Newby with yet another issue. Blue is SUCKING electricity our bill $386 a month

[Light Ltenergy@...]

Well, it seems to be a really GOOD thing I found this forum. We just got our
electric bill for the month. We used a crazy amount of electricity. Our park
people told us a week ago to check things out.

We began checking things and ended up checking each breaker (in the bedroom
closet behind the bed) to see where the pull was coming from. We found a couple
of breakers that seemed to be part of the trouble.

But then again today, the electric meter was SPINNING out of control again. We
turned off the breaker for the upper flor. lights and that helped some. Then we
turned off another breaker that was labled in large red letters, "SURGE"...
there are two breakers with those red words on them. They do seem to be an
issue here. But now... we also found that the battery charger breaker is
pulling HUGE amounts of elec also. We can't leave it off or our batteries will
be sucked dry. When those breakers are OFF... the meter runs normally...

ANY IDEAS? We are working to get past owners help on this also, but haven't
gotten to contact them yet. Someone used the RED marker to mark those
breakers... so SOMEONE knows something or at least was aware of the problems...

ANY IDEAS would be SO appreciated. The electric bill for 30 days was
$386................ ouch!!! We can't keep affording that... sheesh...

HELP...

hugs, Light

[GARY MINKER]

If you narrowed the excessive use down to the charger/converter (not just the 120 vac branch circuit) by unplugging the device and leaving the circuit breaker on, you will now need an AC and DC clamp on ammeter, and a decent DC voltmeter, for troubleshooting. Check for the right DC voltage (13.8 give or take) and make sure that your charger inverter is not supplying more than a few DC amps of charge oe what ever the coach load is. Providing there is no massive DC load ( volt meter and DC ammeter) your charger/converter may have a surge arrestor shorted. These little devils can draw a ton of AC current when they go bad. You may also have a line voltage (120/120) surge arrestor installed (hidden) in the coach on that circuit which you would see by unplugging the charger converters. A good surge arrestor will draw less than .25 Amps when operating. By using your AC and DC ammeters, plus the metering on the coach, you get a check and balance on your testing. You should also check to see if your engine heater is stuck on, battery heaters, the water heater, or air conditioner strip heaters, plus the fridge can be a culprit. With a third eye to help you by watching all the various meters and flipping circuits off and on, you will narrow down the problem quickly. It is seldom wiring. It is usually a device. Gary --- On Wed, 11/4/09, Light Ltenergy@... wrote: From: Light Ltenergy@... Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Newby with yet another issue. Blue is SUCKING electricity our bill $386 a month To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 2:22 AM Well, it seems to be a really GOOD thing I found this forum. We just got our electric bill for the month. We used a crazy amount of electricity. Our park people told us a week ago to check things out. We began checking things and ended up checking each breaker (in the bedroom closet behind the bed) to see where the pull was coming from. We found a couple of breakers that seemed to be part of the trouble. But then again today, the electric meter was SPINNING out of control again. We turned off the breaker for the upper flor. lights and that helped some. Then we turned off another breaker that was labled in large red letters, "SURGE"... there are two breakers with those red words on them. They do seem to be an issue here. But now... we also found that the battery charger breaker is pulling HUGE amounts of elec also. We can't leave it off or our batteries will be sucked dry. When those breakers are OFF... the meter runs normally... ANY IDEAS? We are working to get past owners help on this also, but haven't gotten to contact them yet. Someone used the RED marker to mark those breakers... so SOMEONE knows something or at least was aware of the problems... ANY IDEAS would be SO appreciated. The electric bill for 30 days was $386........ ........ ouch!!! We can't keep affording that... sheesh... HELP... hugs, Light

[Dorn Hetzel]

Without knowing how much you are being charged per Kilowatt Hour, it's hard to know the exact amount of power you are using, but to estimate, there are a little over 700 hours in the typical month, so you're using over $0.50/hr of electricity.  Typical rates might run from $0.10 to $0.25/kwh, so that would put your average power usage in the range of 2 to 5 KW. 


That's a lot of continuous power, especially outside of serious air conditioning season.  Any of that power that doesn't do something you wanted done is going to waste heat somewhere.  Perhaps a LOT of waste heat.  Maybe even a dangerous amount of waste heat. 


At least for 120V things that plug in, a couple of Kill-A-Watt-s might be helpful:

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=kill+a+watt&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=2984863615&ref=pd_sl_91tvj6353g_e


Anything pulling 500+ watts continuously is going to be warm if not downright hot, so you may get some clues even by touch.  Speaking of which, is your block heater running all the time?

