

CD player OFF 10 watts
Cable amplifier ON:noreading
Cable convertor OFF 16.3 watts
GE TV OFF: no reading
Microwave OFF: 4.3 watts
Sony TV OFF: 12 watts
VCR OFF 14 watts
Computer printer OFF 9.6 watts
Word Processing TypeW 10.0 watts
Police Scanner OFF 3.0 watts
Computer scanner OFF 5 Watts


My equipment doesn't draw any power when off because they are connected to one
central power tap. When the equipment is not in use, I simply yank one plug
and everything is isolated from the mains. However, I did this to protect my
equipment from lightning and power surge damage in the only sure way: by
unpluggging. - Reinhart


  #58   Report Post  
Lizard Blizzard
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

Jerry G. wrote:

Depending on your location, the cost can vary from about $0.02 ( two cents )
to about $0.20 ( twenty cents ) per kW/hr. This is for most parts of North
America. You should check on your power bill for the cost that they are
charging to you, or call them.

Many power companies pro-rate their pricing. As you use more, the price will
drop, as per volume discounting. In some regions where they want the
customers to use less, they pro-rate the cost in the opposite direction.
Some power distributors, want to give preference to industrial users,
therefore, they charge higher rates, as the user consumes more power. This
is known as "reverse pro-rated costing".

To know your rates, and how they work from your power distributor, you
should call them and ask.


Please re-read the OP below. He says he doesn't get an electric bill.


[snip]


"Watson A.Name - Watt Sun" wrote in message
m...
I was watching the local ABC News and they had a piece on vampire
appliances. They said that an appliance could be using about 5 watts
when it's turned off, and that's about $4.00 a month. This sounded a
bit high to me. But since I don't get an electric bill, I have

no way
to tell.

5 watt-hours times 730 hours a month is 3650 watt-hours or 3.65 kWh.

More than a dollar a kWh?



Well, with all those followups, I've yet to see an answer to my
original Q, above. Like, nowadays, is the cost electricity a dollar a
kWh?

--
----------------(from OED Mini-Dictionary)-----------------
PUNCTUATION - Apostrophe
Incorrect uses: (i) the apostrophe must not be used with a plural
where there is no possessive sense, as in ~tea's are served here~;
(ii) there is no such word as ~her's, our's, their's, your's~.

Confusions: it's = it is or it has (not 'belonging to it'); correct
uses are ~it's here~ (= it is here); ~it's gone~ (= it has gone);
but ~the dog wagged its tail~ (no apostrophe).
----------------(For the Apostrophe challenged)----------------
From a fully deputized officer of the Apostrophe Police!

Spammers use Weapons of Mass Distraction!

I bought some batteries, but they weren't included,
so I had to buy them again.
-- Steven Wright

FOR SALE: Nice parachute: never opened - used once.

(Problem) Evidence of leak on right main landing gear
(Solution) Evidence removed

F
o
d
d
e
r

f
o
r

s
t
u
p
i
d
"
n
o
t

e
n
o
u
g
h

i
n
c
l
d
u
d
e
d

t
e
x
t
"
e
r
r
o
r

m
s
g
..

  #59   Report Post  
Lizard Blizzard
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

Jerry G. wrote:

Depending on your location, the cost can vary from about $0.02 ( two cents )
to about $0.20 ( twenty cents ) per kW/hr. This is for most parts of North
America. You should check on your power bill for the cost that they are
charging to you, or call them.

Many power companies pro-rate their pricing. As you use more, the price will
drop, as per volume discounting. In some regions where they want the
customers to use less, they pro-rate the cost in the opposite direction.
Some power distributors, want to give preference to industrial users,
therefore, they charge higher rates, as the user consumes more power. This
is known as "reverse pro-rated costing".

To know your rates, and how they work from your power distributor, you
should call them and ask.


Please re-read the OP below. He says he doesn't get an electric bill.


[snip]


"Watson A.Name - Watt Sun" wrote in message
m...
I was watching the local ABC News and they had a piece on vampire
appliances. They said that an appliance could be using about 5 watts
when it's turned off, and that's about $4.00 a month. This sounded a
bit high to me. But since I don't get an electric bill, I have

no way
to tell.

5 watt-hours times 730 hours a month is 3650 watt-hours or 3.65 kWh.

More than a dollar a kWh?



Well, with all those followups, I've yet to see an answer to my
original Q, above. Like, nowadays, is the cost electricity a dollar a
kWh?

