Power Inverter to run boiler?

Leonard

When parelling a gen with other gen or powerline it's VERY important to match phase. Or it might just bounce and rip out of floor. Was a gov video showing internet vulnerability of controllers for 1 megwatt diesel gen , it was parelled to powerline out of phase, it bounced all over and let the magic smoke out...destroyed

~ 99% of "house" type gens don't adjust output phase to match powerline since they are not intended to ever be connected to another gen (or powerline).

Can parelle small gens but have to match phase, voltage, reactive power, and have slew of other protection devices to protect the gen. In practice house gens don't have this stuff, but some small gens like some military MEP units do, as do some hondas for houses.

nibs

Never assume your neighbor is not going to back feed the grid.
As my lineman friend says
"If it ain't grounded it ain't dead".

JUGHNE

I have posted about this method before:
I simply make the boiler or furnace a cord connected appliance.
Replace the service switch with single outlet, not a duplex.
Upon a power failure you plug your needed heater into a UPS or a small generator located outside the building.

In my opinion this is a fail proof method. You could even leave the UPS in the circuit as you would with a computer. Upon a power failure the UPS disconnects from the house power and goes to batteries. There are obviously 1000's of these doing this every day.

I have a tenant who has been thru a week without power at his previous home and now has his own generator. He is "handy" enough to wire the end of an extension cord from his generator into the furnace....or try to backfeed the entire house.
I put a power cord on the furnace.....which method is safer?
His power vented WH came from the factory with a power cord, as did all other appliances in the house that he can ration power to. Freezer, fridge, microwave, plug in lamps, 120VAC water pumps, sump pumps etc.

I fully understand the cord on the furnace violates any number of NEC codes....but when people get desperate in the dark they will tinker with wiring to get heat and lights.

How can this plan go South?? As long as the gen set is outside and they just run cords around as needed?

I do this for rural people who have a fair amount of independent common sense. But also can be "handy" enough to be dangerous in the dark.

ChrisJ

JUGHNE said:

I have posted about this method before:
I simply make the boiler or furnace a cord connected appliance.
Replace the service switch with single outlet, not a duplex.
Upon a power failure you plug your needed heater into a UPS or a small generator located outside the building.

In my opinion this is a fail proof method. You could even leave the UPS in the circuit as you would with a computer. Upon a power failure the UPS disconnects from the house power and goes to batteries. There are obviously 1000's of these doing this every day.

I have a tenant who has been thru a week without power at his previous home and now has his own generator. He is "handy" enough to wire the end of an extension cord from his generator into the furnace....or try to backfeed the entire house.
I put a power cord on the furnace.....which method is safer?
His power vented WH came from the factory with a power cord, as did all other appliances in the house that he can ration power to. Freezer, fridge, microwave, plug in lamps, 120VAC water pumps, sump pumps etc.

I fully understand the cord on the furnace violates any number of NEC codes....but when people get desperate in the dark they will tinker with wiring to get heat and lights.

How can this plan go South?? As long as the gen set is outside and they just run cords around as needed?

I do this for rural people who have a fair amount of independent common sense. But also can be "handy" enough to be dangerous in the dark.

You're a licensed professional and installing equipment that violates code. I don't know, how could it possibly go south?

I say this because of how the world works, which isn't always fair or right.

JUGHNE

In more than 50 years of electrical work, I am sure I have committed worse sins than this. Be it adding one too many conductors in a conduit etc.

My AHJ has given verbal approval for things such as this.
He too is a rural type person and understands the reasoning.

There are always grey areas. For instance DW's and disposal cord connects have been debated for years.
Defining a damp versus wet area to require "bubble" WP covers for outside outlets.
Range and dryer cord connections, with the old 3 wire method your appliance was grounded by the current carrying neutral conductor. (started as such during WW2 to conserve copper)
After numerous code change attempts we now require 4 wires.

In my mind it is applying common sense to each situation.
I feel over that 1/2 century I have not endangered life nor property.

Leonard

There are many times when us techies can make something work just fine in an emergency.

My opinion is an emergency is just that, something that requires you to do things differently than you would do otherwise.

Long as you KNOW what your doing and take steps to make sure no-one else makes it unsafe .........