Dorn Hetzel
77FC35

Hogansville, GA

On Wed, Nov 4, 2009 at 7:36 AM, GARY MINKER <"garym33407@yahoo.com"> wrote:

 

If you narrowed the excessive use down to the charger/converter (not just the 120 vac branch circuit) by unplugging the device and leaving the circuit breaker on, you will now need an AC and DC clamp on ammeter, and a decent DC voltmeter, for troubleshooting.  Check for the right DC voltage (13.8 give or take) and make sure that your charger inverter is not supplying more than a few DC amps of charge oe what ever the coach load is.  Providing there is no massive DC load ( volt meter and DC ammeter) your charger/converter may have a surge arrestor shorted.  These little devils can draw a ton of AC current when they go bad.  You may also have a line voltage (120/120) surge arrestor installed (hidden) in the coach on that circuit which you would see by unplugging the charger converters.  A good surge arrestor will draw less than .25 Amps when operating.  By using your AC and DC ammeters, plus the metering on the coach, you get a check and balance on your  testing.  You should also check to see if your engine heater is stuck on, battery heaters, the water heater, or air conditioner strip heaters, plus the fridge can be a culprit.  With a third eye to help you by watching all the various meters and flipping circuits off and on, you will narrow down the problem quickly.  It is seldom wiring.  It is usually a device. Gary --- On Wed, 11/4/09, Light "Ltenergy@aol.com" <"Ltenergy@aol.com"> wrote: From: Light "Ltenergy@aol.com" <"Ltenergy@aol.com"> Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Newby with yet another issue. Blue is SUCKING electricity our bill $386 a month To: "WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com" Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 2:22 AM   Well, it seems to be a really GOOD thing I found this forum. We just got our electric bill for the month. We used a crazy amount of electricity. Our park people told us a week ago to check things out. We began checking things and ended up checking each breaker (in the bedroom closet behind the bed) to see where the pull was coming from. We found a couple of breakers that seemed to be part of the trouble. But then again today, the electric meter was SPINNING out of control again. We turned off the breaker for the upper flor. lights and that helped some. Then we turned off another breaker that was labled in large red letters, "SURGE"... there are two breakers with those red words on them. They do seem to be an issue here. But now... we also found that the battery charger breaker is pulling HUGE amounts of elec also. We can't leave it off or our batteries will be sucked dry. When those breakers are OFF... the meter runs normally... ANY IDEAS? We are working to get past owners help on this also, but haven't gotten to contact them yet. Someone used the RED marker to mark those breakers... so SOMEONE knows something or at least was aware of the problems... ANY IDEAS would be SO appreciated. The electric bill for 30 days was $386........ ........ ouch!!! We can't keep affording that... sheesh... HELP... hugs, Light

[gregory O]

what is the dc amp discharge of the bat chargers during any given ac
consumption? if the ratio is normal, then the chargers are ok. have it tested
with a clamp-on amp meter or just upgrade the chargers if they are old school
units. then check the batteries, if they dont store what is produced by the
chargers the lost amphours are constantly being requested.

what is the coach dc usage at any given time? if the batteries run down quick
w/o a charger/converter on, there is either a great battery dead short or high
consumption of use. RonM must have had a big dc consumption where a battery bank
wire grounded out.

Greg 94ptca




--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Light Ltenergy@..."
wrote:
>
> Well, it seems to be a really GOOD thing I found this forum. We just got our
electric bill for the month. We used a crazy amount of electricity. Our park
people told us a week ago to check things out.
>
> We began checking things and ended up checking each breaker (in the bedroom
closet behind the bed) to see where the pull was coming from. We found a couple
of breakers that seemed to be part of the trouble.
>
> But then again today, the electric meter was SPINNING out of control again.
We turned off the breaker for the upper flor. lights and that helped some. Then
we turned off another breaker that was labled in large red letters, "SURGE"...
there are two breakers with those red words on them. They do seem to be an
issue here. But now... we also found that the battery charger breaker is
pulling HUGE amounts of elec also. We can't leave it off or our batteries will
be sucked dry. When those breakers are OFF... the meter runs normally...
>
> ANY IDEAS? We are working to get past owners help on this also, but haven't
gotten to contact them yet. Someone used the RED marker to mark those
breakers... so SOMEONE knows something or at least was aware of the problems...
>
> ANY IDEAS would be SO appreciated. The electric bill for 30 days was
$386................ ouch!!! We can't keep affording that... sheesh...
>
> HELP...
>
> hugs, Light
>