--
----------------(from OED Mini-Dictionary)-----------------
PUNCTUATION - Apostrophe
Incorrect uses: (i) the apostrophe must not be used with a plural
where there is no possessive sense, as in ~tea's are served here~;
(ii) there is no such word as ~her's, our's, their's, your's~.

Confusions: it's = it is or it has (not 'belonging to it'); correct
uses are ~it's here~ (= it is here); ~it's gone~ (= it has gone);
but ~the dog wagged its tail~ (no apostrophe).
----------------(For the Apostrophe challenged)----------------
From a fully deputized officer of the Apostrophe Police!

Spammers use Weapons of Mass Distraction!

I bought some batteries, but they weren't included,
so I had to buy them again.
-- Steven Wright

FOR SALE: Nice parachute: never opened - used once.

(Problem) Evidence of leak on right main landing gear
(Solution) Evidence removed

F
o
d
d
e
r

f
o
r

s
t
u
p
i
d
"
n
o
t

e
n
o
u
g
h

i
n
c
l
d
u
d
e
d

t
e
x
t
"
e
r
r
o
r

m
s
g
..

  #60   Report Post  
default
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 10:14:57 -0400, "Jerry G."

The cable TV amplifier is drawing current. The meter you used probably
cannot measure it because of its load characteristics. A simple DVM or home
type Amp meter is not sophisticated to take accurate readings on devices
that are very reactive, or non linear in their power consumption rate. But,
you have a very good idea of what is going on, according to your
descriptions.


It was probably below the current I could measure with the clamp on.
I wound a 25 turn coil for the clamp on, and routed one side of the
power line to it. The most sensitive range is 6 amps full scale, and
..6 amps is the first full hash mark. 1.44 was about the minimum
calculated power I could see that way.

I had a few things that would be below that Like the aquarium air
pump, LED night light, etc.

Your cable TV amplifier should be drawing about 0.8 to about 1.5 Watts on
the average. If your GE TV is an old set without remote control operation,
then it would be using a hard power switch, and draw no power when off. It
would normally be pulling about 3 to 6 Watts on the average in the OFF mode,
if it is a modern set. Due to the characteristics of the power supply, your
meter is not measuring it properly. Check the specifications in the user
booklet that came with the set. Usually for most models they will indicate
the power off, power consumption.


The GE TV is an old set WITH a remote control.

You can put external power switches to devices, but their internal
processors will stop working. If you have pre-set memories and etc, these
will be lost after some time. Some units will loose these in about 20
minutes or so. Others with backup batteries will hold it much longer, but
you will be changing the batteries from time to time. This has an added
cost. If these units are using internal batteries on the circuit boards,
you will be in for some extra maintenance work, that will also be more
costly in the end.


Only my scanner has a volatile memory that requires batteries. In the
case of the word processing typewriter - shutting the power off
eliminated a problem that would occasionally crop up. The typewriter
has no batteries. Cable box looses the parental guidance programming,
but that isn't a problem for me. I use the scanner infrequently so
pulled the battery out.

In a home that we tested we have a number of devices that are pulling
current when off. We have done a number of homes for power consumption
evaluation. This is a typical family home. We have about 7 months a year
where heating is required, and about 3 months a year where a lot of air
conditioning is required. There is about 2 months of the year where the
temperatures are moderate, and heating and air conditioning costs are low.
We have been doing power evaluations for homes, and below is a typical
medium family home. You would be surprised with all the modern type
appliances, what the actual power consumption is. If you add up the whole
country, this is a very large number for all the devices when turned off!
Maybe we should go back to the 1960's type design without the computer
controlled options...

4 TV sets 20 Watts
3 Computer monitors 15 Watts
1 Short wave radio 3 Watts
2 Cable TV amplifiers 2 Watts
3 Computers 30 Watts
5 Electric Clocks 12 Watts
1 Microwave Oven 6 Watts
1 Electric Stove 6 Watts
1 Fax Machine 5 Watts
1 Alarm System 15 Watts
4 Cordless Telephones 15 Watts
1 Sound System 20 Watts ( all units together )
1 Cable TV Decoder 40 Watts
2 VCR's 16 Watts
1 DVD Player 10 Watts


Wow! that's a big waste of power.

