meter for utilities

[Xiong]

is or are there any meter that measure the utilities usage of a machine?

such as for water, gas, electricity...where you connect the meter right before connecting the machine?

[DaveLevenson]

Xiong:

For electricity, there are devices which can be plugged in to an outlet. You then plug an appliance into the device, and it records kilowatt-hours. If you use such a device, choose one with sufficient capacity to handle the machine's load -- most are designed for home appliances, and may not safely handle the load imposed by a commercial laundry machine. If your machines are hard-wired, you may want to consider hiring an electrician to install the device. If your washers use 3-phase power, you'll need a meter designed for that.

For water, you can use a regular water-meter, but they're expensive, and it's a lot of word to re-plumb everything.

For gas, it's the same as water. But you can usually calculate gas consumption by measuring burner on-time: I have wired a hobbs meter (which accumulates and displays total running time, usually in hours and tenths) to the gas valve in my water heater, and another in my furnace. These appliances consume gas at a specified rate (199,000 btu/hour for the water heater, 10,000 btu/hr for the furnace) so I can compute gas usage from running time. I can also read my gas meter, and see total gas consumption. Total gas, less the water heater and furnace, is the amount consumed by the dryers. (I don't bother attempting to meter each dryer individually, but you could connect a hobbs meter to the gas valve in each dryer if you want that amount of precision.) If any of your gas appliances have multi-stage burners, the problem becomes more complex.

[bodman]

dave that was great info. . my concearn is depression if I find out my new equipment is not efficent i will want to replace it and do not have the funds. AUGH.

[DaveLevenson]

dave that was great info. . my concearn is depression if I find out my new equipment is not efficent i will want to replace it and do not have the funds. AUGH.

Depression is not a good thing. Perhaps, if you have committed to your present equipment and cannot replace it, you're better off looking at the bottom line, and ignoring such details as utility consumption?

[Xiong]

thank you very much for the info

contemplating a system to determine the usage of different brands of machines in the mat, find out which is better.

currently only knows what the main meter said.

why would a multi-stage burner make the instrument inaccurate?
just need to know what goes into that machine.

yes, trying to do things that most mat owners never bother nor thought of. spend five hours with the repair man going through the machines and he said i ask him the hardest questions that he has been in the profession for over 30 years.

why the hect do owners care about machine efficiency on utilities?
it gets to the bottomline in penny increments...


Xiong:

For electricity, there are devices which can be plugged in to an outlet. You then plug an appliance into the device, and it records kilowatt-hours. If you use such a device, choose one with sufficient capacity to handle the machine's load -- most are designed for home appliances, and may not safely handle the load imposed by a commercial laundry machine. If your machines are hard-wired, you may want to consider hiring an electrician to install the device. If your washers use 3-phase power, you'll need a meter designed for that.

For water, you can use a regular water-meter, but they're expensive, and it's a lot of word to re-plumb everything.

For gas, it's the same as water. But you can usually calculate gas consumption by measuring burner on-time: I have wired a hobbs meter (which accumulates and displays total running time, usually in hours and tenths) to the gas valve in my water heater, and another in my furnace. These appliances consume gas at a specified rate (199,000 btu/hour for the water heater, 10,000 btu/hr for the furnace) so I can compute gas usage from running time. I can also read my gas meter, and see total gas consumption. Total gas, less the water heater and furnace, is the amount consumed by the dryers. (I don't bother attempting to meter each dryer individually, but you could connect a hobbs meter to the gas valve in each dryer if you want that amount of precision.) If any of your gas appliances have multi-stage burners, the problem becomes more complex.

[Adamski]

...why the hect do owners care about machine efficiency on utilities? it gets to the bottomline in penny increments...

Xiong,

Still can't manage to give us a real name?

You can research new washers all you want but that won't mean much when you have to adjust the water levels higher to satisfy your customers.

Stick with the major brands and your new washers will be efficient enough. You're wasting a lot of time micro-analyzing to put more pennies on your bottom line.

[Xiong]

adamski,
what do you mean "real name"?
this is my real name and i'm real behind this name. if you ever venture DownUnder, please let me know as I would like to meet the legends behind this forum too :)

am sticking to the major brands, even the rep cannot tell me how much their machine uses the required utilities (water, gas, electricity) as they said too many variations and variables to give me an accurate.

why is it not just know what amount goes into the machine, i have not even get to how efficiency the machine use that energy/resource.

say does all the water that goes into the washer gets to interact with the clothes, or what percentage of it never even seen the clothes but come right out in the drain pipe?


Xiong,

Still can't manage to give us a real name?

You can research new washers all you want but that won't mean much when you have to adjust the water levels higher to satisfy your customers.

Stick with the major brands and your new washers will be efficient enough. You're wasting a lot of time micro-analyzing to put more pennies on your bottom line.

[Adamski]

... does all the water that goes into the washer gets to interact with the clothes, or what percentage of it never even seen the clothes but come right out in the drain pipe?

Xiong,

and you care about this because ... ?

[Howard]

Xiong:

Spend your time figuring out how to get just two more customers in your store each day, it will provide a much better return than figuring out if one machine uses 3 ounces more water than the next.

[MrMachine]

Xiong:

Spend your time figuring out how to get just two more customers in your store each day, it will provide a much better return than figuring out if one machine uses 3 ounces more water than the next.

Agreed.
Xiong, like Larry and Howard said, you are spending too much time micro-managing your business.
Your time is far better spent in figuring out how to pack in the customers.
Without decent sales, all your other efforts are futile.

[CanCanCase]

Agreed.
Xiong, like Larry and Howard said, you are spending too much time micro-managing your business.
Your time is far better spent in figuring out how to pack in the customers.
Without decent sales, all your other efforts are futile.

Business 101 taught by my Dad: 4 people you NEVER let run your business... lawyers, accountants, customers and employees.

-Case

[Xiong]

well, i hope the next generation of machines will have the meter on/in them. :)

[STOUT]

well, i hope the next generation of machines will have the meter on/in them. :)

Would you be willing to pay the extra $ for that service? What would you be willing to pay for that service? $100; $300; $500; $1,000 per machine?

[Xiong]

Would you be willing to pay the extra $ for that service? What would you be willing to pay for that service? $100; $300; $500; $1,000 per machine?

yes, i would be willing to pay for what i want.

if electrolux could weight the content in their washers, why can't others put meters on their machines. would let us know who is better?

[STOUT]

yes, i would be willing to pay for what i want.

if electrolux could weight the content in their washers, why can't others put meters on their machines. would let us know who is better?

Xiong;

Again what would you be willing to pay for this? Give me a $ figure.

[Xiong]

Xiong;

Again what would you be willing to pay for this? Give me a $ figure.

i haven't check what a stand alone meter would be, but should not be more than that??

say under $100?

why would it be useful?
double checking usage efficiency, consumption, i.e. accountant's term of activity base costing :D