Anyone know if this is possible and how to do it? If an inverter is needed I dont have one on hand. Just wondering if there is any way to do it. Power is out and it's cold. Was going to pull my truck battery if it can be done and run the the blower for a while. Thanks for any ideas.
How to rig quadrafire 7100 firplace blower to a battery?
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Sorry to hear the power went out. The fireplace blower should be hardwired so this takes a bit of planning in advance. A small generator would handle it, but you need to know what you are doing to power a hardwired circuit. You'll need to turn off the main breaker to start with.
Get 100ah battery and Inverter. I use AIMS 1250 and get 6hrs plus on it. I have Generator with Transfer Panel. Don't just hookup Generator to panel. It's illegal and can get people killed. I you want generator it has to be PURE SINE Wave. That are small ones. Get Honda one for the best. But nothing but PSW. You can get them for under 500. That along with extension cord. I recommend one run by propane. Lots less trouble.
velvetfoot
Minister of Fire
I don't think an inverter genny is required for this.
Maybe turn off the breaker and dig into the wall switch to power with a 120v. source?
Maybe turn off the breaker and dig into the wall switch to power with a 120v. source?
That's where I'd go, but I'm pretty comfortable with electrical stuff, YMMV. Dig into the switch on the wall that controls the blower, see if it's possible to unhook from the switch and plug on your power inverter there. I think that blower fan is about 160 watts draw, though, which equates to 13.3 ish amps by the time you get back to 12VDC on the battery, not accounting for any inverter losses. That's about like leaving your headlights on in a car, which can kill your battery in short order. Don't want to do that too many times with a standard car battery or it'll be permanently dead.
jetsam
Minister of Fire
I backfeed my panel with my generator.
You need to test your main breaker and make sure it shuts off properly, install an outlet on a properly sized breaker, unhook the N-G jumper on the generator, and put an interlock kit on the feed breaker.
This can take a bit longer than it sounds because you have to put the feed breaker right next to the main to fit the interlock, so most need to move a couple circuits.
I did mine in a couple hours.
Don't get caught doing that. Here in St Louis a homeowner and electrician were prosecuted a few years back for that . Electrican installed a 240 volt outlet and made a jumper chord, the home owner back feed his panel with out opening the main break and in turn back feed a transformer. During storm clean up a tree trimmer got knocked on his butt . Both received big fines.
Talk to your Electric Company or PUD. Doing it wrong will endanger people. Big Lawsuit over doing it right will not be in your best interests.
This is a very real danger if the generator isn't installed correctly with a full mains disconnect that isolates your house from the utility before connecting the generator. The next best thing is the main breaker interlock that @jetsam suggested, since it achieves the same effect. As long as there's no way the generator can be feeding the house while still connected to the utility lines, it should be OK, but you'd better be absolutely sure of that, which for legal reasons usually means licensed electricians and inspector visits.
The two power companies around here will only allow a main transfer switch installed between the main breaker and the meter.
plug the stove into an UPS (computer battery backup), plug UPS into outlet...if you lose power, stove fan will run until battery dies.
I do not believe the transfer switch has to be on the main (which is not an amateur installation). There are transfer switches that allow a generator to be used only on selected circuits -- I installed one for our house on critical circuits and it was easy to install and works well. This is the one I used, but it looks as if there are single circuit models as well that could be used if a person was only concerned about their furnace blower.
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Reliance 306A1 Indoor Transfer Switch (30A-120V)
Reliance Controls ProTran 306A1 Indoor 120V Manual Transfer Switch safely provides power from your generator for up to 6 circuits in your existing load center. LOW pricing & FAST installation.
jetsam
Minister of Fire
Interlock backfeeds are legal here (and I believe everywhere in the US). They're really just a simple mechanical means to enforce that the main is off before the feed breaker goes on.
You can't backfeed the panel with the main on if you have an interlock installed.
The other option is a transfer panel (which I used before I switched to an interlock), but they are more expensive and less flexible. They may be better suited to a homeowner who's really clueless about electricity though. With an interlock, you need to be aware that you have an X watt generator, you want to load up the legs evenly, you may not have the oomph to run the electric range/dryer/etc.... with a transfer panel, you can have someone think that out for you ahead of time and restrict you to sane choices.
Your dude who backfed his panel without even flipping the main is a whole different scenario.
I called Amern U.E. and Cuivre River Electrical Coop about interlocking breakers, main and 30 amp for transfer and am meter socket transfer which looks like this they said absolutely not on both of them. Main feed transfer switch only. In the 10 years I was was a journeymen wireman all gererators I worked on were main service tranfer or a transfer sub panel.
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