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Jack_in_VA
Premium Member
join:2007-11-26
North, VA

Jack_in_VA to dennismurphy

Premium Member

to dennismurphy

Re: [HVAC] Propane Price

Good Grief! 2800 kWh that's a lot not to have a heat pump.

dennismurphy
Put me on hold? I'll put YOU on hold
Premium Member
join:2002-11-19
Parsippany, NJ

dennismurphy

Premium Member

said by Jack_in_VA:

Good Grief! 2800 kWh that's a lot not to have a heat pump.

Something is very, very clearly wrong. Not only is the meter reading right but between 12/31 and today (3 days), I've burned through another 319kWh.

What the hell could it be? The furnace motor is running normally - just checked the nest, running ~7 hrs/day. I'm thinking that maybe my outdoor sump pump is stuck on or something? Checking that now.

What the hell else could it possibly be?

IowaCowboy
Lost in the Supermarket
Premium Member
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA

IowaCowboy

Premium Member

Check every appliance, a high bill could be a sign of a malfunctioning appliance.

dennismurphy
Put me on hold? I'll put YOU on hold
Premium Member
join:2002-11-19
Parsippany, NJ

dennismurphy

Premium Member

said by IowaCowboy:

Check every appliance, a high bill could be a sign of a malfunctioning appliance.

Found it! I just came back inside - it was definitely the sump pump. I have an outdoor sump pit next to the inground pool, designed to keep the water pressure from pushing too hard on the liner.

Anyway, the net net is that I just opened the lid of the pit and the motor is stuck and overheating. It was steaming inside the sump pit!

I just shut it off and I'll deal with it when it warms up. It's 6 degrees out there right now - mucho frio!

Well, that $75 motor just cost me about $300 in electricity. How fun.

pende_tim
Premium Member
join:2004-01-04
Selbyville, DE

pende_tim to dennismurphy

Premium Member

to dennismurphy
Did something out in the pool get turned on accidentally- like a motor- and it is running constantly?

Based on what you say, this is about 40KWH/day higher than normal.

This is a constant 2KW load, almost 10 amps at 220volts. Is there a greenhouse in your basement? Someone hatching chicks?

Seriously, maybe a space heater somewhere? or the sump pump may be stalled? Is the Air Conditioner drawing this? Do you have an electric hotwater heater? Is there a leak in the pipes or a running faucet? A second oven that was used at Thanksgiving that never was turned off?

Best way is to get a clamp on amp meter and check the panel. Look for a load where there should not be a load.
pende_tim

pende_tim

Premium Member

Glad you found it so quickly.

dennismurphy
Put me on hold? I'll put YOU on hold
Premium Member
join:2002-11-19
Parsippany, NJ

dennismurphy to pende_tim

Premium Member

to pende_tim
said by pende_tim:

Did something out in the pool get turned on accidentally- like a motor- and it is running constantly?

Based on what you say, this is about 40KWH/day higher than normal.

This is a constant 2KW load, almost 10 amps at 220volts. Is there a greenhouse in your basement? Someone hatching chicks?

Seriously, maybe a space heater somewhere? or the sump pump may be stalled? Is the Air Conditioner drawing this? Do you have an electric hotwater heater? Is there a leak in the pipes or a running faucet? A second oven that was used at Thanksgiving that never was turned off?

Best way is to get a clamp on amp meter and check the panel. Look for a load where there should not be a load.

All great ideas, but it's pretty much certainly the outdoor sump pump. It was warm down in the pit and the motor was hot and buzzing. Again, no time for diagnostics - it's too cold out for that. Just shut it off and I'll check the meter in a few days to see what the burn rate is.

The pool pump is off - that breaker is shut off for the season. The AC's off too. Hot water/oven/furnace/fireplace/grill are all natural gas. Just the pump as far as I can tell.

Of course the Christmas lights & tree burn some electricity as well, so that'll help next month's bill as well, but as far as I can tell, it was the stuck pump that was the issue.