Hello again,
Today I'm tinkering with my generators and determining (or trying to) determine the MAXIMUM SURGE Amps and Watts when I start various appliances.
Due to circumstances I can't actually be right there watching the Kill-A-Watt device as each device starts.....so I'm wondering if there's an easy way to capture those values?

Any other (reasonably priced) device that will do that (like $50 or less)?

Thanks

 

It probably won’t work for you but many smart outlets record results. I can look up over the internet how much power my coffee pot is using, that kind of thing. These are about $20 these days but I haven’t seen one that can handle more than 15A.

 

Something like this (measuring the inrush current) might suffice – the listing appears to define the inrush period as 100ms.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HYELEC-P...h=item28488a10c6:g:KWkAAOSwSB1aoA7H:rk:1:pf:0

 

Depends on how detailed you wish to get. For example with an AC load like a motor the inrush current can be 4 to 10 times the normal run current. So a simple clamp on meter with a peak capture or peak hold will show you the peak current but it will not show you current on the Y axis verse Time on the X axis so you have no idea how many cycles of your mains power the inrush current last or what the decay rate is to normal current. Since you mention generators you may wish to give this a read. Sizing Gen-Sets For Large Motor Starting. So you can wing it or invest in some good measuring and recording equipment making sure your sample rate is fast enough.

Ron