Voltage Logger...experienced recommendation?

[SparkDr]

Friends behind us at seasonal CG run into power problems annually whenever temps soar in the heat of the day, the park is near capacity, and everyone is running their a/c units. Both he and I are former electrician. From my experience, what I can deduce is that they are the last unit in line at the end of that particular electrical loop. I’ve wired in a Progressive EMS on his rig to prevent damage and we’ve measured voltage at the pedestal as low as 98v when the EMS kicks things off. He notifies the park management, their Super-Super shows up hours later at dusk or beyond with his $2 analog Harbor Freight meter and declares everything to be ok (when the power demands are much lower, of course), and nothing is ever done or changes. We’ve avoided dealing with the problem by running an extension over to the site next to his which is very small, rarely used, and on a different loop. The park didn’t rent the site at all last year to allow this to happen and appease the problem. However, they are adamant about making the site available this year without offering any correction to the root problem. Now that you have the long-winded back story, here is my question. Does anyone have any real world experience and associated recommendation for a voltage logger? My thoughts are to hard-wire one in right in front of the EMS. I’d be looking for real-time infomation as well as USB or SD storage to download and document our findings for park management. We’re not above spending $300+/- for a decent unit. I’ve worked with Fluke accessory data loggers before in 3 phase mill projects, etc but I don’t own this equipment which was very pricey even back then. Any recommendations out there? And please, at the risk of sounding a bit prickly, I can Google with the best of them and can see plenty of what is available out there. A “How about this one?” recommendation without any experience really does me no good. I’m looking for the “been there, done that” guy or gal to hopefully engage in some additional discussion. Thanks for hearing me out on this.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Nice Find

[troubledwaters]

Here you go clicky

[doxiemom11]

I worked at a county park that had the same situation going on and sometimes even the main power to an entire loop would shut down because it just couldn't supply enough power and overheated. There was nothing the park employees could do as nothing would help the situation until the county had funds to upgrade the electrical system. The park was built before everyone had their 2nd refrigerators outside , their ice maker, electric griddle, a 2nd microwave and who knows what else. The electrical wasn't designed to handle 50 sites with all the extras plus 2 A/C running on every rig. Now with all electric rigs, the problems these parks have will not get better.

[garry1p]

In the old days if the power company would not provide a recorder we would rent one to prove to the customer they had a power problem not an equipment problem.

I would try to have the CG owner have the power company record the power, they will only measure the input to the CG but that may be the problem in addition that will let the owner know you are serious.

If the power company or CG owner refuses call around have an electric contractor install a recorder at your site so you have an unbiased professional report.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

TIME SENSITIVE

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Amprobe-A-C-Voltage-And-Current-Recorder-/142701630468

[shastagary]

you do not need a logging meter how about using a volt meter a video recorder or phone and another phone in the video showing date and time and record it when the voltage is low or when you know it will be getting low.
or make a YouTube video of it using a phone. make a video showing the campground power connections show walking into the camper and then set the camera down recording the meter as it goes down or is at the low voltage point. you could walk to another known good voltage site and measure that site in the video using the same meter.

[westernrvparkow]

Ductape wrote:

SparkDr wrote:
Thanks to all the wannabe legal beagles for the unsolicited advice, suggestions to just move, or what-ifs regarding potential blowback, property damage or rate hikes. Folks, we’re not stupid. This stuff has been talked about and discussed already among the affected group. I know I sound like a curmudgeon but my purpose for posting the topic is to gather knowledge or learn from someone else’s experience regarding a voltage logger...not all this other BS being talked about. Move on to another thread if you’re looking to save souls and orate unnecessarily. I’d like to keep this on topic only, please. I love the forums and exchange of information as much as the next guy, but honestly, there would be no responses thus far to this thread if people would just answer the question asked with pertinent information and not feel the need to chime in with their 2 cents on the peripherals. Trust me, I’d be happier to see zero feedback than to have to continue to filter through chatter and useless responses only to find nothing of value on topic.

May the Mods grant me the serenity to accept the opinions of those I cannot change, the courage to offer input to those who are open to another way of thinking, and the wisdom to shut up whenever I get too caught up in my own misconceived brilliance. 😉

Have a beer. Watch the BP.