[dru penland]

Please sign your postings with your name and your BB year and model. Thanks, Dru and Debora Corpus Christi, TX 1983 FC 35 RB Steady Gittin' It! --- On Wed, 11/4/09, Light Ltenergy@... wrote: From: Light Ltenergy@... Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Newby with yet another issue. Blue is SUCKING electricity our bill $386 a month To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 1:22 AM Well, it seems to be a really GOOD thing I found this forum. We just got our electric bill for the month. We used a crazy amount of electricity. Our park people told us a week ago to check things out. We began checking things and ended up checking each breaker (in the bedroom closet behind the bed) to see where the pull was coming from. We found a couple of breakers that seemed to be part of the trouble. But then again today, the electric meter was SPINNING out of control again. We turned off the breaker for the upper flor. lights and that helped some. Then we turned off another breaker that was labled in large red letters, "SURGE"... there are two breakers with those red words on them. They do seem to be an issue here. But now... we also found that the battery charger breaker is pulling HUGE amounts of elec also. We can't leave it off or our batteries will be sucked dry. When those breakers are OFF... the meter runs normally... ANY IDEAS? We are working to get past owners help on this also, but haven't gotten to contact them yet. Someone used the RED marker to mark those breakers... so SOMEONE knows something or at least was aware of the problems... ANY IDEAS would be SO appreciated. The electric bill for 30 days was $386........ ........ ouch!!! We can't keep affording that... sheesh... HELP... hugs, Light

[Don Bradner]

The one time my coach has sucked a lot of power and run up a bill, the block
heater was left on. Over 1000 watts of waste heat!

Don Bradner
90 PT40 "Blue Thunder"
My location: http://www.bbirdmaps.com/user2.cfm?user=1

On 11/4/2009 at 7:22 AM Light Ltenergy@... wrote:

>Well, it seems to be a really GOOD thing I found this forum. We just got
>our electric bill for the month. We used a crazy amount of electricity.
>Our park people told us a week ago to check things out.
>
>We began checking things and ended up checking each breaker (in the
>bedroom closet behind the bed) to see where the pull was coming from. We
>found a couple of breakers that seemed to be part of the trouble.
>
>But then again today, the electric meter was SPINNING out of control
>again. We turned off the breaker for the upper flor. lights and that
>helped some. Then we turned off another breaker that was labled in large
>red letters, "SURGE"... there are two breakers with those red words on
>them. They do seem to be an issue here. But now... we also found that
>the battery charger breaker is pulling HUGE amounts of elec also. We
>can't leave it off or our batteries will be sucked dry. When those
>breakers are OFF... the meter runs normally...
>
>ANY IDEAS? We are working to get past owners help on this also, but
>haven't gotten to contact them yet. Someone used the RED marker to mark
>those breakers... so SOMEONE knows something or at least was aware of the
>problems...
>
>ANY IDEAS would be SO appreciated. The electric bill for 30 days was
>$386................ ouch!!! We can't keep affording that... sheesh...
>
>HELP...
>
>hugs, Light
>
>
>
>------------------------------------
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

[PRWillms@...]

If I leave my plumbing heat strips on, they will suck up the electric bill. I have turned off the eng block heater, plumbing heat strips, holding tank heat pads, aux compressor, all of the electric heaters (those kick panel ones). Check you AC amp gauges.

Mine on a normal day are showing Leg 1, 1 or 2 amps and leg 2, 4 to 5. If I turn on the coffee pot leg 2 goes to 10 amps. For heat I use the propane heaters.

Hope this helps.



Paul Williams

88XXV 40'

8V92

South Lake Tahoe

-----Original Message-----

From: gregory O

To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Wed, Nov 4, 2009 5:20 am

Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: Newby with yet another issue. Blue is SUCKING electricity our bill $386 a month

what is the dc amp discharge of the bat chargers during any given ac consumption? if the ratio is normal, then the chargers are ok. have it tested with a clamp-on amp meter or just upgrade the chargers if they are old school units. then check the batteries, if they dont store what is produced by the chargers the lost amphours are constantly being requested.



what is the coach dc usage at any given time? if the batteries run down quick w/o a charger/converter on, there is either a great battery dead short or high consumption of use. RonM must have had a big dc consumption where a battery bank wire grounded out.



