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By Ernest Kyle
#4147
Tired of being cold during a power outage and having gas furnace that won't work because it is controlled by electricity. Most furnaces are controlled by a 110v circuit. Find that curcuit and install a double pole double throw switch. One end is the house circuit and one goes to a 110v 1000 watt inverter that you can hook up to a car or marine battery. This can keep your electricity to the furnace going and keep your furnace running. Just change the switch when the power goes out and change the switch when the power comes back on.

Reward: whatever
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By Michael D. Grissom
#4184
The circuit you're talking about draws such a small amount of current (amps) that the smallest cheapest UPS (110 vac Uninterruptable Power Supply -- sold for computers) would power your furnace's electrical needs for weeks. These automatically kick in when power fails and you never miss a single cycle of AC current. The smaller UPS units cost about $40 US. See the worlds smallest UPS at:
http://www.pcmups.com.tw/article/archive/18/
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By Ernest Kyle
#4197
Who ever thought that I was just supplying power to the electronic thermostat circuitry is missing the point. This power that comes from the battery with the 1000w ac adapter also runs the blower for the furnace, the glow plug to light the furnace (or sparker) and all of the solinoids that open the gas valves. It takes some power. Just making a power backup like a computer needs is NOT suffcient!!!!! Stick to the origional plan!!!!!
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By Michael D. Grissom
#4199
Ernest Kile; I read your "original plan!!!" very carefully and you said "CONTROLLED by a 110v circuit" not POWERED by. This means thermostat and solenoid -- not blower.


Because there are gas furnaces that do NOT use power hungry blowers and solenoids/thermostats use negligible power, I went by EXACTLY what you said ----> "CONTROLLED". Your "1000 watt inverter" couldn't be used as a tip-off because the average inverter is typically between 500 and 1500 watts. It was natural to assume that you picked a mass produced 1000 watt inverter because it was more cost effective to 'overkill' then to design and build your own. I also know that if you're only using 3 amps (for CONTROLLING) from your 1000 watt inverter -- your NOT using or paying for the remaining 997 reserve so it's still a good choice and thus couldn't b used as a tip-off that you were trying to POWER a furnace.

We can only read what you WRITE as it was WRITTEN and can't possibly fathom what you're THINKING you want to say. Your last response ("Stick to the original plan!!!!!") comes across like your !!!!!YELLING!!!!! at someone who spent valuable time, thought, and effort trying to HELP you brainstorm a solution to your problem.

I sincerely hope that that's NOT how you intended to come across. That wouldn't make any logical sense.
By Rishi
#4437
I would agree with Michael D. Grissom.

According to the origional plan!!!!! you need not only throw the dpdt switch but you also have to hook up the thingamajig to a marine , car or whatever battery.
Usually this battery is 60 amp hour capacity, which means that you can get a three hour operation at 1000 W.

Maybe 'Tired of being cold during a power outage' after three hours is better than being so from the beginning.

Rishi
By Rishi
#4439
orry, I goofed the arithmetic! Missed a decimal point. A 12v 60AH battery can give only 1/3 of an hour backup at 1000 W and not 3 hours as I said in my last posting.

Rishi
By ron
#6386
Even if you could only run the furnace 20 minutes, you could then recharge the battery within 40 minutes and continue

On any decently insulated house this would keep things comfortable.

... and most car alternators are well above whats required.

interesting ideas

==


A 12v 60AH battery can give only 1/3 of an hour backup at 1000 W and not 3 hours as I said in my last posting.

Rishi[/quote]
By jacobpatrick
#6441
why not just wire the thing to your car.
then it would run till your out of gas
By bmccue
#7054
I have a propane fired forced hot air furnace. I also have a generator transfer switch (6 circuits) connected via underground cable to my shed. Inside the shed I have a 4KW generator. The generator is capable of running my freezer, fridge, furnace, and lights without problems.

However, being the guy who likes to have backups for backups, I also can unplug from the generator and plug into a 750watt (1500watt surge) modified sine wave inverter. I do this via a special adaptor I built (120vac to 240vac plugs). The inverter is capable of running the furnace, lights, or fridge (fridge by itself due to load).

If I plan on running the furnace or fridge for extended periods of time, I can connect the inverter to my car battery and idle the engine to recharge the battery.

I can also hook my 60AH deep cycle camper battery up to the inverter and run the furnace through several complete cycles. It will also power a couple of ceiling lights for 5 hours or so. I'm
careful to not discharge below 50% of capacity.

SO, the long and short of all this is, if you have an inverter you can run many things. I would like to pick up a larger charger (say 15amps) to charge my battery from the generator so I don't have to run it continuously (can you say "hybrid"?).
By garry
#10351
Your not going to run your furnace for very long on a car battery.
Have you looked for alternatives.heat pumps,windmills,hydro power
i think you have more chance there.cheers
By tsmith5253
#14809
The only flaw in your plan is you asume that most heaters are 120v but most are 240v with a 3 speed electric fan motor sorry but you need o go back to the drawing board also most home hvac units draw way more amps than what you think i know because im an electrician and i also use to be a hvac man. its a great idea and ive seen many home made back up power systems built of coarse the easy most comon verzion is a simple 1,2, or 4 cylinder generator of course if you could desine a cheaper simpler more specific use gereator that would be small enough to fit inline with the hvac unit with the exauhst going out like the co2 would in a gas furnace.
By Angel06
#15703
tsmith5253 wrote:The only flaw in your plan is you asume that most heaters are 120v but most are 240v with a 3 speed electric fan motor sorry but you need o go back to the drawing board also most home hvac units draw way more amps than what you think i know because im an electrician and i also use to be a hvac man. its a great idea and ive seen many home made back up power systems built of coarse the easy most comon verzion is a simple 1,2, or 4 cylinder generator of course if you could desine a cheaper simpler more specific use gereator that would be small enough to fit inline with the hvac unit with the exauhst going out like the co2 would in a gas furnace.
I am agree with you on what you have said. Maybe you he better make a research for what he was doing.


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