This list does not cover the cost of cooking, freezers, refrigerators, air
conditioning, lighting, washing machine, dryer, and heating. The
refrigerator, freezer, air conditioners, furnace, and washing machine, are
the most costly devices in the home when evaluated over a long duration.
Since the freezer, furnace, air conditioner, and refrigerator use
microcomputer controlled electronic thermostats instead of the mechanical
ones (like 20 years ago), they each also pull about 5 Watts of power on the
average when in the standby mode.


I did measure all the useful loads to see where to save money. I
figure these aren't "vampire" loads since they do useful work.

The list above, not including the major appliances, heating, air
conditioning, and lighting, gives a total of 215 Watts for standby power
devices. The rate is about $0.05 US Kw/Hr, pro-rated to $0.07 US Kw/Hr. In
our area, this evaluation example would cost $0.0129 US per hour average.
This is $0.31 US per day, or $9.28 per month average. At this rate, nothing
has been turned on yet.


It would be good to know what the power meter bias is doing to your
minimum load. From what I understand (from talking to the woman at
the customer service desk of the power company) my 200 amp service has
its meter calibrated at 30 amps and 5 amps. They use a traceable
calibrated standard, but the meters themselves are not 100% linear.

This household has an average power bill of about $130 US per month when
including the usage of all the utilities. This is $1560.00 US per year. In
relation to running a complete household, I would not complain about the
standby costs.


I can see your point. Living alone with time away from home, and a
really frugal lifestyle, my bill averages ~$18/mo winter and ~$24
summer. I got up to ~$48/mo before deciding to do something about it.

Called the power company, learned how to read the meter and went
around adding switches and changing my lifestyle. Every day I read
the meter and plug the number into a spreadsheet and notebook. Things
like leaving the fridge door ajar, a long hot soak in the tub, making
beer or baking bread show up the next day. Feedback.

We found that using compact florescent lamps give a big cost savings for
power consumption. Some people do not like the type of light they give off.
They are more expensive to purchase, but they do make up in the final cost
over their lifespan. The best buys are the ones that go on sale from time to
time. In the fall we generally see them reduced in purchase price by about
30%. This is the time to stock up on them. The brand name does not make
much difference, since it is only a few companies producing them, and they
all must meet the UL and CSA standards.

A 12 Watt compact florescent will give off nearly the same amount of light
as a 60 or 70 Watt incandescent lamp. This gives about a 4 times savings in
the power consumption. The only drawback with these is that most types
cannot be used on a dimmer, if you want dimmers. The dimmer type models are
much more expensive, and then there will be a much less cost savings. In
areas where the lights are left on very often, such as the kitchen,
hallways, outdoor address box, and other similar places where there are no
dimmers installed, are the ideal places for these types of lamps.


I'm a believer in the compact florescent lamps.

The only incandescent lamps I have, are in places where the lights
don't stay on for very long. I even replaced one of my "circle line"
florescent lamps with a pair of compact high frequency florescents
(the circular replacements were costing $24 each and the 12W compacts
cost $4 each)

One of my biggest cost savers was to turn off the hot water to the
kitchen faucet and add a power switch to the water heater. I turn it
on for 5-10 minutes a day in winter (very low flow shower head) and
heat dishwashing water in a large stainless "bain marie" on the stove.

Power saving number two was to start cleaning the compressor coils on
the fridge once a year.


-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----


  #61   Report Post  
default
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 10:14:57 -0400, "Jerry G."

The cable TV amplifier is drawing current. The meter you used probably
cannot measure it because of its load characteristics. A simple DVM or home
type Amp meter is not sophisticated to take accurate readings on devices
that are very reactive, or non linear in their power consumption rate. But,
you have a very good idea of what is going on, according to your
descriptions.


It was probably below the current I could measure with the clamp on.
I wound a 25 turn coil for the clamp on, and routed one side of the
power line to it. The most sensitive range is 6 amps full scale, and
..6 amps is the first full hash mark. 1.44 was about the minimum
calculated power I could see that way.

I had a few things that would be below that Like the aquarium air
pump, LED night light, etc.

Your cable TV amplifier should be drawing about 0.8 to about 1.5 Watts on
the average. If your GE TV is an old set without remote control operation,
then it would be using a hard power switch, and draw no power when off. It
would normally be pulling about 3 to 6 Watts on the average in the OFF mode,
if it is a modern set. Due to the characteristics of the power supply, your
meter is not measuring it properly. Check the specifications in the user
booklet that came with the set. Usually for most models they will indicate
the power off, power consumption.


