When building my last Vegetable Oil burner [
https://www.electrical-contractor.n...mental_Oil_Burner_Part_O.html#Post190156 ] I wanted to rate the electric 1500w heating elements to validate their power in experiments. I bought a clamp on ammeter, thinking that by measuring amps and volts at my triac I could measure the wattage. Some chance! The values indicated bore no resemblance to the amps drawn, being MILES off the true value and totally unrepeatable. I proved this by boiling a pound of water in a 2kw rated electric kettle, timing the experiment from a measured 60F to 212F and finding the btu. [1 btu = 1lb thro' 1F]. Conversion to kw showed the kettle was drawing about 8.5A @ 230v. The meter reading? 2 to 4A [sometimes].
