Being careful about how much power you run through power meters

[DevelopmentBank]

I passively left my power meter plugged in 24/7 while mining because i thought it would be more fun to be able to check it 24/7. Turns out it was a bad idea as this morning i woke up to a blown/melted socket and powermeter. Hopefully my rig isn't damaged.

Another reason to not keep it on 24/7 is for savings. The power meter probably consumes a negligible amount but even at 1 watt per day, that is still money saved looking at the big picture (365 days a year).

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[shibob]

Do you have any idea why your power meter was melted. Basically it could stand for a massive load current.

[DevelopmentBank]

Do you have any idea why your power meter was melted. Basically it could stand for a massive load current.

Good point. I was running a 13-GPU rig mining at a constant 1600 watts.
I'm thinking it melted because of wear and tear because it's been mining since December without any problems at all.

[remauto1187ma]

Do you have any idea why your power meter was melted. Basically it could stand for a massive load current.

Good point. I was running a 13-GPU rig mining at a constant 1600 watts.
I'm thinking it melted because of wear and tear because it's been mining since December without any problems at all.

Where you went wrong is running 1600w through a 15a rated device.  1600w equates to roughly 13.33a that you were running through a power meter that IS NOT RATED FOR 15a continuous duty (AKA 100% duty cycle).

I would be more concerned with your circuit breaker wiring connection being burnt, the outlet itself being ruined (I would replace it anyway since you cant inspect the internals) and the wiring in the wall that is also NOT RATED for 15a continuous duty.

A 15a circuit and all of its components (Outlet AKA Duplex, Circuit breaker and wiring) are only rated at 80% of 15a which is 12a for CONTINUOUS DUTY! Its called derating and it is a 20% derating factor.

A 20a circuit is good for 16a of continuous duty.  

Upgrade your wiring to a 20a circuit (if it isnt already) before you all burn your home down!

[jillscarbrough]

I passively left my power meter plugged in 24/7 while mining because i thought it would be more fun to be able to check it 24/7. Turns out it was a bad idea as this morning i woke up to a blown/melted socket and powermeter. Hopefully my rig isn't damaged.

Another reason to not keep it on 24/7 is for savings. The power meter probably consumes a negligible amount but even at 1 watt per day, that is still money saved looking at the big picture (365 days a year).

thanks for waking me up in fact, the power meter could be melt and require a power consumption so far I never unplug the power meter and not aware even that device need a power. 

[ivakar]

Well, man, you are really lucky one, imagine what could happen if that thing not just melt itself and your socket, but start a fire?! that would be a total nightmare.  I hope everything would be ok with your rig as well.
and lesson learned,  no power meter 24/7  )

[jillscarbrough]

Well, man, you are really lucky one, imagine what could happen if that thing not just melt itself and your socket, but start a fire?! that would be a total nightmare.  I hope everything would be ok with your rig as well.
and lesson learned,  no power meter 24/7  )

same with you and I hope his Rig is fine

yeah, it's @OP content that is very simple but has many notices and resuscitates members including me about the risks which we initially considered trivial.

[smoolae]

My power meter is rated up to 3600w so I should be good drawing about 1.2kW through it at any given time. But warning like this are good to see!

[whitrzac]

THis is why you run 220v. Double the voltage, half the amperage, half the heat from resistance and more efficient.

[Proton2233]

Many people in pursuit of profit forget about safety rules when connecting electrical appliances. I don't understand why you need to measure power 24/7. your equipment consumes about the same power and you can't change that. A melted socket can cause a fire. Why do you measure power if you are not using this data?

[remauto1187ma]

THis is why you run 220v. Double the voltage, half the amperage, half the heat from resistance and more efficient.

You are wrong.  The amperage is split in half because there are 2 hot conductors in 240v wiring instead of there only being one in a 120v feed. You are still using the same amount of power.  Watts is Watts.  You cant defy ohms law.   A 120v circuit drawing 20 amps is 2400w and a 240v circuit drawing 10 amps is still 2400w.

Power = E x I (Voltage x current).

So you are using the same amount of power no matter which route (120v or 240v) you take.  Indeed the amps is halved ON THE POWER CONDUCTORS of a 240v wire feed but that wont help since most houses have 120v feeds so a 240v would have to be installed new and obviously could be sized CORRECTLY to avoid any overheating for constant duty.

