Brultech ECM-1240 question

[RAM]

I have a Brultech ECM-1240 and noticed that when my either of the refrigerator circuits I'm monitoring turns on or off, my whole house power only changes by half that amount. If my one fridge uses about 300 watts, when it turns on or off, the whole house power only changes by about 150 watts. Any ideas what might be happening? FYI, chart is from tenWare software.
The Plot Thickens:
After checking the polarity on my CT's (which appear to be correct.) I tried turning on another circuit to test further. I turned on the heating cables under the floor tile in my hot tub room. Both that circuit and my whole house power when up by 410 watts.
Why would the whole house power follow that change correctly while not following correctly when either of my two refrigerators turn on or off?

 

[sic0048]

I don't have a Brultech, so I'm giving a reasonable guess here, but are you sure that the refrigerator circuit is being monitored correctly? Perhaps something is amiss there and it is showing double the amount of energy actually being used. In other words, I suspect the refrigerator is only drawing 150watts, but that circuit is showing 300 because something is set wrong (or wired wrong). It sounds like the whole house monitoring is correct.

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Is there a way to read the numbers directly from hyperterminal or something like that (take the graphing software out of the picture during troubleshooting)?

Is there any "auto-scale" option in the graphing software?

 

[RAM]

I don't have a Brultech, so I'm giving a reasonable guess here, but are you sure that the refrigerator circuit is being monitored correctly? Perhaps something is amiss there and it is showing double the amount of energy actually being used. In other words, I suspect the refrigerator is only drawing 150watts, but that circuit is showing 300 because something is set wrong (or wired wrong). It sounds like the whole house monitoring is correct.

I tried plugging in a 100 watt bulb in the same outlet as the fridge and the graph showed a 100 watt increase on that circuit, so it looks like that circuit is being measured correctly.

 

[RAM]

Is there a way to read the numbers directly from hyperterminal or something like that (take the graphing software out of the picture during troubleshooting)?

Is there any "auto-scale" option in the graphing software?

Viewing the 'raw' data using tenEcmServer shows the numbers matching the graph exactly.

 

[tenholde]

Is there a way to read the numbers directly from hyperterminal or something like that (take the graphing software out of the picture during troubleshooting)?

Is there any "auto-scale" option in the graphing software?

Viewing the 'raw' data using tenEcmServer shows the numbers matching the graph exactly.

Which ECM input is the 'Whole House' line measuring, and how exactly are the CTs attached to your breaker box and to your ECM?

tenholde

 

[rbroders]

Well, since we are all guessing, here's my suggestion:

The refrigerator is an inductive load and so it is slightly out of phase with the incoming power. This doesn't bother the two main channels of your ECM-1240 because they compensate properly (NET METERING). However, the AUX channels aren't as smart, and may be reading incorrectly.

I look forward to discovering the correct answer.

--Bob

 

[JWHardesty]

The fridge is a 120v curcuit and the heater, I assume, is a 240v load. Is this correct?

 

[tenholde]

The fridge is a 120v curcuit and the heater, I assume, is a 240v load. Is this correct?

It appears that the circuit with the refrigerator is measuring correctly. It may be the Whole House that is measuring incorrectly.

If you turn a 100 watt light on/off on 3 or 4 different circuits around the house, does the Whole House measurement track this properly?

tenholde

 

[signal15]

Do you have the input for the fridge circuit set up correctly? You need to set the Type and Range on each channel. Mine was not setup correctly for what I was doing with it when I got it and had to make a couple of changes. Paul at Brultech should be able to tell you what those settings need to be.

 

[tenholde]

Do you have the input for the fridge circuit set up correctly? You need to set the Type and Range on each channel. Mine was not setup correctly for what I was doing with it when I got it and had to make a couple of changes. Paul at Brultech should be able to tell you what those settings need to be.

I believe that he placed a 100 watt bulb on the refrigerator circuit and the chart went up 100 for that circuit. I think it is the CTs on the main that are probably not configured properly.

tenholde

 

[RAM]

The fridge is a 120v curcuit and the heater, I assume, is a 240v load. Is this correct?

Nope, both are 120v.

 

[RAM]

Do you have the input for the fridge circuit set up correctly? You need to set the Type and Range on each channel. Mine was not setup correctly for what I was doing with it when I got it and had to make a couple of changes. Paul at Brultech should be able to tell you what those settings need to be.

I believe that he placed a 100 watt bulb on the refrigerator circuit and the chart went up 100 for that circuit. I think it is the CTs on the main that are probably not configured properly.

tenholde

Yes, I did try this test. The local circuit reflected the 100 watt load properly, the whole house one did not.

 

[RAM]

Just to verify the wiring of the CT's:
- the 2 main ones - split CT200s are 'pointing' in opposite directions.
- the black w/white stripe wire from one of the split CT200s is connected to the 'COM' terminal on 'CH1 CT'
- the black wire from the other split CT200 is connected to the 'DUAL' terminal on 'CH1 CT'
- the remaining black and black w/white stripe wire from these 2 CT200s are twisted together and capped.
This is exactly how they should be according to the Brultech website (http://www.brultech.com/files/ECM-1240 Instructions.pdf)

 

[RAM]

SOLVED

Two things conspired to confuse me.

First, I apparently hadn't checked all the tabs on the Brultech setup program. I didn't have it configured as having Dual 200 amp CT's. Doing that doubled my total wattage use (bummer) but now the 'Whole House Power' reflects changes on the fridge circuits I had been confused about.

Second, as to the Hot Tub floor heating cables circuit (erroneously) reporting as matching the whole house power when it was turned on/off, that was a fluke also. I remembered recently getting a letter from Brultech with new resistors for use when using AUX5 channel with a micro CT. That's the input I have the Hot Tub Floor Heating cables on. Apparently the ones I originally got were the wrong ones. (just my luck, the letter said only 5 or 6 orders got the wrong ones, Murphy strikes again.) Swapping in the new resistors made the wattage on that circuit double (another bummer), but it now matches the whole house power change when that circuit turns on/off.

Thanks to all of you for the suggestions for tracking this down!!!