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| Subject - troubleshooting high electric bill | |
| douglasg |
Had a interresting service call today. My customer has 2 empty spec houses on 2 adjacent lots. These homes are exactly the same, same floorplan, heat systems, etc. The problem is that one of these houses electric bill went up about a $100 about 2 months ago, where the other house stayed the same. The homeowner had the heating/air people out to check the heat system, they said everything was good. Then they called the electrician(me), I checked it out and couldn't find anything wrong. The only things that were pulling any current was the furnace, refridgator, smoke detectors, clock on the gas range, they were all pulling the right amount of current. Since I am a fairly new licensed electrician and have not been around nearly as long as a lot of you all have, all advice would be welcome. |
| denny3992 | I HAD A HIGH ELEC BILL CALL THE OTHER DAY 3 MONTHS AGO THE CUSTOMERS BILL JUMPED $60 GOT TO THE JOB ASKED Q'S AND FOUND OUT HIS WATER PRESSURE ALSO DROPPED! WENT TO BASEMENT AND PUT METER ON THE LINE FOR THE WELL PUMP 10A, DIDNT SHUT OFF FOR 20 MIN, CHECKED PRESSURE SWITCH NEVER OPENED! LOOKED AT PRESSURE GUAGE 30 PSI! TURNS OUT THE WATER LINE COMING UP THE WELL SHAFT SPRUNG A LEAK AND THE PUMP KEPT RUNNING AND COULDNT BUILD ENUFF PRESSUE TO OPEN THE PRESSURE SWITCH 10A x 24 hrs x 30 days = $60/month x 3 $180. service call 2 hr min 50x2hrs $100 being able to tell the customer it was a plumbing problem and not something i had done= PRICELESS |
| lctrc789 | I had something like that happen to me several years ago when a home owner called and said my electric bill has never been this high. I checked everything I could and was amazed at the bill my self and couldn't explain it at all. The following month the bill was just as high and he called the power comapny they came out and even checked the meter and said it was fine and he had then replace it with new one.... To make a long story short the neighbors next door were plugging extensions cords in to their home during the day for the work they had been doing on a vacant house, saws drills and get this electric heaters to keep warm with lol... He had came home one day early and seen the cord Imagine the embarrassment LOL |
| nfsus | Check for anything that would run automatically, sump pumps, sewer pumps, water heater, freezer, refer, attic motors and last but not least if it has electric heat check the draw there |
| gyrofender | quote: |