Dumb question about outputs

1

I have been using my iotawatt for a long time without any issues and decided to add a few more CT’s to get some more details.

I have a main panel below the meter, a sub panel inside the house and a sub panel on my workshop. I don’t have all the breakers monitored so I tried to set up some outputs to collect stats on the “untracked” breakers.

In the main panel I have two CT’s for all usage from the meter, two CT’s for the workshop, two CT’s for the inside subpanel and one CT for the AC compressor right next to the panel.

That leaves two breakers, one for exterior lighting and one for outside outlets and a bathroom addition. So very little usage on the other two breakers, but it should always be positive. However, often the watts and Amps are going negative. The watts are small but the amps are a little bigger. Overall its not a big deal, just an oddity.

Also I did a similar output for the inside panel, Main less the breakers I track inside for an inside remaining usage. Its seems to calculate just fine, but it doesn’t shop up in the influxdb.

PXL_20250808_010636369 (Medium)
PXL_20250808_010636369 (Medium)747×770 123 KB

PXL_20250808_010741487 (Medium)
PXL_20250808_010741487 (Medium)768×1020 131 KB

PXL_20250808_010812709 (Medium)
PXL_20250808_010812709 (Medium)768×1020 145 KB

Rem Outside Stats
Rem Outside Stats1345×715 147 KB

Remaining Outside
Remaining Outside404×613 17.4 KB

Inputs
Inputs758×540 11.1 KB

2

These problems are almost always setup issues. Try plotting Watts and Amps for each CT individually. They should pretty much lie right on top of each other.

Also, I don’t see an SCT013-000 in the pictures. Are you sure about that?

Your mains appear to be pretty fat and you are using a 100A CT with a 5/8" opening. Be sure they fit correctly, are fully closed, and the core has not cracked from forcing onto the cable.

3
  1. Is this what you mean? Looking at it this way, it seems there is a big negative spike right at the start of the AC turning on.

image
image1587×873 295 KB

  1. There is a SCT013-000 in the inside panel.

image
image613×979 101 KB

  1. I am using the 100A CT’s and the slide quite easily up and down the cables. I took them off and the cores look perfect and no force is required to close.

image
image749×765 58.1 KB

Other images.

image
image562×409 9.28 KB

image
image1322×947 191 KB

image
image1317×931 143 KB

4

Not saying this is related to your original issue, but even if the 100A CTs are fitting OK is the upstream main breaker really just 100A? Seems unlikely both based on the wire size and what you’re feeding (subpanels, etc.) out of the main panel. Clipping on the mains CTs if you’re ever exceeding 100A won’t help your data either.

5

It’s pretty standard 200A residential service.

Seems the odds are pretty low one leg would draw more than 100A, but thanks for the comment!