A few questions for configuring my purchase
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 5:07 pm
I'm planning to buy a GEM and DashBox for monitoring power in my house, and I've been reading documentation and forum topics to get up to speed, but I have a few questions.
I have two main breaker boxes. Each has a 200A main breaker. I believe I need a total of 4 Split-200 CTs to cover the incoming power (Panel 1 Phase A, Panel 1 Phase B, Panel 2 Phase A, Panel 2 Phase B, which I'll abbreviate as P1PA, P1PB, P2PA, P2PB). I can connect 2 CTs to each channel on the GEM. Questions:
1. Does it matter how I combine these CTs? For instance, I could group by panel: Ch 1=P1PA+P1PB, Ch 2=P2PA+P2PB, or I could group by phase: Ch1=P1PA+P2PA, Ch2=P1PB+P2PB.
2. Either way, the total power I'm using will be Ch1+Ch2. I assume there's a way in the DashBox's configuration to tell it that the mains are the sum of Ch1+Ch2?
3. Assume, for simplicity, that I am monitoring the mains as above, and a few loads (e.g., Washer, Dryer, Heat Pump on channels 3-5), and that remaining unmonitored circuits are lights/outlets, which I'll call "Other". Does the software in the DashBox compute "Other" (in my example, Other=Ch1+Ch2-Ch3-Ch4-Ch5) so that I can see on the graphs and reports how much power is going to these lighting/outlet circuits without monitoring them individually?
4. I have a subpanel that is fed by a 125A double throw breaker. The closest CT I've seen on Brultech's web site, that's sized larger than that, is the Split-170. But I saw in another thread (http://www.brultech.com/community/viewt ... ?f=3&t=486) that it's listed as "Special Application, Bus Bar". Can I use two Split-170's to monitor the power going to this subpanel, or is it special in some way and I need to use two Split-200's?
I have two main breaker boxes. Each has a 200A main breaker. I believe I need a total of 4 Split-200 CTs to cover the incoming power (Panel 1 Phase A, Panel 1 Phase B, Panel 2 Phase A, Panel 2 Phase B, which I'll abbreviate as P1PA, P1PB, P2PA, P2PB). I can connect 2 CTs to each channel on the GEM. Questions:
1. Does it matter how I combine these CTs? For instance, I could group by panel: Ch 1=P1PA+P1PB, Ch 2=P2PA+P2PB, or I could group by phase: Ch1=P1PA+P2PA, Ch2=P1PB+P2PB.
2. Either way, the total power I'm using will be Ch1+Ch2. I assume there's a way in the DashBox's configuration to tell it that the mains are the sum of Ch1+Ch2?
3. Assume, for simplicity, that I am monitoring the mains as above, and a few loads (e.g., Washer, Dryer, Heat Pump on channels 3-5), and that remaining unmonitored circuits are lights/outlets, which I'll call "Other". Does the software in the DashBox compute "Other" (in my example, Other=Ch1+Ch2-Ch3-Ch4-Ch5) so that I can see on the graphs and reports how much power is going to these lighting/outlet circuits without monitoring them individually?
4. I have a subpanel that is fed by a 125A double throw breaker. The closest CT I've seen on Brultech's web site, that's sized larger than that, is the Split-170. But I saw in another thread (http://www.brultech.com/community/viewt ... ?f=3&t=486) that it's listed as "Special Application, Bus Bar". Can I use two Split-170's to monitor the power going to this subpanel, or is it special in some way and I need to use two Split-200's?