Powering the furnace

 We have a gas furnace. If the power goes out, it seems a shame to freeze
when the gas is in the pipe. Would a UPC, one of those devices that is
used to keep a computer going when the power goes out - would one of those
be useful to power the furnace for a few hours until the power was
restored?

Would it be possible and simpler to have a battery plus inverter?

 

A normal UPS probably would not work.  You will need to know what the
starting and running amps on your furnace is.  A kill-a-watt will tell
you this.  It really is not very practicable to run you furnace off a
battery and inverter.  You would have to have a large bank of
batteries to last any time at all.  A generator works just fine.  You
don't have to have a large one to handle a gas furnace.
--
Jim Rusling
More or Less Retired
Mustang, OK
http://www.rusling.org

 

     Yep, Jim has it right.

     Even if you had a UPS big enough to run that fan, you would be amazed at
the huge battery bank you would need to run your furnace for any length of time.
A small generator is the cheapest and simplest solution.  The most elegant
solution would be a generator modified (or built) to run from that natural gas
that is already in your pipes.  Gasoline can be really hard to come by after a
general power failure.

Vaughn

 

Vaughn Simon wrote:


What fan ?

Graham

 On Sat, 15 Dec 2007 14:58:56 +0000, Eeyore wrote:


A honking big blower motor that blows the hot air into the ductwork
throughout the house.

Thanks for the replies.