Recent Feedback
I have a pump that drives the filtering system for a small pond in my yard. I got the old pump replaced at the beginning of August and left the new one running day and night after the installation. My pg&e bill for August was reasonable but was approximately $400 more for the month of September. I cannot think of anything new installed in the house. Is it possible that the bump that drives so much power and cause the electricity bill so high? If not, is there a way to find out what causes the problem?Thanks,-Di
Optional Information: Make: STA-RITE Model: P6E6D-20L Already Tried: none
Do you mean the following 3/4 hp pump?Model : P6E6D-205LAs shown here: PUMPThat pump can be wired two ways (115 / 230 volt) - but the amount of power it draws (at maximum) is about the same.To give you an exact cost of running the pump 24/7, I'd need to know how much your energy costs per KwH (Kilo-watt hour), but I can estimate using my energy cost in Texas.115 volts * 13.8 amps at max load = 1587 watts = 1.587 Kw.In a day we have 24 hours. We have 30 days per month, so 24 * 30 = 720 hours per month.Operating this pump at maximum load 24 hours a day, 7 days a week would cost you 1142.64 Kwh. (24 * 30 * 1.587 Kw)My power (at home) costs $0.10687 per Kwh. So the largest amount that this pump could cost you per month , based on my local power cost and running it 24/7 at maximum electrical draw is 1142.64 * $0.10687 = $122.11 per monthUnless your electricity costs are 300-400% what mine are, it's electrically impossible for this pump to cost you that much money.Suggestions:1) Confirm your Meter reading. You bill should include a "final reading" that should match the numbers on the front of your meter. Make sure they didn't get a number off, this sometimes happens.To determine what is drawing so much power, you need a tool that basically can clamp on (around) the wires in your breaker box. Any electrician will have this tool - it's called a "clamp on amp meter". I don't recommend you open your Circuit Breaker box without experience, however, as it is relatively easy to get a shock that isn't protected by a breaker.Here's an example of a clamp on amp meter: HEREWith this amp meter clipped on to your incoming power circuit, you can turn off your breakers one at a time to figure out which one is drawing the most power.There is also a consumer device called a kill-a-watt meter which is used between the device and plug, but if you're drawing $400 of additional power, it's most likely to be in a large circuit like that of a dryer or HVAC system - not something that you can plug in a measurement device to.
Experience: BSEE, Texas A&M University. Residential electrical, 12v auto/marine electrical / EFI, solar
Yes, that is the pump I am using for my pond.Thanks for your detailed explanation. 1.5 kW per hour and jumps to 4 kW around 7~9pm, which I don't know the cause. Here is a summary of my bill:baseline quality 363 kwhbaseline usage 363 kwh @ 0.11877 101-130% of baseline 108.9 kwh@ 0.13502 131-200% of baseline 254.1 kwh@ 0.29062 201-300% of baseline 363.0 kwh@ 0.40029 over 300% of baseline 651.0 kwh@ 0.40029I cannot tell if it makes any sense.I really want to find out what causes this high power. Do you suggest to hire a professional? and how can I find the right person to inspect the problem? Thanks,
Do you have a meter with a spinning dial outside your home?If so - there is the layperson way to figure out what is drawing power.Count the number of rotations the dial makes in 30 seconds. Use that number as a baseline. Start turning circuit breakers off at the breaker box, after you turn the circuit off, count the number of rotations on the dial in 30 seconds. When the dial slows down a lot, you know that breaker was drawing a lot of power.This is the "ballpark" way to do it. It's a bit easier with a clamp-on amp meter.If you can isolate it to a circuit or circuits, then you can maybe figure out what's drawing the power... $400 is a LOT of power - It's probably not your typical household 15-20a circuit.Any electrician or handy-man with a clamp-on amp meter should be able to chase this down for you... And it shouldn't take long. For what you're spending a month, if you can't find the circuit that is causing the problem, you'd save more money having someone come out and find it for you.And again, sometimes electric companies make mistakes - verify that meter reading.