GEM Configuration Questions

[OzTechGeek]

I have been looking for someway to monitor my entire home energy usage and recently purchased another solution, which only monitors total incoming usage not individual circuits, while I was waiting for it to arrive I was doing some googling on energy management hardware and software and came across Brultech, after reading through the product details of the GreenEye, I was like "oh crap, I should of got this instead", hence why I'm here now

So my home has 2 x 200A panels, I think I know what I need but just need some confirmation and have some additional questions.

Electrical Panel.jpg (178.4 KiB) Viewed 3992 times

As I understand it based on my current panel configuration, if I want to monitor all circuits I require the following CT's:

4 x SPLIT-200 (2 per panel)
53 x Micro-40 (4 extra for the 240V + Neutral breakers)
6 x Micro-50 (3 extra for the 240V + Neutral breakers)
4 x Micro-80

So here are my questions:

1. Are my numbers above for count of CT's and types of CT's required correct?

2. Since I'm monitoring 2 separate panels can 4 x SPLIT-200 be connected to the same channel (CH1) or must each panel be on a separate channel (CH1 and CH2)?

3. Since the GEM only has 32 channels and I have a total of 67 connections, I obviously can't have each circuit on a separate channel, but I can combine multiple CT's on a single channel, my question is when you combine CT's on a single channel, is the data that is gathered/displayed just a total of all the circuits connected to the channel or can the data be separated? So if I connect a breaker from 2 different bedrooms can I tell which breaker the data is coming from?

4. I saw another forum post here, where someone said using Micro-50's is more a curate than using Micro-40's. Is this correct, would I be better off going with Micro-50's instead? I want the most accurate system data possible.

Thoughts/suggestions please?

[Teken]

I have been looking for someway to monitor my entire home energy usage and recently purchased another solution, which only monitors total incoming usage not individual circuits, while I was waiting for it to arrive I was doing some googling on energy management hardware and software and came across Brultech, after reading through the product details of the GreenEye, I was like "oh crap, I should of got this instead", hence why I'm here now

So my home has 2 x 200A panels, I think I know what I need but just need some confirmation and have some additional questions.

Electrical Panel.jpg

As I understand it based on my current panel configuration, if I want to monitor all circuits I require the following CT's:

4 x SPLIT-200 (2 per panel)
53 x Micro-40 (4 extra for the 240V + Neutral breakers)
6 x Micro-50 (3 extra for the 240V + Neutral breakers)
4 x Micro-80

So here are my questions:

1. Are my numbers above for count of CT's and types of CT's required correct?

2. Since I'm monitoring 2 separate panels can 4 x SPLIT-200 be connected to the same channel (CH1) or must each panel be on a separate channel (CH1 and CH2)?

3. Since the GEM only has 32 channels and I have a total of 67 connections, I obviously can't have each circuit on a separate channel, but I can combine multiple CT's on a single channel, my question is when you combine CT's on a single channel, is the data that is gathered/displayed just a total of all the circuits connected to the channel or can the data be separated? So if I connect a breaker from 2 different bedrooms can I tell which breaker the data is coming from?

4. I saw another forum post here, where someone said using Micro-50's is more a curate than using Micro-40's. Is this correct, would I be better off going with Micro-50's instead? I want the most accurate system data possible.

Thoughts/suggestions please?

1. Yes

2. If one panel feeds the other you realistically only need 2 Split 200 CT's. If they are separate then you would need four split 200 CT's. If the latter you would not want to add them to the channel 1 / 2 as you would have no clue which one was drawing the power.

NOTE: The GEM can accept up to two Split 200 CTs on CH1 / CH2 only.

3. The reading you see is the combined load on that channel. After awhile even if you had three circuits on one channel you would know by the power signature what device is operating. Please also keep in mind you must install the same type of CT's into the single channel and it can not exceed 80 amps.

