Cost of Kiln Electricity - Page 2

Dennis Brady · #31 2007-03-07, 4:10pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Starfield

Before you consider the "hot water on demand" type of heater read this:

The hot water on demand will consistantly give you hot water at a fixed rate above your incoming water temp. temperature. What that means is that in winter if your incoming water temp drops (for example you have well water and the water temp is colder in winter) then the hot water will be colder.

Consider this before you install one of these units!

Karen

Mine doesn't work that way. It has a dial that's set to establish the temperature the water is heated to. With the dial set at 160, the water is always dispensed at 160 regardless of the temperature of the incoming water.

daisydog7 · #32 2007-03-07, 8:38pm

Rapunsel and Paul Ewing: What are we in Texas going to do about our ridiculously high electric prices? We are being gouged, paying up to twice as much as people in other states pay. Any ideas? I'm ready to write our legislature, picket, pray, you name it. Pam

angelique_redhead · #33 2007-03-10, 7:00pm

Supposedly the railroad commission was in charge of utilities at one time in Texas. I wonder if it still is? Angelique

Quote:

Originally Posted by daisydog7

Rapunsel and Paul Ewing: What are we in Texas going to do about our ridiculously high electric prices? We are being gouged, paying up to twice as much as people in other states pay. Any ideas? I'm ready to write our legislature, picket, pray, you name it. Pam

Norskiglass · #34 2007-03-10, 7:06pm

well I run 4 kilns (2 4x's larger than yours) and the highest bill Ive had all year ~$240.00 and that includes a ton of lighting and gas heat.

Dennis Brady · #35 2007-03-11, 9:35am

Quote:

Originally Posted by daisydog7

Rapunsel and Paul Ewing: What are we in Texas going to do about our ridiculously high electric prices? We are being gouged, paying up to twice as much as people in other states pay. Any ideas? I'm ready to write our legislature, picket, pray, you name it. Pam

Maybe it's karmic justice for you folks having sent Witless to Washington?

daisydog7 · #36 2007-03-11, 8:25pm

Maybe we thought things would get better with him gone.

Dennis Brady · #37 2007-03-12, 8:07am

Quote:

Originally Posted by daisydog7

Maybe we thought things would get better with him gone.

You're probably right. You just didn't send him far enough. I hear Haliburton is moving to Dubai. Maybe you can send Dubya and Dicky with them?

PaulaD · #38 2007-03-12, 8:00pm

Our Chili Peppers only use 8 amps...

Paula

daisydog7 · #39 2007-03-12, 9:07pm

I am so tempted to sell my Skutt GM10F and buy one of your Chili Peppers. I really like the Skutt, but it is very slow to cool down. Basically, if I finish beading at 2 or 3 pm, it is well after midnight until I can take the beads out. I believe your Chili Pepper cools quicker, right? And doesn't it hold more beads?

PaulaD · #40 2007-03-12, 9:11pm

Yes. Yes.

We use them exclusively at Tin City.

Paula

Dennis Brady · #41 2007-03-13, 7:06am

Quote:

Originally Posted by daisydog7

I am so tempted to sell my Skutt GM10F and buy one of your Chili Peppers. I really like the Skutt, but it is very slow to cool down. Basically, if I finish beading at 2 or 3 pm, it is well after midnight until I can take the beads out. I believe your Chili Pepper cools quicker, right? And doesn't it hold more beads?

Cooling quicker isn't necessarily a good thing. Cooling too slow wastes time. Cooling too quick wastes beads. If you're staying up until midnight to take the beads out, are you reloading it with another batch? If your little kiln can't handle your daily production of beads, you'd be wiser to get a bigger kiln then get one that cools quicker.

PaulaD · #42 2007-03-13, 11:38am

The Chili Pepper doesn't necessarily cool quicker unless you program it to and people do not loose beads using it rather than brick if that's what Dennis is implying.
I also own brick kilns and would not use them as my daily bead annealer. It's almost impossible to cool them fast and if you open the lid to do it then you get a bunch of kiln dust on your beads..
The Chili is more efficent time wise and amperage wise heating up and cooling down .Paula

daisydog7 · #43 2007-03-13, 2:03pm

Is about a 12 hour time from end of annealing to room temperature reasonable, or unreasonable? I never take beads out until they are at room temperature. Also, I stack beads and can get around 36 beads in without major difficulty. After that, it begins to be difficult to close the kiln door, or mandrels sliding everywhere, etc. How does that compare with other kilns, including the Chili Pepper?

