Installation with two wires per phase for mains?

[razzfazz]

I have a combined meter/panel, and the mains are routed from the meter to the panel as two pairs of wires (i.e., two per phase), as in the following diagram:

How would I install Vue in that scenario? My thinking was that since the two wires per phase feed into the same bus bar, they should each be carrying exactly half of the current, so it seems like one option might be to put a 200A sensor around one of the wires for each phase (say, wires 1 and 4 in the diagram above), and then configure a 2x multiplier for the mains in the app. Is that supported, or can multipliers only be configured for the circuit sensors?

• This topic was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by razzfazz.

[Emporia Support]

Hello,

Short answer is, yes, you can add a multiplier to the mains.

Generally, the 4-pole breakers are balanced (not saying that the two phases will be balanced, but the two poles on one phase will be balanced).  So if you can grab one pole of each phase, you could set a multiplier of 2 on the mains and grab your mains usage this way

You may need to consider either the flexible current sensors or the spring clamp current sensors to grab one of the wires, just FYI.

 

[OneMan]

@ razzfazz, you didn’t say that the 200a sensor you have couldn’t be placed over both wires of a phase, but if it can, that is the most straightforward solution.  It will accurately report the current flowing through both wires, so the multiplier would be 1.

And as Adam confirmed, the multiplier of 2 and the sensor on only one wire of each phase should also be as good as gold.  The common condition of the current in one wire not equaling the current in the other wire of equal size and condition is a bad connection which is a dangerous thing that creates excess heat and equipment failure at a minimum.

[razzfazz]

Unfortunately, if you look at the diagram in my original post, you’ll see that the wires alternate between the phases (i.e., A-B-A-B); tho given the size and spacing, I don’t think two of them would have fit through a 200A sensors anyway. In fact, the included 200A sensors are just a tad too wide to fit around even a single mains wire. Spring clamp ones are in the mail; hopefully those will do the trick.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by razzfazz.

[tomk]

Did you succeed with the spring clamps? I am in the same situation, might even have the same panel as you and I am wondering what it takes to get Emporia Vue to work in this setup.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by tomk.

[razzfazz]

Yes, I was able to attach the spring clamps to one wire from each phase, and with the 2x multiplier on the mains, I’ve been getting sensible numbers.

[Author]

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