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How to Measure Power Factor

How to Measure Power Factor

How to Measure Power Factor

(OP)
How do you measure power factor and what do you measure it with. Is there some type of hand held meter that can be used to measure watts as I am told this is really what you are looking for and trying to reduce?  What is the optimal location to measure it at, the load or somewhere near the distribution panel/PoCo meter?

Thanks,
Roger

RE: How to Measure Power Factor

Almost any power meter will display power factor. They range from fairly cheap handheld devices to expensive meters/dataloggers to permanent panel mount devices.

If you're planning on measuring your incoming power you may want to consider permanently installing something like a Tyco 1530 series panel meter. They're fairly cheap and provide a lot of good data. Or else, you can get really fancy and install a meter such as a ION. Either way, you get a permanent meter to refer to at any time.

As for where to measure it, that depends on why you're measuring it. If it's to know what a certain piece of equipment is doing then you measure at the equipment feed. If it's to know what you whole system is doing then you measure at your main feeder.

RE: How to Measure Power Factor

Lots of instrumentation companies have meters that can do this and they will gladly let you contract them out to use their equipment to do this (for a price of course)...ie: Fluke has a power system analyzer meter that will measure pf, harmonics, and can log 14 days of data.

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