Pump and motor
power monitoring
Current, power and runtime from every motor feeder. The load pattern shows when a pump runs dry, a filter blocks or a bearing starts to drag, long before the motor trips.
THE PROBLEM
A motor tells you its health through its current
Pumps, fans and conveyors run most of a plant, and most of them run unwatched. The first sign of a problem is often a tripped overload, a burnt winding or a dry pump, and by then the repair is a rewind or a replacement.
Yet the motor has been signalling the problem for days. A pump drawing less current than normal is often running dry or against a closed valve. Rising current can mean a blocked impeller, a dragging bearing or a failing coupling. Starts that become more frequent point to a control or level problem.
Many sites also need runtime for maintenance. Service intervals are set in running hours, and few motors have an hour meter anyone reads.
HOW WE SET IT UP
Measure the feeder, learn the normal pattern
Meter or current sensing per feeder
Larger motors get a connected sub-meter on the feeder. For smaller pumps and fans, Sense-i current and power nodes measure the circuit and report current, power and runtime.
Read the drive if there is one
VFDs already know motor current, speed, power and fault codes. Our Modbus gateway reads those registers, which gives richer data than a meter on the drive supply.
Bands for dry running and overload
Once the normal running current is known, alarms are set above and below it. Thresholds can act on the device itself through a relay output, without waiting for the cloud.
Runtime and starts for maintenance
Runtime and number of starts are counted from the current signal. RIOD Live reports them per motor, so service is planned on hours run rather than the calendar.
AT A GLANCE
Pump and motor monitoring at a glance
- Measured
- Current, power and runtime per motor, with starts counted from the current signal
- Hardware
- Smart energy sub-meters, Sense-i current and power nodes, RS485 Modbus IoT gateway for VFDs
- Connectivity
- Wi-Fi, 4G or BLE; LoRa or Zigbee for spread-out pump sets
- Power
- 12 V adapter or 2,000 to 5,000 mAh battery options, chosen per device and site
- Local logic
- Thresholds, alarms and relay outputs run on the device
- Data goes to
- RIOD Live cloud, or the platform deployed on your own server
- Protection note
- Motor protection stays with your overloads, relays and starters; monitoring runs alongside them
FAQ
Questions buyers ask us
Can you detect pump dry running from motor current?
Yes, in most cases. A centrifugal pump running dry or against a closed valve draws noticeably less power than in normal duty. Setting a low-current alarm just below the normal band catches it, with a short delay to ignore start-up.
What does rising motor current indicate?
Higher than normal current at the same duty often points to a mechanical load increase: a blocked impeller, a tight bearing, a misaligned coupling or a dragging conveyor. Trending current over weeks makes the change visible before the overload trips.
Does power monitoring replace motor protection?
Motor protection remains the job of the overload relay, motor protection relay or drive, which are designed and certified for that role. Power monitoring sits alongside them and gives early warning and history.
How is motor runtime measured remotely?
A current threshold defines when the motor is running. Every time current crosses it, the device logs a start and accumulates running time, which is reported to the cloud for maintenance planning.
Want early warning from your pumps and motors?
Tell us the motors, their ratings and whether they run on drives or starters. We will propose the sensing for each one.