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But the pump doesn't run continuously-- only on demand from the thermostat. Having it connected to a battery and drawing current only intermittently is ideal vs connection to a continuously running generator. The battery can then be recharged intermittently from the generator started and called into action intermittently.
Unless this was hand fired coal/wood boiler you would need to power the aquastat which controls the boiler and the pump(s). Most of these are going to be hardwired. The transfer switch is the safe way to do this because it insures you are not backfeeding power into the house and out to the guy on the utility poll electrocuting him. You can feed the transfer switch with a battery but I'm not so sure I'd want to expose expensive motors and controls to potentially low power situations.
JMO, but I would never consider altering or adding anything on a neighbors house to run my furnace. When a person can get their own 1800- 2000 watt generator for less than $300.00 to run it. Once they are SURE their furnace/boiler will have a load NOT exceeding, the normal output wattage of the generator/transfer switch.
And whenever people are running newer HVAC equipment, they "may" run in to problems running the equipment from the standard generator. Because the unit will want "clean" power to the HVAC unit solid state control board.
A pro electrician could then wire up the furnace's normal/gen power transfer needs, using something like this...
JMO, but I would never consider altering or adding anything on a neighbors house to run my furnace. When a person can get their own 1800- 2000 watt generator for less than $300.00 to run it. Once they are SURE their furnace/boiler will have a load NOT exceeding, the normal output wattage of the generator/transfer switch.
And whenever people are running newer HVAC equipment, they "may" run in to problems running the equipment from the standard generator. Because the unit will want "clean" power to the HVAC unit solid state control board.
A pro electrician could then wire up the furnace's normal/gen power transfer needs, using something like this...
For not a whole lot more depending on the existing panel you could get a 30A inlet and an interlock kit for the entire panel.
Nowadays that’s usually the best solution - and gives you lighting, the ability to keep the fridge cold, internet running and maybe even the microwave.
For not a whole lot more depending on the existing panel you could get a 30A inlet and an interlock kit for the entire panel.
The transfer switch on the furnace/boiler is cheapest solution, might cost you $700 altogether if you need it installed and that includes the generator. You can always use it to power other things one at time like a fridge.
Backfeeding it to panel with interlock and larger generator is a better solution but it's also more costly, might be $3k installed including generator. I prefer this solution myself, hard to justify whole house generator if power failures are infrequent. It's also more versatile because you can power any circuit and as giant bonus you have a portable generator you can throw on the truck to take elsewhere if you want to. Only downside is it does not come on by itself and there is some minor work getting it up and running.
The whole house generator is something to consider if you have a lot of power outages, these come on automatically but typically only power selected circuits. Cost might be $5k plus.
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Nowadays that’s usually the best solution - and gives you lighting, the ability to keep the fridge cold, internet running and maybe even the microwave.
You are supposed to make up list of unneeded circuits to switch off, might be advisable if you have kids so they aren't turning on a whole bunch of stuff. The generator my Dad has is 10K watts. He doesn't turn off anything but it's just him and my Mom. The only big things are the water pump, boiler and the fridge. They are careful to only turn on high wattage items one at a time like the microwave, toaster, one or two burners on the stove etc.
They also have small UPS for the modem and router because they use it for phone service. Power outages in their area are infrequent and typically only for a 2 or 3 hours so they just deal with it for short time. While on the topic make sure you have at least one phone that will operate without power. Easiest thing to do is pull the plug and se if it still works. They have old rotary in the basement and the one in the kitchen is corded phone. It has all the features of modern phone but you lose them during power outage, it will still allow you to receive and send calls which is the important thing.
Disclaimer: Don't do this unless a licensed electrician has installed the required lockouts, etc.
After a hurricane we had a transfer switch, plug, and electrical lockout installed so we could hook up the whole house to the generator so everything was powered without having to run extension cords everywhere.
I wondered if there was a magic plug that would allow us to feed the generator socket with a portable inverter. There is! This can also be used to power your entire house by running a regular extension cord from your neighbor's house or generator. (No 220v items like your water heater, etc.)
Of course, don't try to power anything 220v with it, or the inverter or appliance may release it's magic smoke. And never try this without the necessary professionally installed safety equipment.
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