This resource page offers great details about this subject: http://brultech.com/products/ECM1240/CT ... /types.htm

4. If accuracy is important to you then going with the Micro 50 is the answer. Having said this, I have not seen any huge variance in using the Micro 40's in my install at all.

Like most folks say *Spend your money once* so in your case just spend the little extra knowing the system is finely tuned to provide you the most accurate energy data the GEM / Dash Box can offer.

[ben]

How large are the 50A wires? You may need to use a Micro-80/100 depending on conductor size.

NOTE: The GEM can accept up to two Split 200 CTs on CH1 / CH2 only.

That's only relative to the ECM-1240, the GEMs channels are all identical so you can run any CT on any channel.

Ben

[Teken]

How large are the 50A wires? You may need to use a Micro-80/100 depending on conductor size.

NOTE: The GEM can accept up to two Split 200 CTs on CH1 / CH2 only.

That's only relative to the ECM-1240, the GEMs channels are all identical so you can run any CT on any channel.

Ben

If I ever have to hook up 200 amps on one channel that will be awesome to know!

[ben]

How large are the 50A wires? You may need to use a Micro-80/100 depending on conductor size.

NOTE: The GEM can accept up to two Split 200 CTs on CH1 / CH2 only.

That's only relative to the ECM-1240, the GEMs channels are all identical so you can run any CT on any channel.

Ben

If I ever have to hook up 200 amps on one channel that will be awesome to know!

We have some Split-400s if you ever need them too .

Ben

[OzTechGeek]

How large are the 50A wires? You may need to use a Micro-80/100 depending on conductor size.

Here is the breaker AWG breakdown:

20A Breakers: 12 AWG / 2 Conductor
30A Breakers: 10 AWG / 3 Conductor
50A Breakers: 6 AWG / 3 Conductor
60A Breakers: 6 AWG / 2 Conductor

2. If one panel feeds the other you realistically only need 2 Split 200 CT's. If they are separate then you would need four split 200 CT's. If the latter you would not want to add them to the channel 1 / 2 as you would have no clue which one was drawing the power.

I'm no electrician by any means only what I have learned from google . When I installed my 2 tankless water heaters I had to run 4 x 6/2 wire to the second breaker panel, I flipped the main top breaker in that panel off, before I started messing around with the wires I used a electrical tone tester to see if any electricity was flowing through any of the other breakers/circuits and it was, freaked me out, everything that was in the second panel was off but yet it was still getting electricity, after speaking to my brother-in-law, he said flip the main breaker in the first panel and then retest the second panel breaker/circuit, sure enough this time no noise from the tone tester. Is this is what is considered back feeding? and why I would only need 2 x Split-200 instead of 4?

Thanks

[ben]

How large are the 50A wires? You may need to use a Micro-80/100 depending on conductor size.

Here is the breaker AWG breakdown:

20A Breakers: 12 AWG / 2 Conductor
30A Breakers: 10 AWG / 3 Conductor
50A Breakers: 6 AWG / 3 Conductor
60A Breakers: 6 AWG / 2 Conductor

Should be good there.

2. If one panel feeds the other you realistically only need 2 Split 200 CT's. If they are separate then you would need four split 200 CT's. If the latter you would not want to add them to the channel 1 / 2 as you would have no clue which one was drawing the power.

I'm no electrician by any means only what I have learned from google . When I installed my 2 tankless water heaters I had to run 4 x 6/2 wire to the second breaker panel, I flipped the main top breaker in that panel off, before I started messing around with the wires I used a electrical tone tester to see if any electricity was flowing through any of the other breakers/circuits and it was, freaked me out, everything that was in the second panel was off but yet it was still getting electricity, after speaking to my brother-in-law, he said flip the main breaker in the first panel and then retest the second panel breaker/circuit, sure enough this time no noise from the tone tester. Is this is what is considered back feeding? and why I would only need 2 x Split-200 instead of 4?

Thanks

Yeah, you'll need 4xSplit-200s for the mains as both panels look to be fed from the utility.

Ben