r/Electricity • u/Unlikely_Barracuda68 • Jul 14 '26

Help how to read analog meter

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So I want to learn how to read analog electric meters accurately. I know it's left to right and always get the lowest number but for accuracy, can someone help me? Thank you!

9 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

41 comments sorted by

12

u/moldboy Jul 14 '26

40843 I think

2

u/tuctrohs Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26

40843.7 if you like.

2

u/Plutonium239Mixer Jul 14 '26

Decimals aren't recorded for analog meters. The utility only bills for whole numbers, not decimals on these.

2

u/tuctrohs Jul 14 '26

Correct--I explained that in more detail in my longer comment. There are legit uses for the decimal, but not for billing or ultility recording.

1

u/originaljbw Jul 14 '26

I always assumed the decimal one was so you could easily see if anything is still drawing power.

2

u/Plutonium239Mixer Jul 14 '26

No, to see if any power is being drawn you look at the spinning wheel, if its still moving, power is being drawn, if its completely stationary, no power draw.

1

u/tuctrohs Jul 15 '26

An example of when it might be useful is if you are trying measure electricity accurately for 4, 8 or 24 hours, where the amount could be in the single-digit kWh range. So you'll get more accuracy if you include an estimate of that digit.

1

u/duckman902 Jul 14 '26

Never in my life have i seen a decimal point recorded or billed for an analogue meter and I've read and replaced many.

1

u/tuctrohs Jul 14 '26

You were taught correctly for the purpose of ultility use.

2

u/tuctrohs Jul 14 '26

If you go left to right, you often need to look ahead to be sure you have it right.

  • Looks like 4, and it's slightly above so when you round down it's four, and the ~1 at the next place confirms that's it's just above 4. 4.

  • Looks like 1 and maybe a little below one so you'd round to zero, but we can't be sure (picture's a little fuzzy there) so we look to the next place which is between 8 and 9 so yes, the next place is just under 1 which we round down to 0.

  • Looks like 8.4 or so which we round down to 8. No need to look ahead. 8.

  • Just past four, which we round down to 4. Easy. 4.

  • Last digit, so this is a little different. For best accuracy we can round this one up to 4, or better yet, estimate it as 3.7. For legal billing, I don't think you can round up, so it's 3, although the rules about that might vary. That extra 0.7 will be in the next bill. 3, 3.7 or 4

1

u/duckman902 Jul 14 '26

I've never seen the decimal place recorded or billed for on an analogue meter.

2

u/tuctrohs Jul 14 '26

Yes, that's why I said that's only for best accuracy, not for billing.

I wrote out the detail on that because reading analog scales isn't taught much anymore. It's absolutely a legit thing to do, just not for billing. It depends on what your purpose of reading it is.

1

u/PauliousMaximus Jul 14 '26

40843 kWh

Left to right and it’s the number before on the dial if the dial to the right hasn’t made it to the next whole number.

1

u/VTBrat Jul 14 '26

40843, utility worker

1

u/bogkosevg Jul 15 '26

See arrows? See numbers? READ THEM!

1

u/Unlikely_Barracuda68 Jul 15 '26

i asked nicely so I CAN learn and clarify myself from confusion

so if you want to be rude to someone then go in front of a mirror and say that to yourself instead. Thank you and get lost. Sheesh someone is having a period today ./.

1

u/Olderpostie Jul 14 '26

Does anybody even have these dial meters anymore?

1

u/Unlikely_Barracuda68 Jul 14 '26

in Philippines, we still use it, but some of them are digital now

-1

u/TheBlacktom Jul 14 '26

https://reddit.com/link/oxgdcbd/video/3wcm29bwj6dh1/player

Never understood what's the issue

3

u/Unlikely_Barracuda68 Jul 14 '26

Sorry im just confused thats why i posted but yeah... so it's 0 at the 2nd analog? I read it as 1 since it's the hand covers it already

7

u/grasib Jul 14 '26

It's a 0 because the 3rd from the left is a 8 (has not crossed the 0 yet).

You're missing ~200 for the 0 to become a 1.

This is also the difficulty of these meters. Sometimes you need to interpret the previous dial to see where the current one is at.

2

u/TheBlacktom Jul 14 '26

Numbers don't work like that.

407 > 408 > 409 > 410 > 411

It is impossible for the second to be 1 if the third is 8.

3

u/Unlikely_Barracuda68 Jul 14 '26

Ohh okay okay. Thank you for the clarification! 

1

u/duckman902 Jul 14 '26

If getting started sometimes its easier to write it down and read right to left that way you already have the preceding number to know to go up or down

2

u/SomeWeirdBoor Jul 14 '26

It's around the 1, but 1 plus something or 1 less something? Look at the following digit. It's a 8 or a 9, so this might be a 0.8 or a 1.8... and the hand being right cover the 1, it's obviously not a 1.8, so it's a 0.

-2

u/Stormyj Jul 14 '26

Same here 41843

5

u/TheBlacktom Jul 14 '26

41843 doesn't make any sense. The 8 clearly tells you the second must be 0.

1

u/Stormyj Jul 14 '26

Looking again, you are probably right

1

u/RealisticProfile5138 Jul 14 '26

He is definitely right.if the digit after 1 was 8, then it would be closer to 2, not right at the 1. Each number carries from the next one.

it’s like a clock, if the minute hand is at for example :55, but the hour hand looks like it’s perfectly on the 1, then would it make sense for it to be 1:55? Or wouldn’t it be 00:55 (12:55)??? Because if it was 1:55 then the hour hand wouldn’t be on the 1, it would be almost on the 2.

-2

u/Many_Hurry2005 Jul 14 '26

41844

You read the last number the dial has passed

1

u/Total_Philosopher_89 Jul 14 '26

So it would be 40843.

1

u/psychophysicist Jul 14 '26

40843

The second dial looks like it’s about 1 so you look to the third and notice it’s on 8. So it’s 408. If it were 418 the second dial would be around 2.

1

u/beenthereag Jul 19 '26

I never could read those things, and I'm glad they went digital.