Phase Shifting for Fun & Profit (Complete)

Oct 27, 2003 3 Replies
[Other post of similar name partially posted.]

I am a novice in the field of electronics, but am curious about the plans I found in an old book, circa 1960, about building a simple phase shifter to sidestep the monthly electric bill.



The circuit is simple, 3 Capacitors wired in parallell to a seires of



1 resistor and 1 fuse.


-----------------R1---F1----> | | | C1 C2 C3 | | |



---------------------------->


The book claims that when run at periods of low-load in the home, i.e. during the night, that this simple circut will actually decrease the overall perceived load by the powermeter, and in certain cases, actually cause the meter to run backwards; thus, lower monthly bill.



Any insight into this concept, or the viability of its actual use would me much appreciated. As would the accounts of anyone who has had success / failure using a device of this type.



Anthony David Adams UW-Madison Grad Student


Yes, undoubtely.

The book title: "Practical magic for the novice" perhaps?

The circuit changes the phase relation between voltage and current (provides a phase advance), but domestic Watt/hour meters are measuring only the real component of the load, so the circuit doesn't do anything to the monthly bill. Actually the R1 in the circuit will increase the electric bill, because it will produce heat = R x I^2. Remember "anything that looks too good to be true, ......... Rudy

Assuming, of course, it was legal to begin with.

Sincerely,

Donald L. Phillips, Jr., P.E. Worthington Engineering, Inc.

145 Greenglade Avenue Worthington, OH 43085-2264

snipped-for-privacy@worthingtonNSengineering.com (remove NS to use the address)

614.937.0463 voice 208.975.1011 fax

formatting link

I don't believe hooking a 'capacitor bank' to your residential service is illegal (provided you follow NEC requirements). Of course, it won't really do any good as far as running your meter backwards or anything, so why even bother ;-)

daestrom

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