# Swim 16 Power Consumption



## MrDad0330 (Jun 16, 2007)

I have a D connected home with a HR44-700 Genie, two clients and a HR22-100. This is all networked by a Swim16. I notice the Swim16 operates warm, not hot but I guess maybe 120 degrees or so. That being the case, I was wondering what kind of current draw or watts does it consume?

Of course everyone is trying to conserve power these days and I was wondering if there would be a benefit to powering the Swim16 off over night with a timer. I do know that I could not be getting signal to my D units but if I have no plans to record over the night time hours, would the wattage consumption saved add up to much, and....would I be creating an equipment problem with the Swim powered off at night?

I have included a picture of the board I just constructed with my D equipment on it. I did this a few weeks ago and it looks a lot better now than the disorganized set up my D installers put together over the years.


----------



## MrDad0330 (Jun 16, 2007)

Brtw, I did clean up the cables out from the splitter, the fun straight up in an organized manner then to the respective rooms in my home..


----------



## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

I think that would be a mistake.
1. Turning electrical things on and off does them more harm than just leaving them on all the time. Connections expand and contract with the added heat and then loss of heat and eventually cause connection and solder joint problems.
2. The receivers are constantly getting data from the satellites to keep the Guide, messages, etc. up to date.


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

MrDad0330 said:


> I have a D connected home with a HR44-700 Genie, two clients and a HR22-100.


you should then consider using a SWM LNB instead of the SWM16 since you have 7 tuners. SWM16 are notorious for running very warm, sometimes even hot to the touch.

You really dont want to unplug the SWM switch as this would create all sort of issues starting with guide data....


----------



## MrDad0330 (Jun 16, 2007)

A SWM LNB would mount on my dish, correct? Would I then only bring one line in from the dish? With that said, would that ling then just connect to the spitter?


----------



## MrDad0330 (Jun 16, 2007)

_And what if I wanted to add on later, say to another bedroom or two..just thinking ahead and that may never happen_


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

MrDad0330 said:


> A SWM LNB would mount on my dish, correct? Would I then only bring one line in from the dish? With that said, would that ling then just connect to the spitter?


Yes, you will change your current legacy LNB with a SWM LNB. once cable down to PI then to splitter, or splitter then to PI, your choice


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

MrDad0330 said:


> _And what if I wanted to add on later, say to another bedroom or two..just thinking ahead and that may never happen_


Well, that is something you need to consider. then way you have it set up right now you can expand easily, so is either leave for expansion or conserve some juice but you can't have it both ways


----------



## MrDad0330 (Jun 16, 2007)

Peds.
thanks.. now I just will have to find which of the four cable runs IS the one to carry the signal...lol. Where can I get the SWM LNB?


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

MrDad0330 said:


> Peds.
> thanks.. now I just will have to find which of the four cable runs IS the one to carry the signal...lol. Where can I get the SWM LNB?


all are carrying signal from the LNB, you just need to pick one and use that one or the new SWM LNB. eBay, SolidSignal are good sources for DirecTV related stuff


----------



## carl6 (Nov 16, 2005)

I just looked at the power inserter for an SWM16. The label rates it at 100-120VAC, 1.1 Amp input, 29V, 40.6 Watt output (max). Ohms law translates the output to 1.4 amps max.

I have not measured the power draw, but would assume the actual would be slightly less than the rated. If the 1.1A ac input current is correct, that's about the same as running a 100 watt light bulb continuously.

The SWM LNB (PI21) definitely draws less power than an SWM16. It's input is specified as 100-120VAC, 0.6 amp. So it's about half the power draw as the SWM16 using the PI29.

So if you are looking to save power, going to the SWM LNB and the 21 volt PI will absolutely reduce your power draw.

I agree with what others have noted, you do not want to power your system down on a routine basis.


----------



## MrDad0330 (Jun 16, 2007)

That's very helpful, thank you Carl and Peds. I am assuming the PI I have now must be changed out as it says on it that it is only for the SWM16. So I would need the SWM-LNB and the PI29. I can do all of this but if there is dish "repointing" then I will be in trouble. 

