I’ve noticed a pattern of ~ every two minutes a 450 watt “surge” for approximately 5 seconds. It’s constant, in terms of use (as in this pattern happens 24/7), and all I see is the spike and the bubble for “Unknown” grow. I have very few ideas in terms of what this device might be, and I wondered if it’s possible to determine which clip in the panel noticed the additional draw, and be able to at least narrow it down to which potential breakers/circuits I should start searching through.
10X in 15 min??
Do you have a well pump and pressure tank?
If so, your pressure tank may have failed. Your pump would be a 240v device.
Is any device running within seconds after these spikes?
If so, it’s the start-up energy needed for that device… Could still be a 240V device.
Sump pump? 120v, but I dunno energy usage on those
Perhaps a heating element has been left on?
It would be small, like a coffee maker, or toaster oven… A PC that’s not in sleep mode?
I would disconnect one leg of your monitor clamps… But if it’s a 240v device, that won’t help you… Make sure you put the clamp back on facing exactly the same way (which side is up)
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what if you just go to your panel when the device is on and unclip your CTs one at a time and watch if it goes away. That might be a way to see what side it is on
Yeah, I agree, kinda a weird one. Initially, I thought it might be start-up energy as well, but I’m confused why I see the consumption go back to what it was before the “surge”. I have no well or tank, the sump pump has been identified (and unfortunately we’re close to drought stage here). Maybe a heating element, the Keurig is always plugged in. It seems somewhat frequent for it, but your guess is as good as mine right now.
Is there any downside (short of low-quality data) to unplugging the CT clip? I might do that tomorrow morning. The analyst in me is now thinking that I need to create an inventory of all devices, assign them to rooms, correlate them to circuits and start stepping through things. The realist in me sighs at the amount of work this is though. Thanks for the thoughts, I’ll keep working through things!
The iphone app(and I assume the android app too) displays power usage on each phase.
You could work out which phase.
Then you would need to remove one sensor to work out which phase is which.
This only works if the device is 110/120V.
If both sides go up at once, then it is a two phase device. That could make things easier to work out.
I looked last night, and could not find in the Android app where the phase was displayed. Any chance you could post a screenshot?
I did end up pulling the panel cover off and unclipping each. There was a change in the usage meter graph, and I was able to determine which panel side the usage was coming from. I’d still love to see that info in the webapp though, particularly if it’s already being offered in the iOS app.
Thanks much, I was able to find it in the Android app after the hint. Then, I was able to correlate the main (even though they’re not labeled) with the clip/panel side. After flipping a few of the “simpler” breakers (Fridge, Smoke Alarms) and seeing nothing, I got to the kitchen. I turned the Keruig off this morning, and just checked the webapp. Looks like that’s what it was! Now, if I could just actually get Sense to identify it as well, it’d be fascinating to know how much that thing runs and is costing us.
It adds up over time. That’s why we are careful to turn it off (then I see no power draw from it) when we’re not actually making coffee. The Keurig is one of the few devices in our home that Sense did find and monitors pretty accurately.
That is the classic signature of a Keurig. About once a minute it pulses 450 watts to keep the reservoir up to temp.
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I unplug mine when not in use. Same with toaster. Just a habit. It would make sense that the keurig would do that.
Good info - it sure seems like the switch point is either too sensitive, or that the hot tank could stand more insulation. I’ll wait patiently for Sense to pick it up, but knowing that switching it off could save it good info. Thanks for the guidance!
BTW, left on 24/7 the Keurig uses about a nickel a day. Minor bump to the total cost of instant gratification coffee. Doesn’t bother me at all.
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