KW consumption

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Here's a question for all you home back yard welders. What have you seen for an increase on your electric bill from your welding projects? This applies to those who don't have a separate 3 phase garage service. This is from my own experience when I am into a  project welding mostly in the 90 to 120 amp range with a Hobart mig. My bill has gone up $100 or more per month when welding. And now on the news electrical rates will be jumping up to 30% more next year! Embrace theTea Party movement. Congress! Restore, Honor, and abide by the Constitution of the United States of America.
Reply:That seems high. I don't weld every day but when I do it is usually a good size project for a backyard welder. Mine maybe went up no more than about ten dollars. I usually run my 220v 5hp air compressor alot also. My welder is a rectifier and uses 91a input at max output. Now I don't ever run it at max output but it likes electricity. My bills skyrocket when I start plugging in the block heaters."Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:if you weld for  i hour, at 220 volts, at 120 amps, you use  26, 400 watts of power. that is 26.4 kW of power. at 15 cents per kW which is  the high side of the average your cost is $3.96  .  so 25 steady hours of burning wire wil cost you $100....
Reply:Yeah, Our Electric bill is always nearly 2x what our friends' is.  It's not only the welding, but I have lots (1000W) of lights in my garage. (I hate not being able to see)ars sine scientia nihil est
Reply:Originally Posted by weldbeadif you weld for  i hour, at 220 volts, at 120 amps, you use  26, 400 watts of power. that is 26.4 kW of power. at 15 cents per kW which is  the high side of the average your cost is $3.96  .  so 25 steady hours of burning wire wil cost you $100....
Reply:Originally Posted by weldbeadif you weld for  i hour, at 220 volts, at 120 amps, you use  26, 400 watts of power. that is 26.4 kW of power. at 15 cents per kW which is  the high side of the average your cost is $3.96  .  so 25 steady hours of burning wire wil cost you $100....
Reply:I was just going to say that that machine must have a heck of a "duty cycle" to use $100 worth of electricity per month.Second thought was, you're burning a lot of juice somewhere, but it's probably not the welder.My gas (primarily argon) ALWAYS cost me a lot more than the electricity.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:I gotta second Sundown here. At the shop my use was so low they removed the demand meter years ago and now I pay a facilities charge of about $40 per month.I don't ever recall seeing a demand meter on residential in Illinois, If you got em in PA then a heavy load for a long enough period and they charge you for having to meet the potential demand whether you use it later or not.Matt
Reply:ooops..sorry about that.. but that makes the $100 jump  even harder to explain,  doesn't it?
Reply:Let me do my own calculation:Assumptions25 working days per month.3 hours actual welding (arc on) per day. Figure 25 amp draw at 240 volts.25 amps times 240 volts = 6000 w or 6 kw.25 days times 3 hours per day is 75 hours per month6 kw times 75 hours/month = 450kw-hours per month At 10 cents per kw-hour, that would be $45 extra per month.   But I think that my assumptions are all on the high side, so the real number is likely to be more like $20.By the way, if you run 1000 watts of light times 8 hours/day times 25 days/month would be  200 kw-hrs/monthRichardSculptures in copper and other metalshttp://www.fergusonsculpture.comSyncrowave 200 Millermatic 211Readywelder spoolgunHypertherm 600 plasma cutterThermal Arc GMS300 Victor OA torchHomemade Blacksmith propane forge
Reply:Originally Posted by Matt_MaguireI gotta second Sundown here. At the shop my use was so low they removed the demand meter years ago and now I pay a facilities charge of about $40 per month.I don't ever recall seeing a demand meter on residential in Illinois, If you got em in PA then a heavy load for a long enough period and they charge you for having to meet the potential demand whether you use it later or not.Matt
Reply:If you are doing a lot of cutting and fitting you might be using sawzalls, band saws, grinders, etc. quite a bit also.  Especially if you are using scrap metal.
Reply:Originally Posted by weldbead... but that makes the $100 jump  even harder to explain,  doesn't it?
Reply:Originally Posted by technoidHere's a question for all you home back yard welders. What have you seen for an increase on your electric bill from your welding projects? This applies to those who don't have a separate 3 phase garage service. This is from my own experience when I am into a  project welding mostly in the 90 to 120 amp range with a Hobart mig. My bill has gone up $100 or more per month when welding. And now on the news electrical rates will be jumping up to 30% more next year!
Reply:Go green. Get yourself a BIG magnifying glass and go solar! .No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWGo green. Get yourself a BIG magnifying glass and go solar!