The GE TV is an old set WITH a remote control.

You can put external power switches to devices, but their internal
processors will stop working. If you have pre-set memories and etc, these
will be lost after some time. Some units will loose these in about 20
minutes or so. Others with backup batteries will hold it much longer, but
you will be changing the batteries from time to time. This has an added
cost. If these units are using internal batteries on the circuit boards,
you will be in for some extra maintenance work, that will also be more
costly in the end.


Only my scanner has a volatile memory that requires batteries. In the
case of the word processing typewriter - shutting the power off
eliminated a problem that would occasionally crop up. The typewriter
has no batteries. Cable box looses the parental guidance programming,
but that isn't a problem for me. I use the scanner infrequently so
pulled the battery out.

In a home that we tested we have a number of devices that are pulling
current when off. We have done a number of homes for power consumption
evaluation. This is a typical family home. We have about 7 months a year
where heating is required, and about 3 months a year where a lot of air
conditioning is required. There is about 2 months of the year where the
temperatures are moderate, and heating and air conditioning costs are low.
We have been doing power evaluations for homes, and below is a typical
medium family home. You would be surprised with all the modern type
appliances, what the actual power consumption is. If you add up the whole
country, this is a very large number for all the devices when turned off!
Maybe we should go back to the 1960's type design without the computer
controlled options...

4 TV sets 20 Watts
3 Computer monitors 15 Watts
1 Short wave radio 3 Watts
2 Cable TV amplifiers 2 Watts
3 Computers 30 Watts
5 Electric Clocks 12 Watts
1 Microwave Oven 6 Watts
1 Electric Stove 6 Watts
1 Fax Machine 5 Watts
1 Alarm System 15 Watts
4 Cordless Telephones 15 Watts
1 Sound System 20 Watts ( all units together )
1 Cable TV Decoder 40 Watts
2 VCR's 16 Watts
1 DVD Player 10 Watts


Wow! that's a big waste of power.

This list does not cover the cost of cooking, freezers, refrigerators, air
conditioning, lighting, washing machine, dryer, and heating. The
refrigerator, freezer, air conditioners, furnace, and washing machine, are
the most costly devices in the home when evaluated over a long duration.
Since the freezer, furnace, air conditioner, and refrigerator use
microcomputer controlled electronic thermostats instead of the mechanical
ones (like 20 years ago), they each also pull about 5 Watts of power on the
average when in the standby mode.


I did measure all the useful loads to see where to save money. I
figure these aren't "vampire" loads since they do useful work.

The list above, not including the major appliances, heating, air
conditioning, and lighting, gives a total of 215 Watts for standby power
devices. The rate is about $0.05 US Kw/Hr, pro-rated to $0.07 US Kw/Hr. In
our area, this evaluation example would cost $0.0129 US per hour average.
This is $0.31 US per day, or $9.28 per month average. At this rate, nothing
has been turned on yet.


It would be good to know what the power meter bias is doing to your
minimum load. From what I understand (from talking to the woman at
the customer service desk of the power company) my 200 amp service has
its meter calibrated at 30 amps and 5 amps. They use a traceable
calibrated standard, but the meters themselves are not 100% linear.

This household has an average power bill of about $130 US per month when
including the usage of all the utilities. This is $1560.00 US per year. In
relation to running a complete household, I would not complain about the
standby costs.


I can see your point. Living alone with time away from home, and a
really frugal lifestyle, my bill averages ~$18/mo winter and ~$24
summer. I got up to ~$48/mo before deciding to do something about it.

Called the power company, learned how to read the meter and went
around adding switches and changing my lifestyle. Every day I read
the meter and plug the number into a spreadsheet and notebook. Things
like leaving the fridge door ajar, a long hot soak in the tub, making
beer or baking bread show up the next day. Feedback.

We found that using compact florescent lamps give a big cost savings for
power consumption. Some people do not like the type of light they give off.
They are more expensive to purchase, but they do make up in the final cost
over their lifespan. The best buys are the ones that go on sale from time to
time. In the fall we generally see them reduced in purchase price by about
30%. This is the time to stock up on them. The brand name does not make
much difference, since it is only a few companies producing them, and they
all must meet the UL and CSA standards.

