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Chowder
Human



Registered: 10/26/09
Posts: 256
Last seen: 3 years, 1 month
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Question about dehydrator power consumption
#19338467 - 12/28/13 07:42 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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Not sure whether this is the right sub-forum, but I couldn't think of any other place.
So I got my eyes on this Excalibur 9 tray dehydrator. It goes from 35C(95F) to 68C(155F), and on the back it has two labels. One says 400W and the other 600W.
First of all, I'm confused over which one is the real wattage. Any clues?
Say it's 600W; this means it consumes this much at MAX temperature? I understand that 35C(95F) is enough for drying. Should I presume that at this temperature it would consume about 300W?
Thanks in advance.
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koraks
Registered: 06/02/03
Posts: 26,672
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Re: Question about dehydrator power consumption [Re: Chowder]
#19340341 - 12/29/13 05:39 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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There's only one way to find out: measure it. There's no good way to accurately estimate the power consumption based on the information you have at hand.
A few notes: - Why do you want to know the unit's power consumption? If it's to establish the maximum power draw (e.g. because you need to decide on what fuse to use or if you can combine it with your washing machine on a single outlet), then assume it'll draw (at least) the rated 600W. If you want to work out what it costs to run this unit, then you'll have to resort to a measurement in a real-world setting. You can buy convenient (and affordable) equipment for this that a home user can use safely and without special training (RTFM of course). - The unit won't draw the rated power (whether it's 400W or 600W) continuously. I.e., in a real-world setting, the power draw will vary - and probably wildly at that. I assume it incorporates some control electronics, a fan and a heating element. The control electronics and the fan will draw power continuously, but only a couple of watts. The heater element will be the biggest consumer, but it will be switched on and off intermittently. The power draw pattern depends on how the control electronics were designed. You'd need specialist equipment and/or insight into the control electronics to work out the details.
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Chowder
Human



Registered: 10/26/09
Posts: 256
Last seen: 3 years, 1 month
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Re: Question about dehydrator power consumption [Re: koraks]
#19340354 - 12/29/13 05:52 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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Thanks for the good reply. I understand more now. So what would be the name of the device that measures the real power consumption. Yes, I am interested about the price rather than the fuse.
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koraks
Registered: 06/02/03
Posts: 26,672
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Re: Question about dehydrator power consumption [Re: Chowder]
#19340367 - 12/29/13 06:00 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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You're welcome. I'm not sure if there's a generic name for them (English is not my native tongue either...), but you want something like this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/202196386?productId=202196386&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=202196386&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googlebase-_-D27X-_-202196386#.UsAcXo7ztTM or this: http://www.energymatters.com.au/mains-power-meter-p-860.html?zenid=2g0ofrdjpft10f65javv675cp3
All the same concept, really. Just plug the device you want to test into the measurement device, which in turn is plugged into a normal AC outlet. Then you use the device you want to test (e.g. your dehydrator) as you'd normally do and the measurement device will record the cumulative (total) amount of power drawn. I.e. it'll tell you how many kWh it will have used (not how many watts, because that doesn't say anything about the actual amount of power drawn over a period of time; watt is a timeless unit.)
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Chowder
Human


Registered: 10/26/09
Posts: 256
Last seen: 3 years, 1 month
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Re: Question about dehydrator power consumption [Re: koraks]
#19340405 - 12/29/13 06:23 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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That's a very useful tool! Never knew about its existence. Thanks a lot sir.
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