Emergency shut down due to power outage please help

[Mud67]

Hi all, new to hearth.com
I was wondering if anyone could answer whether a 200 watt/18 AH booster pack/inverter would be sufficient to run combustion fan long enough for cool down if it was immediately unplugged from wall and plugged into booster pack A/C outlet so as to avoid smoke back up into house?
Any and all responses are welcomed..

 

[GeHmTS]

Hi all, new to hearth.com
I was wondering if anyone could answer whether a 200 watt/18 AH booster pack/inverter would be sufficient to run combustion fan long enough for cool down if it was immediately unplugged from wall and plugged into booster pack A/C outlet so as to avoid smoke back up into house?
Any and all responses are welcomed..

can you just test it and see if it works?

 

[Mud67]

Thanks was beginning to think no one saw my post.
I also apologize, the stove is a 2015 free standing enviro empress.
I guess I could test it but don't like the idea of having smoke back up just to find out. If I did and didn't work I would have to plug stove back in and restart? Just don't want to hurt the electronics by unplugging while running and then plugging back in if it doesn't work. Wish there was a way to just run combustion fan..

 

[jackman]

Maybe. I'll second GeHmTS give it a try.

It would help other forum members if you tell us the make, model, and year of your stove.

 

[Mud67]

Maybe. I'll second GeHmTS give it a try.

It would help other forum members if you tell us the make, model, and year of your stove.

2015 free standing enviro empress,

 

[Mud67]

Maybe. I'll second GeHmTS give it a try.

It would help other forum members if you tell us the make, model, and year of your stove.

I would but my concern is unplugging stove while burning only to plug into booster pack and possibly have smoke back up into house or damage the stoves electronics..any thoughts? thank you for replying..

 

[johneh]

If you get smoke your exhaust set up is poor .
Unplug your stove and plug it into the back up system
it should seamlessly run . Turn off the stove and it should
do a full shut down After all you are going to use the back
up to turn your stove off during a power outage . I presume
that you are not always home during a out age or do you
just use your stove when you are home
I run 24/7 and just let the stove burn out during power outages
and never have had smoke

 

[Mud67]

If you get smoke your exhaust set up is poor .
Unplug your stove and plug it into the back up system
it should seamlessly run . Turn off the stove and it should
do a full shut down After all you are going to use the back
up to turn your stove off during a power outage . I presume
that you are not always home during a out age or do you
just use your stove when you are home
I run 24/7 and just let the stove burn out during power outages
and never have had smoke

Exhaust setup is fine, it's just a horizontal and not vertical setup, so it relies on combustion fan to vent and for shut down. I only run when home or out for short periods. My wife has a home business so she's always home. We rarely have outages but with storms like today just want to know that if power goes out I can shut down stove with the booster pack I have without smoke in the house. Not trying to run stove off of it, just for the cool down when the convection fan runs for a few minutes and the combustion for about 30 minutes to cool stove and vent smoke.. thank you for replying, maybe I didn't explain properly

 

[Mud67]

If you get smoke your exhaust set up is poor .
Unplug your stove and plug it into the back up system
it should seamlessly run . Turn off the stove and it should
do a full shut down After all you are going to use the back
up to turn your stove off during a power outage . I presume
that you are not always home during a out age or do you
just use your stove when you are home
I run 24/7 and just let the stove burn out during power outages
and never have had smoke

My only concern is if a 200 watt booster pack with 18 AH will have enough power to run combustion fan for the cool down process

 

[GeHmTS]

Consult your manual for the stove, and it may tell you the power you need to keep the combustion fan going during a power outage. However, testing is the best course of action, otherwise, it's just an academic exercise.

 

[Ssyko]

So you test it now, and if it dont you have power to clear out the smoke. Or you can find out when you loose power and it doesn’t have enough and your stuck with smoke or be forced out.

 

[Mud67]

Consult your manual for the stove, and it may tell you the power you need to keep the combustion fan going during a power outage. However, testing is the best course of action, otherwise, it's just an academic exercise.

Yes, manual only gives max wattage for system which is 500. Im assuming that's igniter, auger and all fans running at maximum..

 

[Mud67]

So you test it now, and if it dont you have power to clear out the smoke. Or you can find out when you loose power and it doesn’t have enough and your stuck with smoke or be forced out.

Understand what you're saying, but do you think unplugging and plugging back in will do damage to the "brain"/"motherboard"?