Dennis Brady · #44 2007-03-13, 4:09pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by daisydog7

Is about a 12 hour time from end of annealing to room temperature reasonable, or unreasonable? I never take beads out until they are at room temperature. Also, I stack beads and can get around 36 beads in without major difficulty. After that, it begins to be difficult to close the kiln door, or mandrels sliding everywhere, etc. How does that compare with other kilns, including the Chili Pepper?

For the same price as a Chili Pepper, you could get this - complete with quartz enclosed elements and built in bead rack.

PaulaD · #45 2007-03-13, 5:34pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by daisydog7

Is about a 12 hour time from end of annealing to room temperature reasonable, or unreasonable? I never take beads out until they are at room temperature. Also, I stack beads and can get around 36 beads in without major difficulty. After that, it begins to be difficult to close the kiln door, or mandrels sliding everywhere, etc. How does that compare with other kilns, including the Chili Pepper?

Somewhere around here or on the R4 website is a post where Tink and John had hundreds of vessels in the Chili Pepper....And photos to prove it.

Paula

daisydog7 · #46 2007-03-14, 8:54pm

They both look like great kilns. I think I want one of each.
What is the second one? I couldn't read the label. It looks like Bartlett? Or is that the controller?

Kalera · #47 2007-03-14, 9:45pm

I love my Chili Pepper! It's my backup, loaner, and all-around gadabout annealer. Low energy usage and only 8 amps. I use my EK Miller kiln as a primary annealer, but I need the Chili Pepper occasionally and it does a primo job.

As for toilets, if you have a salvage center nearby (most cities have one, look under "building salvage" in the yellow pages) you can usually pick up a "vintage", ie "actually flushes" toilet for about $35. I have an art-deco sweetie from 1941.

The only input I have for water heaters is that I was told that they might be inadequate for my shower-obsessed family of 5.

We may still get one for the second bathroom, if we ever get around to it...

Jenfire · #48 2007-03-14, 11:12pm

Texans don't fear! I live in wonderful Hamlin Ny which is UPSTATE NY. Cost of electricity is --- drum roll please------------ 13.8 cents per kwh. Try that out for size. It sucks. electric bill this month 413 dollar. SUCKS
Jen

smutboy420 · #49 2007-03-15, 6:29am

I'm in Upstate NY also Were paying 14.8 per kilowatt at our house. and the glass shop wich is on a farm its 12.8 cents per KW Because its on a farm.

But the land load includes the electric in the rent at the shop.

Dennis Brady · #50 2007-03-15, 6:58am

Quote:

Originally Posted by daisydog7

They both look like great kilns. I think I want one of each.
What is the second one? I couldn't read the label. It looks like Bartlett? Or is that the controller?

The large photo is an AIM CR413/D.
It has a built in Bartlett controller.

MikeAurelius · #51 2007-03-15, 7:56am

Quote:

Originally Posted by daisydog7

Is about a 12 hour time from end of annealing to room temperature reasonable, or unreasonable? I never take beads out until they are at room temperature. Also, I stack beads and can get around 36 beads in without major difficulty. After that, it begins to be difficult to close the kiln door, or mandrels sliding everywhere, etc. How does that compare with other kilns, including the Chili Pepper?

That's a long time, IMO from the end of annealing to room temp, and fairly typical of either a brick kiln or a kiln that has an improperly configured cool down cycle.

You can drop from 850 (Moretti strain point) to room temp in about 3 hours quite safely and not lose a single bead. If there are smaller more fragile items in there, with decoration etc, I'd take 5 hours instead just to give them more time.

But all-in-all 12 hours is a damn long time, especially if you think about starting your cycle on a Friday night and then hoping to take beads out first thing Saturday morning and starting fresh -- you wouldn't be able to because the kiln would be still too hot. No more than an 8 hour cycle, total time, is PLENTY good enough for bead annealing, and most of that time should be spent in the cool down phase.

Key times and temps:

1) Annealing @ 950 F, about 1 to 1.5 hours depending on the size of your beads

2) Ramp to Strain, about 1 hour

3) Hold @ strain point 850 F, about 10 minutes or so, this allows the kiln to catch up -- a lot of times, there is a lag between what the controller wants for temp and what the kiln can provide, especially on the cool down side of things.

12 hours <shakes head> that's waaaaaaaaay too long IMO.

Jenfire · #52 2007-03-15, 9:40am

Smut boy you have my sympathies. NYS sucks in so many ways. I can not wait until the kids are raised and then I am outa here!
Jen

daisydog7 · #53 2007-03-15, 7:57pm

New York, you are paying what Texans are for electricity. We're at .14 also, and locked into a year's contract to get it.

daisydog7 · #54 2007-03-15, 7:59pm

Mike: I programmed the kiln according to the manual. However, I will take another look and see if I can change it. It would be awesome to be able to take the beads out in five hours.