Dehydrator raise electric bill??

[DST_DIVA33]

Hello All!

So I received a dehydrator for christmas. Today is the first time using it.
I am making Kale Chips which takes about 10hours in the dehydrator.
I told my mother who I live with that it takes 10 hours. (I am a college student). She then started overeact about how high her electricity bill would be. Has anyone noticed a significant change in their electricity bill or is she just overeacting?

[ReneeH]

I haven't noticed that...but I don't have a huge Excalibar, either...

It seems to me that mine pulls about as much electricity as a fan does... Does she keep a fan on all night? You could also check your manuel and see how many watts it pulls and compare it to an appliance that she may keep on, like a refrigerator maybe...

[HolyGuacamole]

I have a 9 tray Excalibur that runs a LOT, and no, it hasn't affected my bill.
It uses a heckuva lot less electricity than an oven, dontchaknow. ;)

[snoops]

If you leave kale chips in for 10 hours they will be dust. I do mine 2-3 hours.

[DST_DIVA33]

You think the kale chips will be dust after 10 hours?? The recipe said 8 to 10 hours. maybe I should check them.


Thanks for the replies

[MelissaO]

Here is something I found on the on the web when I was looking into one:

4 cents to 5 cents an hour to run your dehydrator :D

http://www.excaliburdehydrator.com/faq.htm

[Coolexplosion]

You think the kale chips will be dust after 10 hours?? The recipe said 8 to 10 hours. maybe I should check them.


Thanks for the replies

Well, with any dehydrator, continually check your food if you haven't used it before. I have found that a lot of recipes overestimate the amount of time it takes to dehydrate something.

[HolyGuacamole]

If you leave kale chips in for 10 hours they will be dust. I do mine 2-3 hours.

Weird, not mine. I don't do anything at higher than 105, but still, that's quite a difference. I leave kale chips in overnight all the time. *shrug*

[snoops]

That is weird. I left mine for 4 hours mistakenly last time and they just disintegrated when I picked them up. I do it at 105 degrees.

[Coolexplosion]

Are there different dehydrators being used here?

[trinity082482]

I have an American harvest and I didnt notice any change in the bills. :o

[snoops]

Are there different dehydrators being used here?

Mines an Excalibur 9 tray.

[adelai]

I have a GoodForU dehydrator and I used one of those fancy things you plug into the wall and then plug your appliance into and it will tell you how much electricity it uses, my GoodForU going at 110 degrees used 1.5 cents per hour, so give your mom 15 cents for those 10 hours =)

In terms of dehydrating times, the GoodForU definitely runs 5-20 degrees below the temp you set it at, I put another fancy gadget, a multimeter if you know what they are, which works as a quite accurate thermometer, and the true temperature never got up to what I set the temp at, and most of the time was 10 degrees below, although it would range a bit from there as the heating element turned on and off. So I found I often had to leave things in longer than recipes called for, until I realized this fact and started setting the temp for 5 degrees higher than what the recipe called for.

[MelissaO]

I have a GoodForU dehydrator and I used one of those fancy things you plug into the wall and then plug your appliance into and it will tell you how much electricity it uses, my GoodForU going at 110 degrees used 1.5 cents per hour, so give your mom 15 cents for those 10 hours =)

In terms of dehydrating times, the GoodForU definitely runs 5-20 degrees below the temp you set it at, I put another fancy gadget, a multimeter if you know what they are, which works as a quite accurate thermometer, and the true temperature never got up to what I set the temp at, and most of the time was 10 degrees below, although it would range a bit from there as the heating element turned on and off. So I found I often had to leave things in longer than recipes called for, until I realized this fact and started setting the temp for 5 degrees higher than what the recipe called for.

I have a good4u as well and noticed that mine also is 12 degrees lower than my what I set it at. That is cool though that it take less energy to run. I made some sweet potato chips - recipe said 4 to 5 years - it took 7:eek: I even cut them pretty thin. I am glad to hear it is not just my unit.

[RawKnitster]

I should know in about a month. I plugged in my new 9 tray Excalibur on January 1. It's in the basement which has it's own power meter. The bill is $15.00 to $17.00 year-round. Increased usage in the next billing cycle can only be attributed to the D. I'll report back.

[HolyGuacamole]

recipe said 4 to 5 years - it took 7:eek:

Tee hee, that made me giggle. :D
It certainly feels like years sometimes!

[oceanluv]

I have a good4u as well and noticed that mine also is 12 degrees lower than my what I set it at. That is cool though that it take less energy to run. I made some sweet potato chips - recipe said 4 to 5 years - it took 7:eek: I even cut them pretty thin. I am glad to hear it is not just my unit.

did you mean hours?? :confused:

[RawFoodGuy]

Your actual electrical cost will depend on your local utility company, and how much they charge per kW/hour. Good4U dehydrators use 600 or 500 watts for the 10 and 6 tray models. With typical utility prices the 10 tray works out to be about 3 cents and hour to operate. Of course this will vary depending on what you dehydrate and where you live.

I just got the new improved Goo4UU dehydrators in - now with a 40-hour digital timer! This should give you more control so you don't have to just leave it on - and save even more on electricity!

You can use my coupon (FD10T-20) for $20 OFF the 10-tray model. They include 2 nonstick sheets but I give you 50% off additional sheets if you want them. Also, for RawFoodTalk members only, you can order a pack of 4 or 8 nonstick sheets at at price without having to buy a new dehydrator:

Check the new models out at http://www.rawfoodlife.com/good4u10.html

To buy 8 nonstick sheets at half off, go here:
http://secure.ultracart.com/cgi-bin/...=RAW&ADD=TEFL8

To buy 4 nonstick sheets at half off, click here:
http://secure.ultracart.com/cgi-bin/...=RAW&ADD=TEFL4

[cbritton]

I run my 6-tray Good4U constantly and I have barely noticed a change in my electric bill. Plus, I figure I'm not running the microwave, the oven, or any other real cooking elements, so it all evens out.

As far as kale chips, I always leave mine overnight. I like them when they are super crispy.