Clamp meter
 

I'm interested in getting a clamp meter - one of those multimeters that reads AC current and voltage without actually touching the circuit.

The purpose is to read actual current in a household circuit that is in 3/4" PVC conduit.

Why you ask? I have two appliances connected to my subpanel, and am interested in adding a third, so I want to see how much current they will draw in actual operation.

The existing appliances are 1) electric clothes dryer, Whirlpool Duet, 240 V and specifies 30 A circuit, 2) dishwasher, Hobart LX40H, 240 V and specifies 50 A circuit

The proposed third appliance is 3) my in-restoration Elektra espresso machine, 240 V and specifies 30 A circuit.

The main breaker supplying the subpanel is only 60 A. So I want to figure out how much current these appliances actually draw at various points in their operation, so I can know how many of thee appliances I'd actually be able to operate concurrently.

Anyone able to recommend such a clamp meter?

PM me. I have one I haven't used in years. I'll sell it cheap.

You have to isolate the actual wires and clamp around each leg.

I have several...

The easiest way for you to do this is to pull the sub-panel cover and put the clamp on meter on each hot leg of the 240VAC circuit. Or, since this is a sub-panel, you can do the circuit at the main panel for the sub-panel circuit.

The latest one I bought was this one, so that I could do recorded in-rush reading.

https://amazon.com/gp/product/B015QSAJTM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1


This one will do for your needs

https://amazon.com/MokenEye-Multimeter-Measures-Temperature-Resistance/dp/B07DNQJK5G?ref_=Oct_TopRatedC_5011680011_2&pf_rd_p =cc58a98c-6446-56aa-a23f-4611e24c2d92&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-6&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=5011680011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX 0DER&pf_rd_r=DGPFYGCJQA3QH606JEKK&pf_rd_r=DGPFYGCJ QA3QH606JEKK&pf_rd_p=cc58a98c-6446-56aa-a23f-4611e24c2d92

What is "in-rush"?

Is my idea stupid? Suppose I accidentally run too many appliances at once, thus trying to pull more than 60 A from the subpanel, I assume all that will happen is the main breaker will trip and my load of laundry won't get dried, load of dishes won't wash, etc. This sort of appliance doesn't normally get damaged from insufficient current/power cutoff, does it?

I wish my wife hadn't bought an electric dryer. We had a perfectly good gas Duet dryer but she just had to have a nice new one.

Yea, like Redbeard said, you can't just read the amps of the conduit. You have to read just the hot. If you read the hot and neutral both at the same time you will get no reading.

You will need to separate the three lines and read each line one at a time.

In-rush current is the higher current drawn when a device is first electrically energized. For example, a motor starts turning and draws additional current to overcome its no-motion state. Once the motor begins spinning, the current drawn decreases until the motor is spinning at its rated full speed (1750 rpm for example.)

Thanks.

my recent el-trick adventure

the a/c died yes it was over 80 here yesterday

so I find the meter and go see if I got volts

readings are ODD
120v each leg to ground/neutral
BUT between hot legs NOTHING ?

SO i GO BUG MY NEIGHBOR an a/c pro
he checks and gets the same 120 each to ground and
NOTHING between the hots at both units inside and out

fix was eazy
can you guess what it was ?

I would have said both legs were on the same buss but I don't think you moved anything. So, one leg became open and you were reading a backfeed.