 

[Mud67]

Understand what you're saying, but do you think unplugging and plugging back in will do damage to the "brain"/"motherboard"?

I mean while stove is running? I have a surge protector on outlet, just don't want to damage anything for a test.. Hmm.. maybe I'll try tomorrow after stove is first started and on lowest setting?

 

[chken]

Seems like it should work, as long as the igniter isn't on. However, why not just get a UPS?

 

[gfreek]

I'd look at the motor, see if there is a tag on it for amp rating, my Harman says 1.75 amps. volts x amps = watts, thus 210 watts. Not familiar with your stove, test as mentioned unplug it in shut down mode and see. It will probably handle just the combustion blower.. I'm sure there is a formula to find length of run time, but you would also need the amp/watt draw. UPS is a good suggestion, Good luck

 

[Mud67]

Seems like it should work, as long as the igniter isn't on. However, why not just get a UPS?

Right now not concerned with running the stove when power is down, just want to be able to run combustion fan for cool down in a pinch without smoke..

 

[Mud67]

I'd look at the motor, see if there is a tag on it for amp rating, my Harman says 1.75 amps. volts x amps = watts, thus 210 watts. Not familiar with your stove, test as mentioned unplug it in shut down mode and see. It will probably handle just the combustion blower.. I'm sure there is a formula to find length of run time, but you would also need the amp/watt draw. UPS is a good suggestion, Good luck

Thank you, I'll try to look if there is a tag but it's in a tight corner, was a bit of a pain just getting to and cleaning exhaust temp sensor earlier in year. So you're harman combustion fan alone uses 210 watts? Didn't think of unplugging in shut down mode, was thinking unplug while burning and see if it works. Thanks for that, more people more ideas..

 

[Paulinator]

I would reach out to the manufacturer of the stove and see if they have an approved UPS for it. I bought an approved UPS for my Accentra, it's good for a safe shutdown, though we rarely lose power here. I do like like the fact that it also protects the circuit in case of any voltage issues.

 

[Peterfield]

My 52i sits in a fireplace with about a 15' flue to the top of the chimney. That flue space will be warm from running the stove and will have a natural draft in the event of a sudden shutdown. I have experienced three power failures and in each case, the stove died out and there was never a hint of smoke entering the house. Without the combustion motor blowing, the pellets die out rather quickly and long before the flue cools off.

 

[Deezl Smoke]

The biggest issue will be starting the blowers. Unless they are soft start, the watt draw for start up may trip the booster pack relay. Other wise it should work. Running, the stove should only draw 100 watt or less. But start up..........

What I would do, is go buy a "kill a watt" meter. They have them at home depots or harbor freight tool stores etc. Less than 50 bucks. I think mine were 29 or so. Shut the stove down, plug the meter in the wall socket, then the stove into the meter and start the stove. Once ignition is over, see what it draws.

 

[Mud67]

My 52i sits in a fireplace with about a 15' flue to the top of the chimney. That flue space will be warm from running the stove and will have a natural draft in the event of a sudden shutdown. I have experienced three power failures and in each case, the stove died out and there was never a hint of smoke entering the house. Without the combustion motor blowing, the pellets die out rather quickly and long before the flue cools off.

Thank you but the stove doesn't have a chimney, just a short horizontal exhaust similar to a dryer vent so there is no natural vent. The combustion fan provides the draft for the system..

 

[Peterfield]

That's a horse of a different color as they say. I know someone who used two, deep-cycle marine batteries in tandem and if the power went out, the stove could run several houses before he had to shut it down. That setup would allow for plenty of time to go through the shutdown procedure. I would guess one battery would be sufficient if all you're looking for is time for a normal shutdown.

 

[Mud67]

That's a horse of a different color as they say. I know someone who used two, deep-cycle marine batteries in tandem and if the power went out, the stove could run several houses before he had to shut it down. That setup would allow for plenty of time to go through the shutdown procedure. I would guess one battery would be sufficient if all you're looking for is time for a normal shutdown.

Yes that's all, just want an emergency shut down and am wondering if the 200 watt booster pack will do it..

 

[alternativeheat]

My solution would be to install an OAK lower than the exhaust outlet point on the house and then add 3-4 ft of vertical vent outdoors , problem solved. But I like practical mechanical options vs high tech and your install location might not provide the clearance.

As to unplugging and plugging back in, the storm did that for me about six times yesterday, what's the difference if you pull the plug or a storm cuts the power except your way is probably a cleaner cut ?