GE cl200 kwa meters

protechplumbing

I'm not an electrician, I'm a plumber. I installed two GE cl200 meters next to my main panel to meter the power consumption of my central air conditioner, one meter for each circuit. The problem is that the meters are not registering any usage even though my AC was running all night. I tested the lines at various locations with an inductive amp-meter. Current is flowing thru the cl200s. Is there a startup button some where on them? I got both meters on eBay from 2 different sellers. Both meters appear new and represented to be new.

What am I missing here? How are they activated?

Ps. These meters are for my own use and not the power company.

SD515

What do you mean "one meter for each circuit"??

protechplumbing

The outside heat pump has it's own ciruit and breaker.
The air handeler in the attic has it's own circuit and breaker.
Each of those circuits has a meter socket cut in as they leave the breaker panel. Each leg on a given circuit is tied into one side of a meter. Ya dig?

protechplumbing

See diagram

Attached Thumbnails

 

junkcollector

Well if you have your meter sockets wired up in the diagram they are wrong. You need the line (incoming power) connected to the top terminals. Load goes to the bottom.

protechplumbing

Why would that matter on an AC system?

protechplumbing

If that's the problem, then i should be able to install the meters upside down and they will work let me try that.........

Still not reading after being flipped.

Speedy Petey

Meters are directional. LINE must be on top.

You are saying even this way they don't register?

I have NO idea why. We NEVER have to deal with this. Only POCOs use those meters.

Can you call your POCO to see if they have a tech dept that can maybe help you?

__________________
Sometimes I feel like if I answer any more questions it is like someone trying to climb over a fence to jump off a bridge and me giving them a boost.

protechplumbing

I geuss I'm just going to buy analog meters like I did for the water heater.

My quoriocity has been peeked though, how does the meter know which way is up?

Speedy Petey

It doesn't know which way is up, but it knows which is line.

I have no idea why flipping them over didn't work.

__________________
Sometimes I feel like if I answer any more questions it is like someone trying to climb over a fence to jump off a bridge and me giving them a boost.

junkcollector

I have a meter that I purchased from a reputable company that I use to check power usage of specific appliances, etc.



OK, there might be your problem. I also understand these are digital meters. Digital meters have what's called a lithium meter battery inside. This is what powers the control circuity and saves the data when the meter is unplugged. I bet you need a new one. Good luck finding one. I might be able to dig up a few sources.

If we are talking about a standard electromechanical meter, if you connect it backwards, it will spin backwards. It can be compared to a motor. It has a current winding of very large wire, and a voltage winding of many turns of small wire. The speed is dependent on the current that goes through the current winding. An electronic meter will have sophisticated circuity inside. It will obviously not work if it is connected wrong.

protechplumbing

The digital meters use the battery even when the lines are energized?

protechplumbing

I just checked on them and they are working now that they are upside down. Geuss I need to go ahead and switch the wiring in the sockets. Thanks to all the electricians who helped this dumb plumber out

theatretch85

I bought an analog meter on ebay and plugged it into a old meter socket to track how much power my holiday light display uses in the winter time. Averaged 51.86kW each day with the lights on for 4 hours. I think total lights power consumption was around 110-120 amps (on a 100 amp service to the house too). I am lucky that the major appliances are all gas, total household power consumption at the time was only like 25-30 amps. The meter really helped to see just how much we were spending to keep just the holiday lights on and I had it broken down to what it was costing per day.

protechplumbing

My 40gal electric water heater was costing $54.13 per month befor I went solar. We pay $0.12 per kwa where I'm at.