Reminder: Never connect a generator to home wiring without transfer switch

Tue Aug 31 19:05:26 UTC 2021

I have a gas-fired hot water system, the electricity is also used to
run the gas blower. I believe most of the electricity it uses is for
circulating the hot water which you mention but it won't do anything
w/o electricity.

Actually I can bypass the circulator and it will do its best to
circulate the hot water by convection or whatever it is, I've had to
do that on occasion, failed circulator. It works "ok" like that, a lot
better than nothing on a New England winter day.

It's kind of quaint, an old converted coal furnace about chest high
and oh maybe 8'x6' footprint with spyglass doors, probably original
1890-ish, very steampunk.

But the gas blower is pretty much the usual standard little thing,
looks like a big hair dryer.

I do have wrkng frpls.

On August 31, 2021 at 12:36 mark at tinka.africa (Mark Tinka) wrote:
 > 
 > 
 > On 8/31/21 12:26, Forrest Christian (List Account) wrote:
 > 
 > > Yes.   Or any other furnace where the electricity is only used for 
 > > circulation of the heat.  Gas fired Hot water furnaces would be 
 > > another example where there is minimal electricity used to run the 
 > > furnace controls and circulate the hot water.
 > 
 > Gas-fired furnaces or heaters should not have an impact because the only 
 > electrical requirement is to fire up the pilot light.
 > 
 > But fully-electric heating has a much higher impact on energy sources 
 > (heat pumps being the least).
 > 
 > I believe typical electric central furnaces are anywhere between 10kW - 
 > 15kW systems. Would a standard 4kVA - 8kVA generator for average Jane 
 > cut it? Not sure.
 > 
 > Then again, I live in a more forgiving climate, so I have a very limited 
 > need to understand this better.
 > 
 > But I can understand why the code has not caught up to this yet, and 
 > insists on hard-wiring the devices... because the majority of home and 
 > buildings will still be using all-electric equipment that require plenty 
 > of energy, where things can go wrong if you allow Jane to just run her 
 > suicide cord any way she may like. Yes, there may be more folk moving 
 > over to other energy sources that eliminate or reduce the need for 
 > electricity, but the code has to cater for the wider demographic.
 > 
 > Mark.

-- 
        -Barry Shein

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