Greg 94ptca



--- In "WanderlodgeForum%40yahoogroups.com", "Light Ltenergy@..." .> wrote:

>

> Well, it seems to be a really GOOD thing I found this forum. We just got our electric bill for the month. We used a crazy amount of electricity. Our park people told us a week ago to check things out.

>

> We began checking things and ended up checking each breaker (in the bedroom closet behind the bed) to see where the pull was coming from. We found a couple of breakers that seemed to be part of the trouble.

>

> But then again today, the electric meter was SPINNING out of control again. We turned off the breaker for the upper flor. lights and that helped some. Then we turned off another breaker that was labled in large red letters, "SURGE"... there are two breakers with those red words on them. They do seem to be an issue here. But now... we also found that the battery charger breaker is pulling HUGE amounts of elec also. We can't leave it off or our batteries will be sucked dry. When those breakers are OFF... the meter runs normally...

>

> ANY IDEAS? We are working to get past owners help on this also, but haven't gotten to contact them yet. Someone used the RED marker to mark those breakers... so SOMEONE knows something or at least was aware of the problems...

>

> ANY IDEAS would be SO appreciated. The electric bill for 30 days was $386................ ouch!!! We can't keep affording that... sheesh...

>

> HELP...

>

> hugs, Light

>

[Light Ltenergy@...]

Thanks Gary! We will check all of these things. The refrigerator was on our
list of possible culprits, but it is on elect and the meter is just barely
moving. I will get the clamps you talked about and do these checks tonight when
D gets home.

Thanks for all the ideas. We are still just coming out of shock from that
bill... sheeesh...

big hugs and thanks,
Light

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, GARY MINKER wrote:
>
> If you narrowed the excessive use down to the charger/converter (not just the
120 vac branch circuit) by unplugging the device and leaving the circuit breaker
on, you will now need an AC and DC clamp on ammeter, and a decent DC voltmeter,
for troubleshooting. Check for the right DC voltage (13.8 give or take) and
make sure that your charger inverter is not supplying more than a few DC amps of
charge oe what ever the coach load is. Providing there is no massive DC load (
volt meter and DC ammeter) your charger/converter may have a surge arrestor
shorted. These little devils can draw a ton of AC current when they go bad.
You may also have a line voltage (120/120) surge arrestor installed (hidden) in
the coach on that circuit which you would see by unplugging the charger
converters. A good surge arrestor will draw less than .25 Amps when operating.
By using your AC and DC ammeters, plus the metering on the coach, you get a
check and balance on
> your testing. You should also check to see if your engine heater is stuck
on, battery heaters, the water heater, or air conditioner strip heaters, plus
the fridge can be a culprit. With a third eye to help you by watching all the
various meters and flipping circuits off and on, you will narrow down the
problem quickly. It is seldom wiring. It is usually a device.
> Gary
>
> --- On Wed, 11/4/09, Light Ltenergy@... wrote:
>
> From: Light Ltenergy@...
> Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Newby with yet another issue. Blue is SUCKING
electricity our bill $386 a month
> To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 2:22 AM
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Well, it seems to be a really GOOD thing I found this forum.
We just got our electric bill for the month. We used a crazy amount of
electricity. Our park people told us a week ago to check things out.
>
>
>
> We began checking things and ended up checking each breaker (in the bedroom
closet behind the bed) to see where the pull was coming from. We found a couple
of breakers that seemed to be part of the trouble.
>
>
>
> But then again today, the electric meter was SPINNING out of control again.
We turned off the breaker for the upper flor. lights and that helped some. Then
we turned off another breaker that was labled in large red letters, "SURGE"...
there are two breakers with those red words on them. They do seem to be an
issue here. But now... we also found that the battery charger breaker is
pulling HUGE amounts of elec also. We can't leave it off or our batteries will
be sucked dry. When those breakers are OFF... the meter runs normally...
>
>
>
> ANY IDEAS? We are working to get past owners help on this also, but haven't
gotten to contact them yet. Someone used the RED marker to mark those
breakers... so SOMEONE knows something or at least was aware of the problems...
>
>
>
> ANY IDEAS would be SO appreciated. The electric bill for 30 days was
$386........ ........ ouch!!! We can't keep affording that... sheesh...
>
>
>
> HELP...
>
>
>
> hugs, Light
>

[Light Ltenergy@...]