[Apocalypse Onion]

The amperage is split in half because there are 2 hot conductors in 240v wiring instead of there only being one in a 120v feed.

Strange wiring in your country. I have live, a neutral, and an earth. As the names suggest, only one of them is hot.

[Trofo]

Another reason to not keep it on 24/7 is for savings. The power meter probably consumes a negligible amount but even at 1 watt per day, that is still money saved looking at the big picture (365 days a year).

thanks for waking me up in fact, the power meter could be melt and require a power consumption so far I never unplug the power meter and not aware even that device need a power. 

My power meter doesen't consume electricity from the socket. It has it's own batteries.

[cryptolopoly]

Another reason to not keep it on 24/7 is for savings. The power meter probably consumes a negligible amount but even at 1 watt per day, that is still money saved looking at the big picture (365 days a year).

thanks for waking me up in fact, the power meter could be melt and require a power consumption so far I never unplug the power meter and not aware even that device need a power. 

My power meter doesen't consume electricity from the socket. It has it's own batteries.

Good for you mate, good for you. You deserve a star.

[remauto1187ma]

The amperage is split in half because there are 2 hot conductors in 240v wiring instead of there only being one in a 120v feed.

Strange wiring in your country. I have live, a neutral, and an earth. As the names suggest, only one of them is hot.

In european countries and the like you would have that but the math is still the same.  Volts x Current equals wattage.

[whitrzac]

THis is why you run 220v. Double the voltage, half the amperage, half the heat from resistance and more efficient.

You are wrong.  The amperage is split in half because there are 2 hot conductors in 240v wiring instead of there only being one in a 120v feed. You are still using the same amount of power.  Watts is Watts.  You cant defy ohms law.   A 120v circuit drawing 20 amps is 2400w and a 240v circuit drawing 10 amps is still 2400w.

Power = E x I (Voltage x current).

So you are using the same amount of power no matter which route (120v or 240v) you take.  Indeed the amps is halved ON THE POWER CONDUCTORS of a 240v wire feed but that wont help since most houses have 120v feeds so a 240v would have to be installed new and obviously could be sized CORRECTLY to avoid any overheating for constant duty.

Go back to school noob.


Double the voltage(P), 1/2 the amperage(I) across the same resistance(R). That IS ohms law.

Wattage is just a measure of power. Power/wattage does not create heat, resistance does.  Half the amperage across a resistance is half the heat. Half the heat = no melted power meter.


The fact he's overloading the circuit is another issue entirely.

[jillscarbrough]

Many people in pursuit of profit forget about safety rules when connecting electrical appliances. I don't understand why you need to measure power 24/7. your equipment consumes about the same power and you can't change that. A melted socket can cause a fire. Why do you measure power if you are not using this data?

for me, the case isn't a coincidence it doesn't mean having to measure power 24/7 and still plug in the power socket but sometimes get lazy (human factor) to unplug the device. -this statment for me not for OP-

[remauto1187ma]

THis is why you run 220v. Double the voltage, half the amperage, half the heat from resistance and more efficient.

You are wrong.  The amperage is split in half because there are 2 hot conductors in 240v wiring instead of there only being one in a 120v feed. You are still using the same amount of power.  Watts is Watts.  You cant defy ohms law.   A 120v circuit drawing 20 amps is 2400w and a 240v circuit drawing 10 amps is still 2400w.

Power = E x I (Voltage x current).

So you are using the same amount of power no matter which route (120v or 240v) you take.  Indeed the amps is halved ON THE POWER CONDUCTORS of a 240v wire feed but that wont help since most houses have 120v feeds so a 240v would have to be installed new and obviously could be sized CORRECTLY to avoid any overheating for constant duty.

Go back to school noob.


Double the voltage(P), 1/2 the amperage(I) across the same resistance(R). That IS ohms law.

Wattage is just a measure of power. Power/wattage does not create heat, resistance does.  Half the amperage across a resistance is half the heat. Half the heat = no melted power meter.


The fact he's overloading the circuit is another issue entirely.

