| I am putting in a 200 amp service in my work shop and would like to | monitor the total pull (amps) all the time as I'm running a lot of heat | generating equipment. I have the 200 amp panel gage and a 200:5 current | transformer and was wondering, do I run just one side of the 220v | through the current transformer or both incoming 110v wires? | | I was thinking that since some equipment will be running on 110v and | will obviously be pulling on one leg of the 220v and some running on | 220v at the same time, how do I hook up the current transformer to read | everything on both legs? Does the pull even out? | | Thanks in advance for some help here.
If you run only one side, all the current on the other side is then not measured. Also, you'd be getting the same reading for a 10 amp 120 volt load between the measured line and neutral as you would be getting for a
10 amp 240 volt load between the measured line and the unmeasured line.
If you run both lines through in the same direction, you would see only the difference. It would show the imbalance in your load plus any ground leakage, not the load itself.
If you had a 400:5 CT you could run one wire through the window in one direction, and the other wire through the window in the opposite direction to get the summation (they being opposite phases, you add them in opposite directions). But the sum of TWO 200 amp conductors is 400 amps, and that would exceed the current rating of your 200:5 CT and the 5 amp meter you attach to it.