A 12 Watt compact florescent will give off nearly the same amount of light
as a 60 or 70 Watt incandescent lamp. This gives about a 4 times savings in
the power consumption. The only drawback with these is that most types
cannot be used on a dimmer, if you want dimmers. The dimmer type models are
much more expensive, and then there will be a much less cost savings. In
areas where the lights are left on very often, such as the kitchen,
hallways, outdoor address box, and other similar places where there are no
dimmers installed, are the ideal places for these types of lamps.


I'm a believer in the compact florescent lamps.

The only incandescent lamps I have, are in places where the lights
don't stay on for very long. I even replaced one of my "circle line"
florescent lamps with a pair of compact high frequency florescents
(the circular replacements were costing $24 each and the 12W compacts
cost $4 each)

One of my biggest cost savers was to turn off the hot water to the
kitchen faucet and add a power switch to the water heater. I turn it
on for 5-10 minutes a day in winter (very low flow shower head) and
heat dishwashing water in a large stainless "bain marie" on the stove.

Power saving number two was to start cleaning the compressor coils on
the fridge once a year.


-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----
  #62   Report Post  
Martin Riddle
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

New Fridges run 460 to 525 KW a year (~50kw/month), almost 2/3 of what a 20 year old unit will do.

Cheers

"Lizard Blizzard" wrote in message ...
Jerry G. wrote:

[snip]

Infact, the old
1960's electric clocks with motors in them, required more current to operate
than today's modern LED and LCD clocks.


The quartz sweep second hand clocks run for a year off a single AA cell.
So no power at all needed from the wall outlet.

The earlier appliances when
operating required much more wattage to get the same job done, therefore,
you will not win with this situation.


One of the ladies at work replaced her old fridge with a new energy
efficient one. Her electric bill went down fifty dollars a month(!)


--
----------------(from OED Mini-Dictionary)-----------------
PUNCTUATION - Apostrophe
Incorrect uses: (i) the apostrophe must not be used with a plural
where there is no possessive sense, as in ~tea's are served here~;
(ii) there is no such word as ~her's, our's, their's, your's~.

Confusions: it's = it is or it has (not 'belonging to it'); correct
uses are ~it's here~ (= it is here); ~it's gone~ (= it has gone);
but ~the dog wagged its tail~ (no apostrophe).
----------------(For the Apostrophe challenged)----------------
From a fully deputized officer of the Apostrophe Police!

Spammers use Weapons of Mass Distraction!

I bought some batteries, but they weren't included,
so I had to buy them again.
-- Steven Wright

FOR SALE: Nice parachute: never opened - used once.

(Problem) Evidence of leak on right main landing gear
(Solution) Evidence removed

F
o
d
d
e
r

f
o
r

s
t
u
p
i
d
"
n
o
t

e
n
o
u
g
h

i
n
c
l
d
u
d
e
d

t
e
x
t
"
e
r
r
o
r

m
s
g
.

  #63   Report Post  
Martin Riddle
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

New Fridges run 460 to 525 KW a year (~50kw/month), almost 2/3 of what a 20 year old unit will do.

Cheers

"Lizard Blizzard" wrote in message ...
Jerry G. wrote:

[snip]

Infact, the old
1960's electric clocks with motors in them, required more current to operate
than today's modern LED and LCD clocks.


The quartz sweep second hand clocks run for a year off a single AA cell.
So no power at all needed from the wall outlet.

The earlier appliances when
operating required much more wattage to get the same job done, therefore,
you will not win with this situation.


One of the ladies at work replaced her old fridge with a new energy
efficient one. Her electric bill went down fifty dollars a month(!)


--
----------------(from OED Mini-Dictionary)-----------------
PUNCTUATION - Apostrophe
Incorrect uses: (i) the apostrophe must not be used with a plural
where there is no possessive sense, as in ~tea's are served here~;
(ii) there is no such word as ~her's, our's, their's, your's~.

Confusions: it's = it is or it has (not 'belonging to it'); correct
uses are ~it's here~ (= it is here); ~it's gone~ (= it has gone);
but ~the dog wagged its tail~ (no apostrophe).
----------------(For the Apostrophe challenged)----------------
From a fully deputized officer of the Apostrophe Police!

Spammers use Weapons of Mass Distraction!

I bought some batteries, but they weren't included,
so I had to buy them again.
-- Steven Wright

FOR SALE: Nice parachute: never opened - used once.

