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Back up electric power for boiler

Mike T., Swampeast MO
Mike T., Swampeast MO Member Posts: 6,928
in THE MAIN WALL
Seriously doubt there's any hydronic circulator that only draws 0.75 watts. 75 watts seems much more realistic. A good ammeter can show you the peak load of the boiler--likely when it ignites.

Boiler/inverter combination might work but it might take a couple batteries in parallel for 24 hours of operation. Of course they'll need to be kept well-charged. Simple, inexpensive inverters don't always produce an "electronics-friendly" waveworm so that might be a problem as well.

Are such power outages common in your area? If you keep things "buttoned up" homes usually won't freeze without heat overnight.

Comments

  • Homeowner_4
    Homeowner_4 Member Posts: 2
    re: emergency electric power for a gas boiler

    If a winter electric outage occurred:
    Gas hot water systems require current for electronic ignition and the circulating pump. The pump is rated at .75 watts and the ignition cannot be very high either. It seems that both are well within the range of a storage battery and inverter. If If were to hook that to the box controlling the boiler/circulator, could it keept the heat working for at least a day. As a suburbanite, the threat hardly warrants a high priced generator, etc. This is $150 and does not produce CO.
  • hr
    hr Member Posts: 6,106
    I suspect there is

    a 24 volt transformer in that circuit somewhere also. Clamp an ameter on the supply wiring and get an exact current draw. I'm not sure a small battery system would buy much time. A small 2500 watt generator could keep the boiler and some lights, possibly the refrigerator running.

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  • Guy_6
    Guy_6 Member Posts: 450
    Coffee

    And don't forget the coffee maker. That's really the only reason I fired up my generator.
  • Homeowner_4
    Homeowner_4 Member Posts: 2
    backup power to hydronic system

    I stand corrected, it is .75 amps or 1/25 hp Taco continuous circulator. I do not have an issue with power outages which is why I did not want to invest serious money. I will have to look into backup power for the coffee maker though, that is serious.
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