Operating costs (elec)

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Hello,  What would be the ballpark electrical cost for running 15 lbs of 0.035" wire in a Millermatic 251, welding mainly 1/4" mild steel? I am having an argument with my neighbor regarding utilities and this information would be extremely useful.    Thank you.Mikel
Reply:It would probably vary some depending on the amps you juice it with.  I have a shop with its own electric power meter.  I have used up an entire 10# roll of flux core in a day or so and never got over the minumum cost of the power service for the month (about $7 + taxes), so it's not as much as the smoke and fumes might lead you believe.  Here is the rate schedule for my area.http://www.southerncompany.com/gapow...c-pdf/r-14.pdfSmithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:Thank you Smithboy.   I share the electric service with my upstairs neighbor, and I have a Millermatic 251 in my garage, which I use from time to time. I have gone through about 15-20 lbs of wire (max) since March, when I bought it, and my neighbor believes this is greatly driving up the cost of the utilities, several hundred dollars since March. I have a hard time believing that this will have such an effect, so any other feedback would be greatly appreciated.   Thanks,Mikel
Reply:hundreds of dollars would be extreme. You can use an ampmeter to find actual use, should be true rms meter, most electricians would have one, and then multipy by the hours you use it. then divide by 1,000, and multiply by the rate you are charged. I don't do mig so have no idea how much time it takes to use 20 pounds of wire.
Reply:Good point.  You could even maybe find an old power meter and put it inline to meter that circuit.  Lock the box and hand him the key, and agree to pay the residential service at the marginal rate.  That would be more than fair, because you would be paying (at least during peak months) a substantially higher rate than the average rate.  I still suspect it would not be all that much.  Probably 25-50 bucks max if you were welding several hours a week.  My guess is that, when you are welding, it would be roughly the same as running a 220 volt air conditioner (they use about the same breakers).  But you dont weld as much as an air conditioner cycles.  My example might not be exactly what you are looking for, because I can use quite a few kw's before the lowest marginal rate kicks in...I have just not usually hit it.http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-Gen...spagenameZWDVWHere are some power meters for sale on ebay.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:My shop also has its own meter and my bill is nothing for every thing I run. My monthly bills are $10-20Yes I can tack it for you.    I know that won't hold but that is what you asked me to do.  Millermatic 350P XR Aluma-Pro push/pullMillermatic 185/spool gunMiller Dialarc 250 HF Water cooledThermal Dynamics Plasma
Reply:The size or type of wire really isn't what you want to base you calcs on. Remembering that you get billed in kilowatts hours, and 1 kilowatts hour would be 1,000 watts of power for one hour do something like this;You know the maiximum input for your welder (30 amps, 40 amps, etc.), mulitply that by the 230 volts that it requires to run, again at maximum. This will give you the watts usage while triggered at maximum then throw in some liberal figure for the hours you might use it in one month. Multiply the watts while triggered by the hours being triggered in a month and you will have the KWh (kilowatt hours) you generate in a month. Then multiply that by the cents per kilowwatt hours being charged. You'll be surprised how low that is. Example: 30 amps (ha ha) times 230 volts is 6900 watts. 6900 watts triggered for 5 hours trigger time is 34,500 watts. That equals 34.5 kilowatts hours of useage. So 34.5 kw hours times an exhorbitant rate of 20 cents ($.20) per kilowatt hour is a ripping---------------------------SIX DOLLARS & NINETY CENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whooooooeeey. A good gauge of your trigger time if you use shielding gas is the gas itself. An 80 cf tank at 20 cf per hour would last 4 hours triggered. Do use one tank a month? Two tanks a month? Three? LOL.. Of course they can always claim the fan runs too. And it does, prolly 40 cents a month. Then the lights and grinders and all the other tools. You probabley drive the bill up------------oh maybe $12 or $13 bucks. Nuttin but an energy hog there ain't ya?? Someone go over my math to verify if ya would.Edited as a reminder that these cals were based on maximum input/output. That's a rarity for most hobby types.Last edited by Sandy; 10-12-2005 at 10:09 PM.
Reply:THANK YOU all.
Reply:I live by myself. I have a buried cable running out to the shop. I run a Lincoln WeldPac100 with lights, grinders, saws and a fridge keeping the beer cold(which for safety I only get into when I'm done with all the power tools, like the manual says). It doesn't matter if I run it 3 hours a night or not at all, my power bill runs aroun $40-$50 a month. So I figure the consumption is next to nothing. Besides tell your neighbor to think about all the money he will save on free welding.I'm not a Engineer, I just play one on the weekend.
Reply:I bet the increase in power consumption is small, but your local rates have increased.  He is probably looking at the cost, not the usage.Smithboy...if it ain't broke, you ain't tryin'.
Reply:i built a addition onto my shop using the same electric service my old shop had one welder my new shop i have 3 welders that often times i run all 8 hrs a day as well as a cutmaster 50 plasma cutter  my electric bills compared with the old shop only run maybe 15 dollars more than my old so i dont think your use of the mm251 would create more than a few dollars higher bill
Reply:Great post Sandy