I am sorry...

here's our information... pardon me for forgetting to add this... I was in
sticker shock from the huge electric bill.

Light and Dennis
1991 40'PT WB Wanderlodge
Santa Cruz, CA

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, dru penland wrote:
>
> Please sign your postings with your name and your BB year and model.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Dru and Debora
> Corpus Christi, TX
> 1983 FC 35 RB
> Steady Gittin' It!
>
> --- On Wed, 11/4/09, Light Ltenergy@... wrote:
>
> From: Light Ltenergy@...
> Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Newby with yet another issue. Blue is SUCKING
electricity our bill $386 a month
> To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 1:22 AM
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Well, it seems to be a really GOOD thing I found this forum.
We just got our electric bill for the month. We used a crazy amount of
electricity. Our park people told us a week ago to check things out.
>
>
>
> We began checking things and ended up checking each breaker (in the bedroom
closet behind the bed) to see where the pull was coming from. We found a couple
of breakers that seemed to be part of the trouble.
>
>
>
> But then again today, the electric meter was SPINNING out of control again.
We turned off the breaker for the upper flor. lights and that helped some. Then
we turned off another breaker that was labled in large red letters, "SURGE"...
there are two breakers with those red words on them. They do seem to be an
issue here. But now... we also found that the battery charger breaker is
pulling HUGE amounts of elec also. We can't leave it off or our batteries will
be sucked dry. When those breakers are OFF... the meter runs normally...
>
>
>
> ANY IDEAS? We are working to get past owners help on this also, but haven't
gotten to contact them yet. Someone used the RED marker to mark those
breakers... so SOMEONE knows something or at least was aware of the problems...
>
>
>
> ANY IDEAS would be SO appreciated. The electric bill for 30 days was
$386........ ........ ouch!!! We can't keep affording that... sheesh...
>
>
>
> HELP...
>
>
>
> hugs, Light
>

[jvredden@...]

Dennis,
I have a 91 PT too. Just met John and Nancy Wyatt at Rats who are Fulltiming in a 91. He is an electronics guy and lots of help.

I haved only had mine since 03 so I am far from being well informed but if I can even help my email is jvredden@.... Cell 7046643121.

Happy trails,

John

Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed

---

From: "Light Ltenergy@..."

Date: Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:46:16 -0000

To:

Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: Newby with yet another issue. Blue is SUCKING electricity our bill $386 a month

I am sorry...



here's our information... pardon me for forgetting to add this... I was in sticker shock from the huge electric bill.



Light and Dennis

1991 40'PT WB Wanderlodge

Santa Cruz, CA



--- In "WanderlodgeForum%40yahoogroups.com", dru penland ...> wrote:

>

> Please sign your postings with your name and your BB year and model.

>

> Thanks,

>

> Dru and Debora

> Corpus Christi, TX

> 1983 FC 35 RB

> Steady Gittin' It!

>

> --- On Wed, 11/4/09, Light Ltenergy@... .> wrote:

>

> From: Light Ltenergy@... .>

> Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Newby with yet another issue. Blue is SUCKING electricity our bill $386 a month

> To: "WanderlodgeForum%40yahoogroups.com"

> Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 1:22 AM

>

>

>

>

>

>

>  

>

>

>

>

>

> Well, it seems to be a really GOOD thing I found this forum. We just got our electric bill for the month. We used a crazy amount of electricity. Our park people told us a week ago to check things out.

>

>

>

> We began checking things and ended up checking each breaker (in the bedroom closet behind the bed) to see where the pull was coming from. We found a couple of breakers that seemed to be part of the trouble.

>

>

>

> But then again today, the electric meter was SPINNING out of control again. We turned off the breaker for the upper flor. lights and that helped some. Then we turned off another breaker that was labled in large red letters, "SURGE"... there are two breakers with those red words on them. They do seem to be an issue here. But now... we also found that the battery charger breaker is pulling HUGE amounts of elec also. We can't leave it off or our batteries will be sucked dry. When those breakers are OFF... the meter runs normally...

>

>

>

> ANY IDEAS? We are working to get past owners help on this also, but haven't gotten to contact them yet. Someone used the RED marker to mark those breakers... so SOMEONE knows something or at least was aware of the problems...

>

>

>

> ANY IDEAS would be SO appreciated. The electric bill for 30 days was $386........ ........ ouch!!! We can't keep affording that... sheesh...

>

>

>

> HELP...

>

>

>

> hugs, Light

>