Reply:Duh,Just because the welder is "on a 50A circuit" sure as heck doesn't mean it's pulling 50A all the time.Actually, the size of the "circuit" has NOTHING to do with amp draw.You just THINK your welder's running your bill up.  IT'S NOT.Syncro 250 DX Dynasty 200 DXMM 251 w/30A SG XMT 304 w/714 Feeder & Optima PulserHH187Dialarc 250 AC/DCHypertherm PM 1250Smith, Harris, Victor O/ASmith and Thermco Gas MixersAccess to a full fab shop with CNC Plasma, Water Jet, etc.
Reply:Some folks are on a tiered billing structure and a lot of little things add up to throw some KW hours into the next higher tier. Winter rolls around, all the lights are on longer, time in the shop time goes up, heaters & heater fans kick in, hot water heaters work harder for hot water, yadda yadda. Lot of power cos are pros at switching from summer to winter rates also. They know when and how to squeeze maximum billing from the bulk of America. PG&E here got stoopitt and started installing the new smart meters at the same time as ten years worth of rate freezes expired. Bad news, everyone instantly equated the rate increase with the new meters. Blaming the new meters. Bad move on their part. People do that = look for one single event or single reason for an increase in their bill. Rarely true."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:Originally Posted by Sandy Winter rolls around, all the lights are on longer, time in the shop time goes up, heaters & heater fans kick in, hot water heaters work harder for hot water, yadda yadda.
Reply:I live out in the boonies and am on a rural electric co-operative electric line,I pay almost double as to what people who are on a kentucky utilities line pay and my welding does make my bill go up anywhere between $30 and $40 dollars a month if I do alot of it say a couple of hours a day but not everyday,say 3 or 4 times a week.Maxus Pro-125 MigChicago Electric 90 amp DC flux-coreLincoln Electric AC 225 tombstoneO/A torchM/O mini-torch10 acres of flatland15 acres of holler
Reply:Originally Posted by Stick-manThis is the second mention of "hot water heaters". Why on earth would you want to heat hot water?Sorry, I had to, I do plumbing work on the side.
Reply:Originally Posted by SandySome folks are on a tiered billing structure and a lot of little things add up to throw some KW hours into the next higher tier. Winter rolls around, all the lights are on longer, time in the shop time goes up, heaters & heater fans kick in, hot water heaters work harder for hot water, yadda yadda. Lot of power cos are pros at switching from summer to winter rates also. They know when and how to squeeze maximum billing from the bulk of America. PG&E here got stooped and started installing the new smart meters at the same time as ten years worth of rate freezes expired. Bad news, everyone instantly equated the rate increase with the new meters. Blaming the new meters. Bad move on their part. People do that = look for one single event or single reason for an increase in their bill. Rarely true.
Reply:Originally Posted by Dualiewell while that might be true my power bill here at the house went up $300 per month when they put in that smart meter.   The one at the business went up about the same amount but the dumb meter that runs the other half of the shop hasn't went up one dime?
Reply:I have no idea how much my welding increases the power bill. I just hand my wife all my money and she gives me a little bit back if I am good at begging.I do know that I spend half of the time i am in the house shutting off lights she leaves on in every room she enters and leaves.Then lecturing her about it. I feel like my father.(didn't work for him either)I estimate that the cost of power and gas for the garage is about $100 (in winter) or a little more a month. (filling the beer fridge in the garage is extra).It keeps me happy and lets her watch boring British murder mystery shows on TV. Plenty of time for togetherness when I come back into the house.
Reply:Originally Posted by Stick-manThis is the second mention of "hot water heaters". Why on earth would you want to heat hot water?Sorry, I had to, I do plumbing work on the side.Originally Posted by Stick-manHi neighbor, I don't know what a "demand meter" is. But I have one of these on my house.
Reply:Originally Posted by SundownIIIDuh,Just because the welder is "on a 50A circuit" sure as heck doesn't mean it's pulling 50A all the time.Actually, the size of the "circuit" has NOTHING to do with amp draw.You just THINK your welder's running your bill up.  IT'S NOT.
Reply:Hey guys,My electric bill is set up on the "budget" system as each months' bill is the same determined by the total year usage in kw divided by 12. I like it that way as my gas bill is the same & makes each months' outlay stable. I did get a notification last month of the rate increase & this month's bill on the "budget" system was upped $20/month. I can't complain as with the electricity I use in my home & shop every day, my bill is still less than $100/mo.DennyComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:Originally Posted by technoidDouble DUH no kidding! I was an electrician for 33 yrs. If you read all the posts you will know it was just a general question with some fun behind it. And my bill is that high when working in the garage all day, every day during winter. And have a nice day
Reply:Originally Posted by weldbeadstandup , stickman , it will be easier ...you deserved that..
Reply:Originally Posted by Matt_MaguireAlrighty then... Were you one of them rubber glovin', pole climin', beer drinkin' fools like I used to run around with that made a system look so tight you thought you could play deliverance on it???(edit) Oh... Maybe you're an inside sparky, that's OK too. Somehow my head was stuck on meters...Matt