[Azazel1024]

I’d double check that those unmonitored circuits really have almost no load on them. For example, one circuit I am monitoring it took me awhile to track down what was mysteriously using around 50w of power, even with everything unplugged. Then it hit me that my radon exhaust fans were on that circuit.

 

How is the heat pump setup? One circuit for both the air handler and the compressor (outdoor unit)? Most installs I see, the air handler is on its own, usually 240v, circuit and the compressor/outdoor unit is on its own dedicated 240v circuit. I’ve seen a few rare instances where compressor or air handler use split phase 120/240v three wire installs where you’d want to monitor both legs, but the vast majority have been single phase, 240v two wire installs and you only need to monitor one wire. If you are monitoring both legs of a 240v single phase. Do you have a white wire, likely re-colored with black or red tape on it, along with a black wire inserted into the dual pole breaker with no neutral going to the neutral bus bar? Or is there actually a red and black wire in the dual pole breaker and a white headed to the neutral bus bar for the wire headed to the appliance? If you are seeing an 8% imbalance, let alone a 17% on the water heater, there is something else going on. Water heaters are almost universally 240v only, so the legs should be in balance, not unbalanced. The current only has one path.

Two things to check, are the CTs facing the correct direction. It is labeled on each one. There is nothing else running through the CT or right next to it. For example, I noticed when I set one up, that the power was suspiciously high. Then I looked and one of the sensor wires from another CT was almost run in to the CT for another circuit. I moved the wire that was kind of just at the other CT and the measurement dropped. Other tinkering did nothing, but if I took the other sensor wire and stuck it right along the CT, it would cause the reading to jump a little (a few watts).

[Azazel1024]

I still haven’t figured out the floor of sensitivity for the regular circuit CTs, but mine don’t seem to start reading anything until the power jumps above maybe 5 watts on a circuit. It seems fairly accurate above that level, but if below, nada. For example, my heat pump water heater reads as 0, despite the fact it is obviously sitting there on, but not running the heat pump. Near as I can figure using another clamp meter and other’s feedback, I think it draws around 2-3w. Similar things like having a phone on a charger on my washing machine circuit it shows 0W, but pretty sure it is pulling around 3w. Having the washing machine on, but not running, shows 0W. Pretty sure its drawing at least a watt or two for its electronics. The zone valve controller for my heating system shows 0w when on if nothing else is on, on the circuit. The oil boiler draws about 8w on, but not running (and circulators off). With it on and the zone valve controller on, it draws about 13w. So pretty sure that the zone valve controller is actually drawing around 5w, but the initial sensitivity is too low to show up until there is slightly more load on the circuit.

I am wondering if that might be why Ralpphg, you might see a balance of 20-40w. Is circuits showing 0W, but actually there are some lights draws of a few watts that the sensors aren’t picking up till there gets to be more load. Combined with probably none of the sensors are 100% accurate, so a .1-.2% inaccuracy across various CTs can add up to show a slight imbalancee.

[Azazel1024]

Internet connection has generally not been an issue with the grid down. We are on fiber and the local node so far has only lost power once in 4 years. The house on the other hand has lost power long enough to run up the generator about half a dozen times. From about 15 or 20 minutes up to about 16hrs. Last house, same neighborhood, there for 7 years. Lost internet from power down only once and it fried the ONT box and no internet for a week. That was when power was down 2 days from an ice storm. Would usually lose power 1-2 times a year for 2-24hrs there.

lots of little outages from wind and what not where it flickers out for a second or three. Everything critical is on UPS.

now local data feed would be nice. But just seeing the generator output would be nice with the internet up, as past experience says 95%+ chance the internet will be up if I am on generator.

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