(Problem) Evidence of leak on right main landing gear
(Solution) Evidence removed

F
o
d
d
e
r

f
o
r

s
t
u
p
i
d
"
n
o
t

e
n
o
u
g
h

i
n
c
l
d
u
d
e
d

t
e
x
t
"
e
r
r
o
r

m
s
g
.

  #64   Report Post  
Lizard Blizzard
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

Martin Riddle wrote:

New Fridges run 460 to 525 KW a year (~50kw/month), almost 2/3 of what a 20 year old unit will do.


Er, you mean kWh, I presume..

Cheers

"Lizard Blizzard" wrote in message ...

Jerry G. wrote:

[snip]




--
----------------(from OED Mini-Dictionary)-----------------
PUNCTUATION - Apostrophe
Incorrect uses: (i) the apostrophe must not be used with a plural
where there is no possessive sense, as in ~tea's are served here~;
(ii) there is no such word as ~her's, our's, their's, your's~.

Confusions: it's = it is or it has (not 'belonging to it'); correct
uses are ~it's here~ (= it is here); ~it's gone~ (= it has gone);
but ~the dog wagged its tail~ (no apostrophe).
----------------(For the Apostrophe challenged)----------------
From a fully deputized officer of the Apostrophe Police!

Spammers use Weapons of Mass Distraction!

I bought some batteries, but they weren't included,
so I had to buy them again.
-- Steven Wright

FOR SALE: Nice parachute: never opened - used once.

(Problem) Evidence of leak on right main landing gear
(Solution) Evidence removed

F
o
d
d
e
r

f
o
r

s
t
u
p
i
d
"
n
o
t

e
n
o
u
g
h

i
n
c
l
d
u
d
e
d

t
e
x
t
"
e
r
r
o
r

m
s
g
..

  #65   Report Post  
Lizard Blizzard
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

Martin Riddle wrote:

New Fridges run 460 to 525 KW a year (~50kw/month), almost 2/3 of what a 20 year old unit will do.


Er, you mean kWh, I presume..

Cheers

"Lizard Blizzard" wrote in message ...

Jerry G. wrote:

[snip]




--
----------------(from OED Mini-Dictionary)-----------------
PUNCTUATION - Apostrophe
Incorrect uses: (i) the apostrophe must not be used with a plural
where there is no possessive sense, as in ~tea's are served here~;
(ii) there is no such word as ~her's, our's, their's, your's~.

Confusions: it's = it is or it has (not 'belonging to it'); correct
uses are ~it's here~ (= it is here); ~it's gone~ (= it has gone);
but ~the dog wagged its tail~ (no apostrophe).
----------------(For the Apostrophe challenged)----------------
From a fully deputized officer of the Apostrophe Police!

Spammers use Weapons of Mass Distraction!

I bought some batteries, but they weren't included,
so I had to buy them again.
-- Steven Wright

FOR SALE: Nice parachute: never opened - used once.

(Problem) Evidence of leak on right main landing gear
(Solution) Evidence removed

F
o
d
d
e
r

f
o
r

s
t
u
p
i
d
"
n
o
t

e
n
o
u
g
h

i
n
c
l
d
u
d
e
d

t
e
x
t
"
e
r
r
o
r

m
s
g
..



  #66   Report Post  
Ian Stirling
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

In sci.electronics.misc default wrote:
snip
Power saving number two was to start cleaning the compressor coils on
the fridge once a year.


I've found a significant saving can also be to add a tiny AC fan across
the fridge motor, if it's not very well ventilated, to keep hot air from
pooling.

Also, a couple of inches of insulation foam on each side of the fridge can
cut its energy use significantly.

--
http://inquisitor.i.am/ | | Ian Stirling.
---------------------------+-------------------------+--------------------------
Things a surgeon should never say:
Better save that for the autopsy.
  #67   Report Post  
Ian Stirling
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

In sci.electronics.misc default wrote:
snip
Power saving number two was to start cleaning the compressor coils on
the fridge once a year.


I've found a significant saving can also be to add a tiny AC fan across
the fridge motor, if it's not very well ventilated, to keep hot air from
pooling.

Also, a couple of inches of insulation foam on each side of the fridge can
cut its energy use significantly.

--
http://inquisitor.i.am/ | | Ian Stirling.
---------------------------+-------------------------+--------------------------
Things a surgeon should never say:
Better save that for the autopsy.
  #68   Report Post  
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

On Thu, 9 Oct 2003 21:41:42 +0000 (UTC), Ian Stirling
wrote:

In sci.electronics.misc default wrote:
snip
Power saving number two was to start cleaning the compressor coils on
the fridge once a year.


