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

[Mel Beckman <mel () beckman org>]

Mark,

I think you’re forgetting about the all-important blower fan in a gas-fired furnace.

That said, the reason the code requires furnaces to be hardwired is to ensure that the blower interlock system can’t be 
bypassed. An electrical interlock ties a heat recover ventilator to circulation air blower operation of a forced-air 
furnace system. This ensure that the blower circulates supply and return air within the structure. A plug-in power 
source leads to the possibility that this interlock could be accidentally defeated, resulting in an overheat within the 
flame box.

 -mel 

> On Aug 31, 2021, at 3:38 AM, Mark Tinka <mark@tinka.africa> 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.