AC Voltage Meters for Your Electric System

14 July 2020
 Categories: Industrial & Manufacturing, Blog

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There are times when you need to monitor the electrical system in your shop or facility to ensure that you have enough power for a specific process. Doing this effectively is not as difficult as it may seem, and there are a lot of options for meters that can be used for this purpose.

1. Panel Meters

One way to track the power flow and stability in a particular part of your facility is to have an electrician install an AC voltage panel meter on the power panel that feeds specific machines. The meter will allow you to quickly see if the amount of electricity coming to the panel is enough and if it is fluctuating. You may want to have a voltage meter installed for outgoing electricity as well. This will allow you to track the electricity to the process from the panel to ensure that you have the same flow out as you do coming into the panel. 

If you see a difference in the AC voltage panel meter on the outbound side of the panel but not incoming, you may have a problem in your switches and panel that needs to be addressed by a qualified electrician as soon as possible. If the process you are running is dependant on stable power flow, the equipment and the results of whatever process you are running could be affected if the problem is not resolved. 

2. Meter Styles

Most of the AC voltage panel meters that are in use currently are digital meters because they display numbers instead of a sweeping needle. The older style analog meters are still accurate, but when you measure minute fluctuations, the precision of the digital meter can make it much more desirable. If you still have older style meters in your facility, you can have an electrician replace them for you. Updating your equipment to digital meters with multiple functions will allow you to get a better picture of what is happening with the power flow in your plant.  

3. Buying Meters

You can find analog and digital AC voltage panel meters at most online electrical supply stores. Still, any industrial supply business can get the meters you need if you can't find them locally. If you need something special, talk to the industrial supplier about order a particular meter or one that offers the readings you need. 

Some meters on the market are programmable, allowing you to decide what you want to measure and how it is displayed on the meter. If you need that amount of precision, talk to your electrician about installing programmable meters for you.