Recommendations for a good power logger/analyzer 1

[eeprom]

Hello,
I need a power logger to monitor 3 phase power for 30 days. As long as I'm going to spend a bunch of money, I'd also like to have my new meter be able to log and monitor power quality. I don't think I will need more than 1200A capacity. Can someone recommend a meter for this? I've looked at Fluke and Extech, but I don't have any experience with this kind of meter. I'd like some feedback from people who have used these meters.

thanks,
EE

 

[DTR2011]

You may want to rent a few units until you decide what is right for you. Additionally, dealing with rental companies, you can ask them what is popular, what has problems, etc.

 

[DRWeig]

I have enjoyed a Dranetz PowerGuide for that purpose, rented. I think they might be $8000 plus CTs. smallgreek is right, practice with rentals until you find one you like.

Good on ya,

Goober Dave

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[eeprom]

Holy Cow. $8,000. I've been calling around to get a quote on a rental. I think that's a great idea. My first instinct is to spend money. That's not a good instinct.

 

[eeprom]

Okay, I'm back to the spending money instinct. I checked a couple online rentals and they are very expensive. I'd pay about 1/3 the cost of the meter to rent it for one month. Can anyone recommend a cost-effective store for renting electrical test equipment.

 

[ScottyUK]

In the UK? The USA? North Korea?

I just can't stand the suspense!

 

[eeprom]

USA

 

[DRWeig]

Here are a few with pretty good pricing for some Dranetz stuff. Some of them have refurbished units too. I rented a refurbished Dranetz 4400 for less than $600 per month at metrictest.com. They don't always have exactly the model you'd like, but they seem pretty good. Almost bought it, but didn't have enough confirmed need in the near future. That might change soon, in which I may plunk down on one. I'd be happy with a refurb, if it was from a reputable company.

http://www.powercet.com/pqstore/pqstore_details.cfm?id=103

http://www.testequip.com/sale/details/HES3104.html

http://www.metrictest.com/brands?searchTerm=Dranetz

There is a list on the Dranetz site as well. Most of them say "call for quote" -- I've found those folks to be pretty negotiable if you indicate that you may be interesting in buying the rental unit if it does what you need.

Good on ya,

Goober Dave

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[DTR2011]

Protec Equipment Rental or Utili Rents is who I deal with. A big part of the cost are the CT's. On bigger ticket items, it used to be 1/12 of the total cost of the item to rent on a monthly basis.

I have a Fluke 43B that I use quite often and am happy with it. It's single phase (1 V, 1 I) measurement, but for what I use it for it suits me just fine. It's about $800 or so.

 

[catserveng]

For what you described, I use a Fluke 1735, it has done a good job for me. I picked mine up on ebay last year, sent it to Fluke for cal and put it to work. I found the software pretty easy to use for setup and review. The rope CT's that came with it are good for up to 3000 amps, I also have the 5 amp CT for measuring CT secondaries. Both have worked well for me.

For more detailed studies I use a Fluke 1750, it has served me very well, and when I need additional units I rent from Electro-rents. The CT's are pricey for it, but it was used by a former employer and I took a liking to it, so when I went out on my own I invested in one.

Have you checked with a local electrical contractor or engineer for what a Power Quality Audit would cost? I work with a couple of engineers who use me to do power logging quite a bit, and if you're only going to do this once or twice it may be a better solution, especially if you have to work "hot" to make the connections and where those locations are in your electrical system.

Hope that helps, Mike L.

 

[eeprom]

I have not looked into hiring this out, as I would rather do it myself. I'm pretty sure if I get a meter which does power quality as well I could get enough projects that it would pay for itself. It certainly won't pay for itself on this project.

 

[ScottyUK]

If you are looking at power quality measurements then the Voltech PM3000 is a very good, if slightly dated, analyser. I think they have a newer model (PM6000?) which I expect is even more capable but likely quite pricey too. I haven't had cause to play with that one yet. Both are far better than a Dranetz for 'fast' stuff like harmonics, but I don't think either Voltech can do the long term logging which you're looking for.

 

[catserveng]

I have had a couple of customers who have purchased their own 1735's after doing some audits for them, so far it hasn't let me down. For most environments it has done what I've needed. I also regularly use a Fluke 435 Power Analyzer, but it a much better analyzer than a logger, for long period logging a logger is a better choice, at least in my opinion.

If you haven't setup power logging before a couple of things to look at, Safety First! To install the meter and leads, then leave them for a month means the covers may not go back on like they should, the meter can get moved, kicked, mopped, etc. Just make sure you know what goes on 24/7 around where you are going to put the meter. Can't tell you how many times I have a bad recording because someone unplugged the meter power cord and didn't plug it back in, I even have gone to the extent of having big bright tags that say "PLEASE DO NOT UNPLUG" and that still isn't 100% effective.

Use rope type CT's if you can, they seem to work better, at least in my experience in most cases. Hopefully you can de-energize what you are going to monitor to hook up on, if not, plan carefully, especially at the current levels you mention above.

Think about where your voltage leads would end up if they got knocked loose for some reason. Please don't expect that it can't happen, I usually use a few well placed tie wraps to make sure a small problem doesn't turn into a big one.

My two cents worth, good luck!

Mike L.

 

[eeprom]

catserveng,
Thanks for the advice.