I've found a significant saving can also be to add a tiny AC fan across
the fridge motor, if it's not very well ventilated, to keep hot air from
pooling.

Also, a couple of inches of insulation foam on each side of the fridge can
cut its energy use significantly.


Just don't do this on freezers that have the condensor coils buried in
the sides of the unit.
  #69   Report Post  
 
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On Thu, 9 Oct 2003 21:41:42 +0000 (UTC), Ian Stirling
wrote:

In sci.electronics.misc default wrote:
snip
Power saving number two was to start cleaning the compressor coils on
the fridge once a year.


I've found a significant saving can also be to add a tiny AC fan across
the fridge motor, if it's not very well ventilated, to keep hot air from
pooling.

Also, a couple of inches of insulation foam on each side of the fridge can
cut its energy use significantly.


Just don't do this on freezers that have the condensor coils buried in
the sides of the unit.
  #70   Report Post  
default
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

On Thu, 9 Oct 2003 21:41:42 +0000 (UTC), Ian Stirling
wrote:

In sci.electronics.misc default wrote:
snip
Power saving number two was to start cleaning the compressor coils on
the fridge once a year.


I've found a significant saving can also be to add a tiny AC fan across
the fridge motor, if it's not very well ventilated, to keep hot air from
pooling.

I did that with a small fridge I used for beer. Wired a receptacle to
come on when the compressor did and used cheap 6" desk fans to cool
coils.
Also, a couple of inches of insulation foam on each side of the fridge can
cut its energy use significantly.

I have a hotpoint (will never buy another) the coils are under the
unit. A fan draws air across them from floor level (and every bit of
dust it can suck in) and deposits the dust on the coils. Most of the
heated air is ejected from the front adjacent to where it sucks it in,
passing the drip tray on the way.

Cleaning coils is a matter of shutting it off, pushing bottles towards
the back of the shelves, pulling the refer forward and tipping it back
at a 45 degree angle then getting down there with a brush, damp rags,
vacuum cleaner, and air compressor. My girlfriend has an Amana with
the coils just under the outside skin, lot of surface area, no way for
dust to clog them up. Seems like the way to do it to me.


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  #71   Report Post  
default
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

On Thu, 9 Oct 2003 21:41:42 +0000 (UTC), Ian Stirling
wrote:

In sci.electronics.misc default wrote:
snip
Power saving number two was to start cleaning the compressor coils on
the fridge once a year.


I've found a significant saving can also be to add a tiny AC fan across
the fridge motor, if it's not very well ventilated, to keep hot air from
pooling.

I did that with a small fridge I used for beer. Wired a receptacle to
come on when the compressor did and used cheap 6" desk fans to cool
coils.
Also, a couple of inches of insulation foam on each side of the fridge can
cut its energy use significantly.

I have a hotpoint (will never buy another) the coils are under the
unit. A fan draws air across them from floor level (and every bit of
dust it can suck in) and deposits the dust on the coils. Most of the
heated air is ejected from the front adjacent to where it sucks it in,
passing the drip tray on the way.

Cleaning coils is a matter of shutting it off, pushing bottles towards
the back of the shelves, pulling the refer forward and tipping it back
at a 45 degree angle then getting down there with a brush, damp rags,
vacuum cleaner, and air compressor. My girlfriend has an Amana with
the coils just under the outside skin, lot of surface area, no way for
dust to clog them up. Seems like the way to do it to me.


-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----
  #72   Report Post  
John Stewart
 
Posts: n/a
Default Vampire Appliances

Ian Stirling wrote:

In sci.electronics.misc default wrote:
snip
Power saving number two was to start cleaning the compressor coils on
the fridge once a year.


I've found a significant saving can also be to add a tiny AC fan across
the fridge motor, if it's not very well ventilated, to keep hot air from
pooling.

Also, a couple of inches of insulation foam on each side of the fridge can
cut its energy use significantly.


Some refrigerators use their sides as the heat emitting surface.
In that case the efficiency would drop precipitously & damage may occur.
Easy to check for, anyway. If the sides are warm during normal operation,
don't insulate them!!!

Cheers, John Stewart



--
http://inquisitor.i.am/ | | Ian Stirling.
---------------------------+-------------------------+--------------------------
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Better save that for the autopsy.


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