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Watt the fμck?
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paulca:
Yeah,  I now have an issue with my freezer.  I think I overloaded it or a bit of packaging got stuck in the door seal.  Unfortunately it might not be fixable without defrosting it.  It seems to have collected a lot of ice via damp air and freshly inserted food adding moisture.

The freezer is running 50% of the time. It's about 220W with around 100W reactive going back out.

I've tried to clear out some ice and I've powered it down for an hour which sometimes causes it to switch it's defrost heater on when you repower it.   All that ice is having insulative properties and fighting the freezers attempt to cool more.

I don't want to lose the food in it though and I don't have anywhere that will keep stuff frozen for the hour it will take.
themadhippy:

--- Quote ---When you shower turn the flow rate of water down to a trickle. Don't  reduce water temp
--- End quote ---
In the uk it wont make much difference as we tend to use instantaneous electric showers with a fixed wattage heating element.


--- Quote ---I don't want to lose the food in it though and I don't have anywhere that will keep stuff frozen for the hour it will take.
--- End quote ---
wouldn't worry to much about it,bet from plonking it in your trolley at the supermarket to chucking it in the freezer at home is nearly an hour
woody:

--- Quote from: Kjelt on September 29, 2022, 10:02:55 am ---The problem I like to solve is how to switch off dozens of devices (like networkswitches, APs, etc.) off at night without using a clockswitch which also consumes electricity per device.

If someone has an elegant ultra low power solution preferably with a latching relay I would be very interested. Otherwise I have to build it my own.

--- End quote ---

POE switch(es). Usually you can set a power schedule into them and power off / on connected AP's, camera's, POE powered switches and other equipment that is POE powered (RPI). Not a magic bullet, but it does help save a few watts.

I remember years ago looking at Enocean devices. They are wireless, self-powered sensors and actuators. Never got beyond looking so I am not sure what the status is, but they fill your requirement of needing no external power.

And at this point I was going to make a closing remark that according to Domoticz our baseload, when everyone is asleep and everthing is off, is ~400W and that I did not care as that is the price you pay for all the stuff that makes modern living possible. Until I realized that 400W translates in 10kWh/day. Or, in current current prices, €9,- per day. Or €270,- per month. WTF indeed! The only thing between me and real problems is the 5 year energy contract I entered in May 2020. I am definitely going to hunt for power savings now, this is not future proof!
paulca:
Well, unfortunately I was wrong about the power usage.  With the freezer powered off, the square wave was still there.

I knew "it can't be the 50W fish tank heater"  because the square wave has an amplitude of over 100W, well over.

Just to be sure I went and unplugged the fishtank heater.  Square wave is gone.

This is now much more disturbing as it most likely means the 50W heater is broken is a rather bizarre way, as it's not tripping the electric, so it's not leaking to earth (unlikely on a 2 pin plug I suppose), I wonder if it's seals failed and it filled with water would it's load increase with partial conductivity through the water?  It shouldn't be drawing over 100W and it shouldn't be generating ANY reactive power.  I'm baffled.

EDIT:  Sorry, blonde moment, I was reading the power factor graph wrong.  When the fish tank heater comes on the power factor rises.  Which makes sense as it's a 100 perfect resistive load.  Just need to work out why it's consuming 2 to 3 times its power rating.
paulca:

--- Quote from: woody on September 29, 2022, 02:27:03 pm ---And at this point I was going to make a closing remark that according to Domoticz our baseload, when everyone is asleep and everthing is off, is ~400W and that I did not care as that is the price you pay for all the stuff that makes modern living possible. Until I realized that 400W translates in 10kWh/day. Or, in current current prices, €9,- per day. Or €270,- per month. WTF indeed! The only thing between me and real problems is the 5 year energy contract I entered in May 2020. I am definitely going to hunt for power savings now, this is not future proof!

--- End quote ---

400W, ouch.

Mine has come down to about 97W now, ruined by the fish heater.  Any want a fish tank - sorry - humidity generator?
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