Measuring Power Consumption Of 230VAC circuit?

[npalen]

I have been using this one.

CrocSee AC 80-260V 100A CRS-022B LCD Display Digital Current Voltage Power Energy Frequency Power Factor Multimeter Ammeter Voltmeter with 100A Split Core Current Transformer

Just put it on one leg and double .

Looks like a better unit! I have a question on the wiring diagram, however: It shows one wire coming off the N or neutral as I take it so am wondering if it can be used for a U.S. 230VAC application. I see the specs showing its good for 80-260 volts but U.S. 230VAC doesn't use a neutral.

Edit: Also, when taking an amp reading off one leg of a a 230VAC circuit and then figuring wattage, would I need to double the result since each leg is only 120VAC?

 

[RalphVa]

P3 International P446 Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Usage Monitor - - Amazon.com

I've used this device for measuring kilowatts consumed on 120 VAC circuits and wondering how it could be used to measure the consumption in one leg of a 230 VAC circuit.

I had a one ton mini-split heat pump/AC installed recently for a sunroom addition to our home and would like to get an idea how much power it is using.

Wondering, first of all, if measuring the power used in one leg would give an accurate indication of total power if taken times two.

Then wondering how the kill-a-watt device (see above) could be temporarily wired at the breaker panel assuming it would be in series with one leg of the 230 VAC but not sure how it would simulate the neutral of a 120 VAC circuit.

Hope that makes sense and would like to hear your thoughts. I'm not an electrician but have done a lot of my own wiring over the years using advice from electricians.

You'll have to put in a plug across the return (usually white) across either the red or black line. Plug the Kill-a-watt into the 120v plug and just multiply by 2. Each wire is 120v. They phase together to get 240v.

Ralph

 

[chim]

Wear a flash suit and get it on video. It will beat out the kid getting stuck upside down on the playground swing and the grandpa whose pants fall down when he sneezes on Americas Funniest Home Videos.

 

[FastEddieR]

If you are going to run it anyway, just run it and monitor your usage via your power company. your power company probably offers you an app to monitor your usage, usually not a real-time monitor but hours to a day old info.

 

[Chewwy]

What would be the result of using this on 60Hz power since its rated for 50Hz? Would it simply run 20% "faster"?

Not familiar with this device. Theoretically, power or electrical energy measurement is NOT frequency dependent. But this device could be. 50 hz is the ac standard in outside The US and a few other counties. Reactive load and pf do vary with the frequency. Residential Watt- hour meters typically do not considering the pf.

 

[npalen]

If you are going to run it anyway, just run it and monitor your usage via your power company. your power company probably offers you an app to monitor your usage, usually not a real-time monitor but hours to a day old info.

Wouldn't that give you the consumption for the entire house rather than a particular circuit?

 

[CobyRupert]

Power is energy per unit time, not intantaneous.
One Watt = one joule PER SECOND.

If your measuring the power going into a heat pump/AC unit, you are talking about the instantaneous power, the amount of energy being consumed at that moment. The Power = amps x the volts.
Instantaneous power is the power you’ll measure with a watt (or current) meter. It will vary second by second with the load.
This is different than average power. If your power bill says you use 100 kw-hrs of energy over a 100hr period, your AVERAGE power was 1kw, even though the unit actually uses 2kw of instantaneous power, but only ran 50% of the time. Capisce?

 

[CobyRupert]

If you know the power the unit consumes (look at specs, measure amps, etc..), and then wired an old fashion clock or counter to turn on and off with the unit, you would know the amount of energy (kw-hrs) it has used over that time period.

 

[npalen]

Wear a flash suit and get it on video. It will beat out the kid getting stuck upside down on the playground swing and the grandpa whose pants fall down when he sneezes on Americas Funniest Home Videos.

Are you saying that RalphVA's suggestion won't work or are you just trying to be funny?
I think it will work.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Lots of really inexpensive panel meters on E-Bay from China. A host of models that will tell you all kinds of stuff, power factor, KW, KWH, Amps, Volts, Cost.