Have a nice new electrical greenhouse heater. Its set to automatically start and stop with temperature. So as to calculate power use and hence cost of greenhouse heating anyone know of a good inexpensive system of recording the duration the heater was actually on? Thanks
Yep, Use a power-slave multiway extension lead and plug the heater into the master and a normal analogue electric clock in one of the slave sockets. These are often used with home cinema/computer systems so that when power is drawn from the master socket (say feeding the main amp, the slave sockets power up (feeding the DVD, record deck, etc). I have mine with this computer, so when the base unit powers up, so does the monitor, powered speakers, external usb drive, SCSI zip disk, router, etc. When I shut the machine down, everything else powers off too.
The time shown on the clock is the number of hours the heater has been on. If you are worrying about having to check it every few hours, use a 7 day analogue time switch as the clock, instead, or use a month/day/time clock.
Ok, thanks, Sue..I think I understand that :-) Cheers
You do not mention the voltage for the heater. Using the ground on a 240v system for an neutral is not a good idea.
There are several meters on this page. Ideas only. What ever you do plan on putting fused protection between the heater circuit and your meter. You could use the simple in line fuse holders at Radio Shack and a 2-3 amp glass fuse on each conductor.
in article cut3s1$jr9$ snipped-for-privacy@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk, Jodie at snipped-for-privacy@nospam.net wrote on 2/15/05 7:19 AM:
Watt-hour meters have been available at swap meets for about $5.
Bill
ummmmm what you growing in there?
Regards
Daveb
GO (Grow Operation) : )
why not a propane heater as the "plants " would love the CO2 produced and the price to run would be less
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