Went into Amazon since I am a Prime member, they show the SWM-LNB at $19.99 and a PI29 at $9.99
In the meantime, I will not power off my system overnight per your advice. Thanks again


----------



## MrDad0330 (Jun 16, 2007)

Carl6, a 100 watt light bulb running 24 hrs every day would cost me about $9 per month or 10% of my total monthly bill ! 10% of my total electrical consumption for a multi-switch is higher than I would have ever thought. Thanks for your "number crunching"


----------



## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

MrDad0330 said:


> Carl6, *a 100 watt light bulb running 24 hrs every day would cost me about $9 per month or 10% of my total monthly bill ! * 10% of my total electrical consumption for a multi-switch is higher than I would have ever thought. Thanks for your "number crunching"


I find your numbers for the cost of the light bulb hard to believe. My lowest bills of the year are in the fall and spring when it is not cold or hot enough to have those 2 items running much. My lowest bill is about $120 for that.
During that time I have the following running around the clock:
3 DirecTV receivers, the PI, 3 UPS units, 5 computers, a modem, a wireless router, 4 60 13 watt light bulbs in various parts of the house, one 120 watt halogen light bulb and of course a refrigerator. At night I have 2 sets of lights in addition to the listed that are both 120 watt set ups that run from dusk til dawn. During the day 2 of the TV set ups are running for approximately 16 hours of the day. Once a week the Washer and Dryer ( gas dryer with electric drum motor and fan). Every day the electric garage door opener is used about 4 times.

A DVR uses about 35 watts whether it is turned on or off.

You would probably find a "Kill A Watt" very useful. It can show the exact wattage / amps / volts, etc. and if you punch in the current rate you pay for electricity it can show how much an item is costing you to run it.

*Edit / Add: I* have been looking around on the web and found a calculator. It works really easy. Has several items above it that you can choose and it will plug in the usual wattage used by the item and you can just type in your own numbers.
From this calculator it appears that the cost is quite high like you posted for a 100 watt light bulb.
Link: http://www.electricity-usage.com/Electricity-Usage-Calculator.aspx?Device=100 Watt Incandescent Light Bulb&Watts=100


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

MrDad0330 said:


> That's very helpful, thank you Carl and Peds. I am assuming the PI I have now must be changed out as it says on it that it is only for the SWM16. So I would need the SWM-LNB and the PI29. I can do all of this but if there is dish "repointing" then I will be in trouble.
> 
> Went into Amazon since I am a Prime member, they show the SWM-LNB at $19.99 and a PI29 at $9.99
> In the meantime, I will not power off my system overnight per your advice. Thanks again


you can use the PI29 with a SWM LNB but not sure how that will translate to power savings...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## carl6 (Nov 16, 2005)

MrDad0330 said:


> Carl6, a 100 watt light bulb running 24 hrs every day would cost me about $9 per month or 10% of my total monthly bill ! 10% of my total electrical consumption for a multi-switch is higher than I would have ever thought. Thanks for your "number crunching"


Some time ago I measured the power draw for a lot of things, and figured out my monthly cost based on that. A 25 watt light bulb running continuously would cost me about $1.49 a month. That would suggest a 100 watt bulb would cost me $6 a month. But my monthly bill is considerably higher than yours, so as a percentage it is much smaller. I figure a 25 watt bulb would total about 17.8 KWh per month, so a 100 watt draw should total around 71 KWh per month.


----------



## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

Since the SWM16 gets it's power from the PI29 doesn't it set the amount of electricity usage / cost to operate the SWM16 ?
I do not have either so I can not tell or find what the wattage rating is for the PI29.
Does someone know what the wattage is on the PI29 ?
Thanks


----------



## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

jimmie57 said:


> ].
> Does someone know what the wattage is on the PI29 ?
> Thanks


21v is 25.2 watts
29V is 40.6 Watts


----------



## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

damondlt said:


> 21v is 25.2 watts
> 29V is 40.6 Watts


Thanks, based on this info the cost, using $0.15 per Kwh to run the SWM16 for one month is $4.09.
Copied Calculator results.

Device Name: Wattage of Device: Kilowatt Hour Cost: Hours of use per day:

Cost Per Day: $0.146160
Cost Per Week: $1.023
Cost Per Month: $4.09

Using the SWM LNB and a PI21 would cost $ 2.54 per month by the online calculator.


----------



## Beerstalker (Feb 9, 2009)

So it will take almost 2 years to recoup the cost of switching the LNB and PI. Doesn't seem worth it to me. Seems like I could find a lot of other ways to save $1.50 a month.


----------



## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

damondlt said:


> 21v is 25.2 watts
> 29V is 40.6 Watts


The output wattage is not the key measure here. The important number is the input wattage.

The total consumption is the sum of the heat given off by the SWiM switchgear plus the heat given off by the PI itself as part of the conversion to 29VDC.

You must measure the wattage (the amperage multiplied by the voltage) going in and use that number to multiply by your electricity rate. CONUS residential electricity rates vary from 8.75 CENTS/Kwh (Washington state) to 19.87 CENTS/Kwh (Connecticut). The average rate across all of the US (including AK and HI) is 12.31 CENTS/Kwh.


