FYI Installed a plug in volt meter

[Joe Hogan]

Installed a small plug in volt meter in a rarely use 110v outlet just to keep an eye on pedestal power. This was a meter from Hughes. interesting to see the daily variations.

 

[Neal]

Very nice. Now if someone can explain to me why everyone calls it 110 when it’s 120

 

[Trav_lr]

Originally, I had an analog meter that worked well but then I found this digital meter with additional functions. Amazon product ASIN B07L4QVFQQ

 

[mjeds]

Very nice. Now if someone can explain to me why everyone calls it 110 when it’s 120

Why do they call a car 12 volt when it’s actually 14?

 

[Rich W.]

I don’t recall when it happened, but over the years voltage in the two legs of residential power was increased from 110 to 120. Which is also why 220v is now 240. So if you’re over 50 or 60 it’s 110 because that what it’s always been. If you’re younger its 120v. As Joe’s pic shows it’s usually somewhere in between.

 

[Tnedator]

Installed a small plug in volt meter in a rarely use 110v outlet just to keep an eye on pedestal power. This was a meter from Hughes. interesting to see the daily variations.
View attachment 21693

I have one of those, also interesting to see the voltage fluctuations when I run my Breville Nespresso with I think a 1500 watt pump on it.

 

[Tnedator]

Very nice. Now if someone can explain to me why everyone calls it 110 when it’s 120

LOL, I recently read about that when I was trying to get more info on low voltage. Apparently a long time ago, we were 110v, then over time, different areas of US had different voltages, 110 or 115 or 117, and eventually it was standardized on 120 with a +/- 5%, however clearly 110/220 is still used all the time, including by myself, when it's really 120/240.

 

[Tnedator]

Why do they car a car 12 volt when it’s actually 14?

Car battery is a 12 volt battery that will show 12.something when fully charged, but we often see 14 volts or so if your car shows volts, which is the alternator output charging the 12v battery. At least that's my understanding.

 

[Neal]

As to voltage readings I had this installed at factory pickup and it shows voltage on line 1 and 2. It’s nice when your coach starts losing shore power and you can see why such as high voltage 130V.

Amazon product ASIN B00O5BYO7K

 

[Tnedator]

I have the remote display for my Southwire transfer switch/surge protector, but it's in my electric bay, I've never fished it up into the coach. It comes with 30 feet or so of cable.

Now, I also have a surgeguard surge protector at pedestal which is bluetooth and lets you monitor voltage and amps via app, RV Whisper or a wireless display in the coach.

 

[DennisT]

Love the app on our watchdog pedestal mounted EMS.

 

[Neal]

Installed a small plug in volt meter in a rarely use 110v outlet just to keep an eye on pedestal power. This was a meter from Hughes. interesting to see the daily variations.
View attachment 21693

Is this measuring inverter output or pedestal line voltage? I believe it's inverter.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I believe 110 ac refers to lowest acceptable voltage, according to internet sources. This of course is bogus, in the fact that the voltage reading is RMS and peaks around 167 volts, and goes to nothing 60 times a second +-. As for 12vdc systems 12v is a dead battery at rest. This to is the defacto lowest voltage the system at rest can have.

Think of it this way! If you manufacturer a product for the grid, it must reliably run on 110(the minimum voltage).

 

[Okie]

This is what I use. It's pretty handy it cycles between voltage and hertz and has a warning if either gets out of parameters .

 

[Wemustrv]

Installed a small plug in volt meter in a rarely use 110v outlet just to keep an eye on pedestal power. This was a meter from Hughes. interesting to see the daily variations.
View attachment 21693

Just a friendly note. Make sure if you off grid running on batteries only that you remove this device or turn it off as it will drain battery over time. When I redid my coach electrical I added a hard wired dual 12 volt monitor . This allows me to monitor the chassis and house battery lever. I added the switch for two purposes; one to save batteries and secondly because the LED display was reported to be so bright it would illuminate the coach at night. It truly is that bright. Small but mighty. I love having this available to know where my battery status at times. Happy Trails to You!
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