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nyle kiln operational costs L200 in zero degree weather

Started by Kelvin, January 15, 2009, 04:02:07 AM

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Kelvin

Howdy all,

Well i'm trying to figure what part of my electric bill is from my kiln.  Nyle doesn't have a very good cost break down on their website but does have the specs on the motors.  Has anyone figured this?  Probably, but lets see if i have this right.  My L200 has a 2hp compressor which is 2 kilowatts an hour to run, one internal 1/4hp motor, and two 1/4 hp circulating fans that are .3 kw/hr to run and a 4kw/hr electric heater.  My heater is running 24 hrs to keep up with this 0 degree weather and i was wondering my daily operating costs.
So electric is $.07 kwh here in michigan so the heater is $.28 hr and the 1/4 hp motors are $.06 an hr to run and the 2hp compressor is $.14 hr. 

so daily cost with heater on 24hrs and compressor at 100% would be....  $11.52 per day 

Compressor at 50% would make it... $9.84 per day

and if the heater were on 50% and the compressor were on 50% it would cost... $6.48 per day 

I guess if you are drying quarter sawn white oak from green in the winter my costs are going to be up there at 4 weeks or so.  Man, i've got to get my compressor recharged as i don't think i can pull off as much water as i should per day.  I'm having to run my kiln up to 160 with compressor off  for 3 days or so, to drive off the last of the mositure on my quartersawn white oak.  This seems to be the only thing i need to do this with, but its adding cost.

This 0 degree weather is really upping the cost w/ electric heat.  Can't wait till i have some hot water heat to keep the kiln warm with waste wood slabs.  Wish i built the kiln into my shop so i could capture the heat coming off and help warm the shop with it.  Maybe put the kiln under the shop?

Well if anyone has some help with my math, maybe i'm off but i've always wondering how much my kiln running cost me.  I had no idea.

KP

Larry

Buy a watt hour meter off eBay...you will impress the IRS come tax time. ;)  Without a meter estimate extremly high and pray. :-X
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

OneWithWood

I think your figures are fairly accurate.  When I ran only the kiln and nothing else for a period of time I came up with an estimate of $10 per day to dry maple from green to 8%.  It took 28 days and I could only manage a 2.5% drop in moisture from day to day.  I am running a WM4000 (Nyle 200 with a Honeywell controller).

The last charge was a mixed load of air dryed lumber.  The lumber averaged about 17% when it went in.  I dried it for 7 days, averaging about a 1.4% drop per day.

I use sample boards and weigh the samples every day to calculate the AMC.  My delmhorst R-2000 usually reads a few tenths of a point different.

Larry, wouldn't you keed to hook that meter up at the panel to get the total usage?
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

Larry

Quote from: OneWithWood on January 15, 2009, 01:15:43 PM
Larry, wouldn't you keed to hook that meter up at the panel to get the total usage?

Yes, you would.  It's just an accurate and easy way to keep track of power used in your business.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

oakiemac

My kilns and shop are on their own meter from the power company. It makes figuring this stuff out easy. To run my Nyle 200 cost about $125-150 per month per kiln. A lot of it has to do with how well you chamber is insulated. I have one chamber that is extemely well insulated and the heaters hardly ever come on, but the other one was setup for a temperory operation (3 years ago ::)) so I didnt sink as much cash into it as I should have.
$10/day seems awful high for one kiln. That is what I pay for two. Maybe it is the difference in electric rates.
Mobile Demension sawmill, Bobcat 873 loader, 3 dry kilns and a long "to do" list.

Kelvin

The high cost is just cause the heater is on so much in this zero degree weather.  I think that during the summer my heater never comes on and the waste heat from the compressor is enough i have to leave the vents open, so i'd say that in the summer its $3-$5 a day or less depending on your compressor schedule.  So depends on the weather.  I'm going to dry more in the summer from now on.  Man, never thought i'd pay $300 to dry a load of oak from green.  I'll have to change my fee schedule to include a winter premium.
Its a really super kiln.  i just finished my load of white oak, quarter sawn.  Only 2 days of 160 w/ compressor off, to drive out the final few percent moisture.  Seems to need that.
KP

Dan_Shade

I wouldn't do a winter/summer premium, I would do a rate increase year round to compensate for the additional winter costs...

if you publish two rates, folks will just wait until summer to have you dry wood.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

bck

The other night when it got so cold I was looking through some old papers I have and came across the little booklet nyle sent . There sales booklet says it cost 3.2c per board foot to dry oak with a L200.   :)

DR_Buck

Quote from: Dan_Shade on January 17, 2009, 10:19:06 AM
I wouldn't do a winter/summer premium, I would do a rate increase year round to compensate for the additional winter costs...

if you publish two rates, folks will just wait until summer to have you dry wood.


I agree.   I went to 60ยข a bd foot to kiln dry last year.   Running the kiln drives my electric up between $100 and $150 per month depending on the drying time needed.   That puts me at about $6 a day.     I pays well when the kiln has a full load (1800 bd ft).  ;D
Been there, done that.   Never got caught [/b]
Retired and not doing much anymore and still not getting caught

oakiemac

Around me I have several large kilns that will custom dry wood for around 10-15cents/bf. So depending on whom I'm dealing with I have to charge less. So the big full time sawmill down the road I charge him 22cents but he brings loads of 2-5Mbf at a time. Joe average guy gets charged around 35-40cents depending on species and mc when it goes into kiln. I try to charge by total kiln time instead of a flat rate but at the same time I dont want it too complicated.
Mobile Demension sawmill, Bobcat 873 loader, 3 dry kilns and a long "to do" list.

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