Motor question

Posted by Pete C. on October 30, 2009, 12:11 am

Zardo Zapp wrote:

>
>

> >I just bought a killawatt. I'll fool around some in the next cupla days.
> >I'm curious as to how it handles power factors.
> >If it is just calc'ing amps x volts, it's not really reading true watts.

>
> They do read true watts, and are fairly accurate. They also tell you
> what the power factor is. So, all in all, pretty neat little gizmo.

Yes, I've compared them to reading from my Fluke 87 and they agree
nicely. The Kill-a-Watt is a very handy and economical gadget. They are
particularly handy when used with a Honda EU2000i generator camping.

Posted by Tony Hwang on October 30, 2009, 12:28 am

Zardo Zapp wrote:

>> I just bought a killawatt. I'll fool around some in the next cupla days.
>> I'm curious as to how it handles power factors.
>> If it is just calc'ing amps x volts, it's not really reading true watts.

> They do read true watts, and are fairly accurate. They also tell you
> what the power factor is. So, all in all, pretty neat little gizmo.

Hi,
Then the motor is sick.

Posted by Zardo Zapp on October 30, 2009, 7:02 pm

>Zardo Zapp wrote:

>>> I just bought a killawatt. I'll fool around some in the next cupla days.
>>> I'm curious as to how it handles power factors.
>>> If it is just calc'ing amps x volts, it's not really reading true watts.

>> They do read true watts, and are fairly accurate. They also tell you
>> what the power factor is. So, all in all, pretty neat little gizmo.

>Hi,
>Then the motor is sick.

Could well be.

But, also note that the Kill-a-watt can get a little squirly if you
exceeed it's max rated current.

Posted by on October 30, 2009, 10:15 pm

wrote:

>Zardo Zapp wrote:

>> They do read true watts, and are fairly accurate. They also tell you
>> what the power factor is. So, all in all, pretty neat little gizmo.

>Hi,
>Then the motor is sick.

Not necessarily. Some type of motors still draw lot of current with
little or no load. What changes is the power factor. They aren't
using much power because the current isn't in phase with the voltage.
In other words, they look like a big inductor rather than a resistor.
The power company hates these types of loads because there are still
losses (heat) in their lines due to the high current going through
imperfect wires, but the customer isn't paying much due to their meter
not showing much real power being used.

Posted by HeyBub on October 30, 2009, 6:04 am

jeff_wisnia wrote:

> HeyBub wrote:

>> I have a 115v, 1 1/8 HP motor with a faceplate rating of 13 Amps. It
>> actually draws 17 Amps (according to the Kill-A-Watt) with no load.
>> Does the difference mean anything important?
>> Thanks in advance for any advice.
>> P.S.
>> I haven't run the motor for more than a couple of minutes...

> Is it possible for you to check the current draw with another kind of
> meter, say a conventional clamp-on ammeter?
> That 17 amps being drawn when unloaded sure doesn't sound correct to
> me.

Good idea. I'll dig out my clamp-on. Thanks for reminding me.

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Motor question - Page 3