AC 20amp breaker trips mid day
Just came from Vegas 103 deg with no AC problems. At our new location which is also about 103 deg, the ac compressor would cycle and the fan would stay on with the thermostat on auto. Now it trips th...
Forum Discussion
“True, I didn't say. I read the pf with a kill-a-watt. I also have a scope displaying voltage and current and observed that it confirmed the kill-a-watt result in terms of trend, but can't get a precise value from it. I'm often skeptical of raw theory and rules of thumb, which is why I measure things. One rule of thumb is that induction motor power factor improves as the load is increased, and the air conditioner motor at a lower voltage would seem to be more heavily loaded, leading to an improved power factor. Best way to prove me "wrong" would be to have actual measurements. I'm surely capable of making a mistake, but I do endeavor to be careful and use multiple instruments whenever able to(the kill-a-watt and scope in this case). “
Be advised that I’m far more driven to have a sentient discussion as a bridge to consensus than to prove someone here wrong ... Having said that, in my view a kill-watt meter (which I occasionally use) is not a sophisticated enough device to get ‘a reliable’ p/f reading, and that instruments that can do this more accurately will cost waaay more than the average user is willing to shell out (However, there’s formula to do this as well - )....JMO
As per the oscilloscope matter, common electrical convention (not ‘raw theory’) IS that when voltage starts to lag current the p/f is thereby reduced due to the creation of heat (wasted energy) thus a departure from unity...This lag is referred to as reactance and can develop (though in different ways) in inductive or capacitive applications and must be countered to avoid a reduction in power factor...To help make this discussion less anecdotal I’ve purposefully punted to standard convention rather than treatise or raw theory....Again, JMO
Be advised that I’m far more driven to have a sentient discussion as a bridge to consensus than to prove someone here wrong ... Having said that, in my view a kill-watt meter (which I occasionally use) is not a sophisticated enough device to get ‘a reliable’ p/f reading, and that instruments that can do this more accurately will cost waaay more than the average user is willing to shell out (However, there’s formula to do this as well - )....JMO
As per the oscilloscope matter, common electrical convention (not ‘raw theory’) IS that when voltage starts to lag current the p/f is thereby reduced due to the creation of heat (wasted energy) thus a departure from unity...This lag is referred to as reactance and can develop (though in different ways) in inductive or capacitive applications and must be countered to avoid a reduction in power factor...To help make this discussion less anecdotal I’ve purposefully punted to standard convention rather than treatise or raw theory....Again, JMO
