TriX wrote:
Jerry’s power company has to size the distribution system for peak, not base load, so if they can get enough homeowners to handle the peak load, they can use a lower rated distribution system. Now whether it’s worth it to the consumer is highly doubtful. A whole house generator is nice to have if you live in an area with regular outages, but you really need natural gas (propane is expensive and you may not be able to store enough for extended use in addition to your heat). Also, switching the mains for the entire house rather than just 5-6 circuits requires an expensive t***sfer switch plus you’ll really need to run your computer, router, etc on a UPS so they don’t die during the switchover. They are very convenient, but not cheap - typically 5-6K.
Since we have very infrequent outages (an occasional hurricane or ice storm), I have a portable 6KW generator with a natural gas conversion kit so it will run on natural gas, propane or gasoline. Since I have natural gas, I don’t need to store gasoline which is a major PIA as I did in the past. The kit is about $225-250 and really makes an emergency generator painless. I simply pull the main breaker, plug it into an outdoor 230V outlet (which I installed for that purpose), and it will run everything except the A/C. Total cost - about $800 including the conversion kit.
One thing to be aware of. Most modern gas furnaces use a PC board for control rather than simple relays, and many systems use the same controller board. The catch is that the controller is very sensitive to the AC line frequency which must be in the 59-61 Hz range or it won’t start. If your generator doesn’t use a frequency controlled inverter, its frequency varies with the engine speed, which even with the speed governor, changes with load. So... if you need your generator to run your furnace in an emergency, better test it before you need it to make sure the frequency is stable enough to start your furnace.
Jerry’s power company has to size the distribution... (
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Be aware, unless you have made alterations to prevent this just plugging in a portable generator into a 230v AC outlet to power your house creates a hazard for the power company employees! Even with the Main Breaker thrown off there can be power feedback to the main line which may under some circumstances expose them to full voltage/amperage! Hooking up like that is against code & may be illegal I'm not sure in all states. That is why an approved T***sfer Switch is so essential!