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Review on πŸ”Œ TRC AECM20020-3-012 Electra Check Digital Monitor for AC Power Sources - Black with White Face (Small) by Bryan Reed

Revainrating 3 out of 5

Good and bad. for voltage tester

I bought the TRC to monitor the voltage in my house and it works well for that purpose. It's solidly built and easy to read, and when I tested it on a circuit that I specifically set up as faulty, it worked as advertised. Now for what I don't like about it. 1. I want the display to show tenths. Without that ability, you can't tell if it's 122 volts or 122.9 volts, which is close to 123 volts. For me that is a big difference. 2. The instructions state that this is an RMS meter, not a true RMS meter. When I tested it on a true RMS meter it was off by 1 volt. Because the instructions do not specify electrical tolerances, it is difficult to determine whether or not the meter is reading a voltage that falls within the acceptable electrical range. 3- As a lineman, I went to the substation to check it at the source. Now, without going into all the variables associated with my test, I found again that it's off by 1 volt. 4- As a lineman, we have always followed the 5% rule. This is 5% above or below 120 volts. It turns out about 114-126 volts. The alarms on this meter are configured to operate at 102V and 135V or approximately 15% for a low voltage alarm and 12.5% for a high voltage alarm. I'll admit I'm not an electrical engineer, but I don't see the 102 and 135 volts. I will keep this line monitor as a nice addition to my toy collection but to be honest I have $14. The Camco analog line monitor that I bought at an RV store and which I constantly plug into my generator is just as accurate.

Pros
  • Certified
Cons
  • Cable is shorter than other picks