@ION What mag probe do you use? Do you know for what frequency range it is specified? If its inductance is low, the high frequency components of the signal can be reinforced (especially in the frequency range of its natural resonance) and the low frequencies reduced. So the ratio between the spikes and the sine wave could be false, and the least parasitic peak in the signal be hugely amplified.
Several times I have been surprised to see strange signals from the grid. This was due to the filtering of the circuit through which I observed the signal. If the circuit acts as a high pass filter, we can see even radio frequency signals. For example we can see the spikes due to a triac controlling a light elsewhere in the house.
Could you put a low resistance (<1 ohm) in series with the heater, and measure the voltage at its terminals, in order to estimate the real current? It is possible with an oscilloscope, with two probes in differential mode.
ex: My main mag probe is a Magnetek 100mV / Gauss @ 60 Hz. (Magnetek Corp. Boulder Colorado) I also use other pickup coils to verify that it is not an artefact of the probe, such as long telephone coil relay electromagnet around 3" long with many turns of fine #36 wire on an iron slug, and other coils with and without magnetic cores. All nearly the same spiky waveform. If you have not read the whole thread, you will note that I have used a 0.01 ohm resistor shunt to measure the current. This is a four wire "Kelvin" type resistor, 2 leads for current, 2 sense leads to the scope. No artefacts in the current waveform I tried another similar heater, coiled Nichrome element in a quartz tube. same effect a little less intense. I am guessing they are Nichrome. based on the hot to cold resistance ratio. determined initial reading and current drawn when hot, which can be worked back to find hot resistance. I have shown this to another seasoned engineer like myself and he is also puzzled. Together we have over 80 years of experience designing and troubleshooting all types of power circuitry. Barkhousen noise is not a good fit for what is happening here. At this point I'm wasting too much time answering questions that were priorly answered and am going back to the bench to investigate further. Read the whole thread!!! Cheers to all.....ION
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