wireless amp meter

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Greg1707

Senior Member
Location
Alexandria, VA
Occupation
Business owner Electrical contractor
I have a customer having a problem with his heat pump. At random times the 70 amp circuit breaker trips. He says the breaker is warm when he tries to reset it. I have checked the amperage of the unit running on auxiliary heat and it only reads 41 amps.

It reads just one amp when the outdoor unit is running and just the blower is operating.

So, I am looking for ways to monitor this situation.

Is there a device that we can use to monitor the amps wirelessly on a computer or iPhone?
 
There may be a poor connection at the line or load side of the breaker or even within the breaker itself. Connections that produce excessive heat can result in tripping even at currents well below the rating of the breaker.
 
I have a TED (The Energey Detective) unit kicking around somewhere. I bought it to put on my main service but I ended up not using it as its pickup coils are too small to fit around the 400A service conductors and I ended up not needing it anyhow as the transfer switch monitors current enough for my needs.
 
HCAR rated breaker? Breaker and conductors sized sufficiently according to manufacturers recommendations? Try another breaker?
 
Heavy loads on plug in breakers tend to burn the buss, and gets worse over time, so I would pull the breaker and inspect the buss and the breaker itself. The heat from the bad connection can prematurely trip the breaker.
 
ptonsparky said:
Price seems reasonable enough. Is it wireless?
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No, it not wireless. You set it up with the included software on your lap top. Then it records data at the time intervals you select. Then you download the data to your laptop to review.

I first used it on a 2 hp submersible pump that was randomly tripping the breaker every few days. the homeowner had already replaced the complete control box two or three times. As I recall it would pull 18-15 amps in a normal pump cycle. The amps reduce as pressure increases. It draws 50 plus amps when it starts for about 1/2 to 1 second as the start relay in the control box is energized and then kicks out. The data logger showed the start relay was randomly sticking and tripping the breaker.

Called the area rep for Pentair pumps. “Oh yeah, we’ve been having problems with the start relay sticking. We’ve replaced all the relays in distributors stocks”. They reimbursed the homeowner for the control boxes that he had bought. And gave me some of the replacement relays in case I came across another bad one. As I remember the problem relay was made in Italy.
 
Greg1707 said:
I have a customer having a problem with his heat pump. At random times the 70 amp circuit breaker trips. He says the breaker is warm when he tries to reset it. I have checked the amperage of the unit running on auxiliary heat and it only reads 41 amps.

It reads just one amp when the outdoor unit is running and just the blower is operating.

So, I am looking for ways to monitor this situation.

Is there a device that we can use to monitor the amps wirelessly on a computer or iPhone?
Click to expand...
what dose warm mean. going by touch will not prove much. 90deg C = 194deg F as others have said bad connections or dirty contacts inside
 
Greg1707 said:
........
Is there a device that we can use to monitor the amps wirelessly on a computer or iPhone?
Click to expand...
There are many different devices available, not aware of any totally wireless, temporary installations usually consists of clamp on coils to a monitor that then connects outside the panel frame where you have a wifi sender that can send wirelessly to an android, iOS, mac or windows based device, via internet. Expect to spend from a few hundred to several thousand, depending on what level of monitoring and how many channels.
 
A few years ago I installed some wireless Israeli made CT’s that just snapped over the wire, and were self powered by the current flowing through the wire. It had a receiver that mounted outside the panel. Worked well if you were monitoring multiple branch circuits, but the draw back was if the circuit was low or no current, the ct would go dead and go into com loss. Real easy to install. Did two historic hotels in Philadelphia. Last I heard, it was too expensive to install.
 
Greentagger said:
HCAR rated breaker? Breaker and conductors sized sufficiently according to manufacturers recommendations? Try another breaker?
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All listed breakers manufactured since the early 90s are HCAR breakers weather they are marked as such or not. In the early 90s, the breaker standard, UL 489. was changed to require all listed breakers to pass the tests that were previously for the HCAR marking.
 
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