It looks like you have the 240v source to feed SENSE in box # 1. I would move that to box #2. I can’t tell for sure but if you shut the solar off, box #3, that may shut down SENSE.
Few things, some of which were mentioned above.
Solar CTs must be same direction, the Sun on both point the same way. Same as the other two CTs.
Breaker for Sense needs to be in box 2 by the meter.
Are the CTs connected in right spot on Sense?
If you remove the Solar CTs does the consumption read correctly?
May e defective unit.
Okay. Here are a couple of points.
-
I currently have the solar clamps as they appear in my picture above (facing opposite ways - when they are aligned I get one negative and one positive). I left those for now. For today, the power generated reported by both Enphase and Sense are within 5kWh…a major improvement. These will stay like this for the time being.
-
I should have my electrician move my Sense breaker to the panel next to the meter (where my pool breakers are located as well)?
-
I relocated the main Sense clamps to my original position (lower part of box 2 where the solar splits) I noticed that when I placed them above the split, my usage curve follows my solar generation curve. Below the split and everything works properly (with the exception that I cannot see my pool equipment).
-
Removing the solar clamps have no effect on the consumption readings provided I have my Sense clamps BELOW the split.
-
I am back to original install placement for Sense clamps and the new opposite facing solar clamps as recommended by Ken.
Thanks everyone for helping me through this. Maybe support can figure this out next week.
Making progress
Sense support should be able reserve the polarity so both CTs can be pointed in the same direction. I’d email just to verify everything they see looks correct.
Number 4 on your list doesn’t make sense. The link below shows both positions are correct.
Keep us posted on outcome.
As someone else mentioned, the Sense feed (240) has to come from the same panel/sub panel where the clamps are installed.
Sense does not just gather information through the clamps but also therough the 240 wires that power the monitor.
Wow, is that true? If I had the Sense breaker in the panel with my main and pool equipment it would pick it up?
The sense monitor just needs to be installed where the breaker feeding it is downstream of the clamps. It could be possible for it to be in a separate panel.
Same with the pool. If your pool supply is upstream from the clamps then you won’t see those devices.
If I were in your situation, I would contact the electric company and put the clamps in the panel behind the meter.
Okay. So I rewired the power source to the main sub panel that is next to the meter as recommended. So far I am not seeing anything different than from what I had before as far as wattage reading. I did take the time to reposition all clamps and take pictures along with corresponding Sense monitor signal readings. As you can see, there is a big difference of readings depending on where the clamps are positioned.
Ken, you said that number 4 in my list doesn’t make sense. Look at my pictures and you can see that there is an impact on the reading depending on if im above the split to the solar sub panel or above it. I’m not sure which is correct to be honest but because my A/C was running, I think the position below the split is more accurate. Everywhere I put the clamps I get different information.
When the clamps are on the busbar or main lines coming in from the meter, I get a weird phenomenon where if I turn things on, wattage goes down, if I turn things off, wattage goes up. Support hasn’t said anything to me since Friday and I’m becoming a bit frustrated and impatient 
The only thing I am not getting read is my pool equipment. That is the 60A breaker seen in the panel. I wonder if I could push that wiring for the pool stuff to my house panel (in the garage via that hole at the bottom), install breaker in there and fix the problem?
The correct place for the Sense clamps is either on the bus bars or main cable coming from the meter. They must be above the solar connection. I believe the weird readings you are seeing is because sense is showing the net amount of power from the grid. Check the polarity of the mains reading. When you turn on load and the reading goes down means you are producing more power than you are using. If it shows -600 watt and you turn on a 400 watt load it will read -200. It looks like it is going down, but not really, you are just putting less back into the Grid.
1 Like
That is not how it is supposed to work is it? Isn’t the intended readings supposed to show positive for both solar and consumption? They are separate entities on the power meter graph.
A little more info to my other reply. If you have the clamps above the 60 amp breaker, sense will see the pool equip. Picture 11 is good for the solar clamps. Also note that the bottom right breaker appears to be for the solar equip overhead, (meter or control equip. etc.), so picture 10 will not catch that load but picture 11 will. Hope this helps, good luck with your new Sense.
I can’t answer that for sure as I do not have solar. I did observe in picture 2 that you had one clamp above the solar tap and one below. One main shows positive and one negative.
Do you mean picture 10 is good? Picture 10 is on the solar feeds for the whole bus. Picture 11 is just the solar feeds.
I got my numbers mixed up Picture 11 is the one to use.
Okay. Picture 11 is just my solar feeds. It leaves the Enphase micro inverter equipment out of the loop (which gets picked up later by the main Sense CTs. This sound correct?
Not seeing the whole system,I believe the wires coming into the box where you have the clamps comes from the micro inverters, they should be self powered. Those wires are feeding the solar power into that box. Power goes out the big wires through the disconnect box and ties into the panel where your main breaker is located.The clamps will get all the solar and the main clamps will get everything else.
Agree with the poster above. I would place the clamps on the wires right after or even before the meter. To get my setup to work I had an electrician pull the meter so I could open the panel and install the taps above the meter.
Also, pick a location and stick with it for a week. The folks at Sense need lots of days of data to discover what’s wrong. Before I put the taps above the meter I was changing positions, resetting, changing positions, resetting, etc. Be patient. The taps can be fickle but once you get them in the right place it’s rock solid.
-Ryan
4 Likes
I’m going to concur with @ryankelly54 on this one. You have a lot going on between all your boxes.
- Try to put your mains CTs in front of your meter instead of behind it, even if it means popping a non-code hole between the halves of your load center (put the CTs in the left half of your box 2). Best way to deal with multiple parallel subpanels. That’s what I did.
- I think you have multiple parallel sub panels running off your main box 2. You have one set of wires in box 2 coming out of the main buss bars, then into the wall, likely to the main breaker sub panel for the house. And it looks like a second set of feeds coming out of the breaker on the buss bar, then down into conduit at the bottom of box 2 leading perhaps to a smaller sub panel out by your pool ???
- I would locate my solar CTs on the solar feed-in wires inside of box 2, just prior to them entering the main busses going into the house, though you could also keep them on the two thick wires inside the micro inverter breaker box. It looks like one of those two wires also feeds through another black CT ?
- Try to keep the orientation between the CTs the same, with the same marked side of the CTs facing in the same direction with respect to the flow direction of the wires. Sense support can help you change the polarities if they are showing up wrong. Mains should both be positive during nighttime (no solar). Solar should show two positives on a sunny day. And slow down on your changes… Sense might be flipping polarities to compensate, but then you are flipping again…
2 Likes
Agree with the prior conversation here.
Main CTs before meter if possible or before the main breaker with the same orientation.
Move Sense to box 2 and connect solar CTs to lines going into the tap. If not possible, connect matching picture 9, it matches the connect of Envoy.
Give Sense time to settle down, the numbers will come inline. Sense support can reverse the polarity if needed. If you don’t care about the data do a Reset on the Sense.
1 Like
There is no good reason to put the CT’s above the meter unless it is the only possible space. Electrically the CT’s will work the same before or after the meter or main breaker. Utility companies are very protective of this space. I have seen some posts where costumers have been denied access. They put a seal on the space for a reason.