----------



## MrDad0330 (Jun 16, 2007)

Well then a SWM 16 is NOT using 100 watts.. For the record, here is the electrical cost of operating a 100 watt device based on my kwh rate of 0125

100 watts x720 hrs(month)= 72,000 watts or 72kwh (your correct Carl) x .125 (my rate)= $9 That's the cold hard facts.. "IF" the SWM16 consumes 100 watts per hour, that's what it cost me in my monthly electric bill each month. A new SWM-LB + Pl29 will cost me $30 so my payback would be 3.3 months... !!! I sell lighting for a living, save customers a ton on LED upgrades and its not difficult to calculate usage of Kwh and hours to come up with costs.. Thanks for the formula though, I would like to try it out. 
My Kwh rate is with Met Ed here in Central Pa and after all charges and taxes are loaded in, I am paying 12.5 cents per Kwh.


----------



## MrDad0330 (Jun 16, 2007)

I guess what I was really looking for was the actual watts that the SWM16 consumed and go from there. It just seems to run very warm and that means its generating heat and using watts to generate heat and not only powering my SWM-3 dish but the system I suppose. I don't know what the PI is using, it doesn't have a part # on it.. It just states for use ONLY with a SWM16.


----------



## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

MrDad0330 said:


> I guess what I was really looking for was the actual watts that the SWM16 consumed and go from there. It just seems to run very warm and that means its generating heat and using watts to generate heat and not only powering my SWM-3 dish but the system I suppose. I don't know what the PI is using, it doesn't have a part # on it.. It just states for use ONLY with a SWM16.


I have a PI21 volt and a Kill A Watt. Tomorrow morning I will unplug it and hook the 2 together and get the actual wattage that it uses and maybe that will relate to the PI29 based on an earlier post that specified the volts / watts output. We can do a relative math equation to estimate it's actual consumption.


----------



## dennisj00 (Sep 27, 2007)

For what it's worth, I wouldn't spend the money to change the LNB and PI of a working system. You could bump the dish and screw the whole thing up in the name of saving energy. Unless you've peaked your dish before.

I'd buy 2 or 3 LED 60 / 100 watt equivalents and save money there for many more years.


----------



## MrDad0330 (Jun 16, 2007)

LOL, I only have LED lamps in my home.. Ive changed out many an LNB on a dish before. But....with the new dish's, I would have real issues re-pointing. I installed my first D dish back in 1995. Bought it from Sears and back then, I got two bills, one from D and one from USSB. Awe the good ole days.. lol...


----------



## MrDad0330 (Jun 16, 2007)

thanks jimmie... it will be interesting to hear your findings..


----------



## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

MrDad0330 said:


> thanks jimmie... it will be interesting to hear your findings..


Here is a couple of pictures I took with my Ipad. The PI21 is next to the Kill A Watt in one pic and the other is closer with a flashlight on it so it is easier to read. It shows 8.8 watts.

View attachment 25083


----------



## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

MrDad0330 said:


> I guess what I was really looking for was the actual watts that the SWM16 consumed and go from there.


You cannot ignore the efficiency of the PI. It may be possible to replace the PI with a more efficient device but it wouldn't be cheap.


----------



## slice1900 (Feb 14, 2013)

I've measured them, they draw 24 watts including the power for the legacy LNB. That's barely half a killowatt hour per day. If you want to save electricity, turning your AC up one degree would save more in a month than the SWM16 draws in a whole year.


----------



## Stevies3 (Jul 22, 2004)

I purposely went RVU on 3 sets for this very reason. 


Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk


----------



## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Stevies3 said:


> I purposely went RVU on 3 sets for this very reason.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk


What reason? SWM16 PI? I dont think there is enough difference in running a SWM16 or a SWM LNB,


----------



## Stevies3 (Jul 22, 2004)

peds48 said:


> What reason? SWM16 PI? I dont think there is enough difference in running a SWM16 or a SWM LNB,


No, I didn't want to power 3 x STB 24/7. I think an HR24 is rated appx 35watts. Netting me a savings of about 105 watts

Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk


----------



## dennisj00 (Sep 27, 2007)

Stevies3 said:


> No, I didn't want to power 3 x STB 24/7. I think an HR24 is rated appx 35watts. Netting me a savings of about 105 watts
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk


With the Cxx clients you may have saved 20 watts each - 60 total.

Edit: Correction, just measured 7 watts each!! 21 total.


----------



## Stevies3 (Jul 22, 2004)

dennisj00 said:


> With the Cxx clients you may have saved 20 watts each - 60 total.
> 
> Edit: Correction, just measured 7 watts each!! 21 total.


 You are correct, however moving to a Genie enabled me to terminate my HR24's. Something one can't do without a Genie. RVU was a big selling point to me. I previously had Whole Home with my HR24's so not much else was gained with a Genie in my case. Plus the less clutter is an added bonus.

Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk


----------