You go back to school amateur before you get someone killed.  E=IR is OHMS law, Not P=IR. P=power, E=voltage. Wattage isnt "just a measure a measure of power", It is a direct function of E and I hence the formula  P=EI.  
10A @ 240v is the same as 20A @ 120v. (Ill bet if you multiply 10x240 and 20x120 they both come out to 2400...Watts)  Same 2400w of power.  No less power is consumed on one or the other.  So just because the the current is halved on a 240v circuit but is doubled on a 120v circuit equivalent doesnt save you on anything other than the size of wire needed to handle the current.  The fact that you dont comprehend the fact that watts is watts tells me that you have no idea what you are talking about when it comes to electricity and shouldnt be giving anyone any advice concerning electricity.  Its geniuses such as yourself that end up burning their house down or killing someone with bad "knowledge".
I was an aviation electrician on the F/A18C Hornet in the US Navy, Electrician & Electronic Technician for Eaton Cutler Hammer, Sub contractor for many large manufacturing facilities and have been a technician for the Federal Aviation Administration for 12 years now as a Journeyman Electrician & Electronic Technician.  I take care of a 100kw, 50kw and 37.5Kw standby emergency generator and their switchgear (all 3 phase 208v) among a host of alot more gear that youve never even heard of (VOR Station, MALSR, PAPI and much more).
So what do you do when you arent in your parent's basement, kid?

"Double the voltage(P), 1/2 the amperage(I) across the same resistance(R)"
Really now?  If you double the voltage, current goes up by a factor of 2.  In this case you would need to manipulate ohms law to solve for I which would be I=E/R.   YOU FAIL...Miserably.

[FloppyPurpleGherkin]

My power meter has had 900w constantly being pulled from it for over a year without any issues, It says its max is 3100w.. (240v here)

[whitrzac]

THis is why you run 220v. Double the voltage, half the amperage, half the heat from resistance and more efficient.

You are wrong.  The amperage is split in half because there are 2 hot conductors in 240v wiring instead of there only being one in a 120v feed. You are still using the same amount of power.  Watts is Watts.  You cant defy ohms law.   A 120v circuit drawing 20 amps is 2400w and a 240v circuit drawing 10 amps is still 2400w.

Power = E x I (Voltage x current).

So you are using the same amount of power no matter which route (120v or 240v) you take.  Indeed the amps is halved ON THE POWER CONDUCTORS of a 240v wire feed but that wont help since most houses have 120v feeds so a 240v would have to be installed new and obviously could be sized CORRECTLY to avoid any overheating for constant duty.

Go back to school noob.


Double the voltage(P), 1/2 the amperage(I) across the same resistance(R). That IS ohms law.

Wattage is just a measure of power. Power/wattage does not create heat, resistance does.  Half the amperage across a resistance is half the heat. Half the heat = no melted power meter.


The fact he's overloading the circuit is another issue entirely.

You go back to school amateur before you get someone killed.  E=IR is OHMS law, Not P=IR. P=power, E=voltage. Wattage isnt "just a measure a measure of power", It is a direct function of E and I hence the formula  P=EI.  
10A @ 240v is the same as 20A @ 120v. (Ill bet if you multiply 10x240 and 20x120 they both come out to 2400...Watts)  Same 2400w of power.  No less power is consumed on one or the other.  So just because the the current is halved on a 240v circuit but is doubled on a 120v circuit equivalent doesnt save you on anything other than the size of wire needed to handle the current.  The fact that you dont comprehend the fact that watts is watts tells me that you have no idea what you are talking about when it comes to electricity and shouldnt be giving anyone any advice concerning electricity.  Its geniuses such as yourself that end up burning their house down or killing someone with bad "knowledge".
I was an aviation electrician on the F/A18C Hornet in the US Navy, Electrician & Electronic Technician for Eaton Cutler Hammer, Sub contractor for many large manufacturing facilities and have been a technician for the Federal Aviation Administration for 12 years now as a Journeyman Electrician & Electronic Technician.  I take care of a 100kw, 50kw and 37.5Kw standby emergency generator and their switchgear (all 3 phase 208v) among a host of alot more gear that youve never even heard of (VOR Station, MALSR, PAPI and much more).
So what do you do when you arent in your parent's basement, kid?

"Double the voltage(P), 1/2 the amperage(I) across the same resistance(R)"
Really now?  If you double the voltage, current goes up by a factor of 2.  In this case you would need to manipulate ohms law to solve for I which would be I=E/R.   YOU FAIL...Miserably.

Yet you still don't understand how doubling the voltage halves the current in this situation.

Double the voltage, half the current. Half the current, half the heat. Half the heat, no melted power meter.