What we have here is exhibit #1 as to why working with the public is not a walk in the park.

[LittleBill]

grizzzman wrote:

SparkDr wrote:
Grizzman, your post came in while I was typing up my most recent post. Have you actually used this mooshimeter? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it in more detail.

I talked my work into buying one. I liked it so much I bought one for tinkering at home. In fact it is sitting next to me. It has five points past the Decimal Point. With a 24 bit resolution DAC. You can zero it on any measurement. I have been happy with it so far. It graphs is adjustible data points. I have not used the data logging yet, however I bought it with this in mind.

i have used it, i own the same meter, you either have to cut the case in a specific area, or take the meter apart to take the sd card in and out.

you can do different time internals, the unit works fairly well, and appears to be quite accurate,

you can also just leave the meter, it has no requirement or a phone to log the measurements.

you are REQUIRED though to setup the meter with a phone initially.

another nice feature is the meter is 2 channel, it can do amperage as well as voltage in the same graph etc.

example of the logging is below.

Clicky

[Tom_M1]

Here's a very cheap solution from Amazon ($18.99):
https://www.amazon.com/Auto-ranging-Multimeter-Continuity-Test-Measuring-temperature/dp/B01K1MBZHS/r...

Quote from manual:
"The meter has serial data output function. It can be connected with mobile phone by wireless transmission, so the measured data can be recorded, analyzed, and processed by mobile phone APP. Before use this function, you need install the mobile phone APP by scan the QR code.
NOTE: The mobile phone APP can be installed in iphone 4S iOS or android"

[Dusty_R]

Back around 1980 I drove a short order/service van for a local electrical contractor.
One of the customers, a small factory, seamed to have a low voltage problem at times. We asked the Power Co. to come in and check it out. They put on, for 24 hours, what we called recording voltage meters, they were totally inclosed and we could not see what the voltage was that they were recording.
The report that we got from the power co. was that the voltage was OK.
A couple of months later another small factory, customer, had what I felt, was low voltage. We asked the utility to come in and check the voltage there, but before they got there I put the contractor's recording voltage meter on the system.
That time the incoming voltage got raised.

Dusty

[Ductape]

SparkDr wrote:
Thanks to all the wannabe legal beagles for the unsolicited advice, suggestions to just move, or what-ifs regarding potential blowback, property damage or rate hikes. Folks, we’re not stupid. This stuff has been talked about and discussed already among the affected group. I know I sound like a curmudgeon but my purpose for posting the topic is to gather knowledge or learn from someone else’s experience regarding a voltage logger...not all this other BS being talked about. Move on to another thread if you’re looking to save souls and orate unnecessarily. I’d like to keep this on topic only, please. I love the forums and exchange of information as much as the next guy, but honestly, there would be no responses thus far to this thread if people would just answer the question asked with pertinent information and not feel the need to chime in with their 2 cents on the peripherals. Trust me, I’d be happier to see zero feedback than to have to continue to filter through chatter and useless responses only to find nothing of value on topic.

May the Mods grant me the serenity to accept the opinions of those I cannot change, the courage to offer input to those who are open to another way of thinking, and the wisdom to shut up whenever I get too caught up in my own misconceived brilliance. 😉

Have a beer. Watch the BP.

[Lwiddis]

Good job, sparkdr. Name calling when you do not like a response. “wannabe legal beagles”. Where did you get your doctorate in electricity?

[grizzzman]

SparkDr wrote:
Grizzman, your post came in while I was typing up my most recent post. Have you actually used this mooshimeter? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it in more detail.

I talked my work into buying one. I liked it so much I bought one for tinkering at home. In fact it is sitting next to me. It has five points past the Decimal Point. With a 24 bit resolution DAC. You can zero it on any measurement. I have been happy with it so far. It graphs is adjustible data points. I have not used the data logging yet, however I bought it with this in mind.

[SparkDr]

Grizzman, your post came in while I was typing up my most recent post. Have you actually used this mooshimeter? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it in more detail.