Excellent video! Thanks for running through everything with so such detail. The pigtail is a great tool to provide many options for a power source. I live in Michigan so no power in the dead of winter is a nightmare scenario. Definitely am going to install one and look into a generator.
@@brandonious9060 you can still hook it up with out doing what he did as he's shown before, it just requires more work.... or better yet just install a transfer switch for your generator and be in "code" and it's permeant and easy.... power up generator plug into switch, flip switch get power to appliance....
Just to comment on the above statement. Yes this will work on most standard furnaces manufactured prior to 2019 that have psc type motors. This definitely wont work modern furnaces with x-13 or variable speed ECM motors. I had a conversation with a fellow technician who tried this on his own equipment last winter during a power outage. This ended up frying the ecm motor module on his furnace, which cost him several hundreds in repairs.
If you live in a very cold area and you have the extention cord propping he door propped open. Letting very cold air into the house. You can take The door door knob off an fun the extension cord through the knob hole an stuff a small towel in the door knob hole. Keeping the cold out side. To keep the door closed. You can use the dead bolt or a chair or something against the door to to keep it shut.
I will chime in here on important information that you have left out. First of all I am a HVAC Service Tech and Electrician with 25+ years experience including installing backup Generators. The information you posted here and in your last video are partially correct but you need to go a step farther before you tell everyone this will work for all Furnaces before they damage their own equipment. First off, your furnace is a simple 80% furnace with a PSC Blower Motor and most likely a Shaded Pole Inducer Motor. With those motors it is no issue running a common Generator or common Inverter for operation as these motors rely on magnetics for operation. Unfortunately newer Furnaces with ECM and Variable Blower drives are Frequency driven. This means that the Generator or the Inverter you use must be a Pure Sine Wave form as the common equipment is generally a stepped or modified wave form for a 60 hertz frequency. Most of the newer furnaces will sense this frequency change at the circuit board and will shut down the system before it tries to operate. The other issue is with grounding back to the source of the Generator or the Inverter. Again, if the circuit board doesn't sense a good and 'clean' ground it will shut off the unit to prevent damage. What you have done here is the basic of the basics that home owners have been doing for years, but now with the newer electronics it's not the same story. The other issue with running Natural Gas thru your Generator: You did not change the metering device that meters the amount of gas into combustion. Yes, the setup you have right now is working, but I will guess as soon as you put a heavy load on the generator it will not be able to keep up because you did not make that change. The Regulator just reduces and regulates the pressure, and the orifice is what meters the gas amount.
@@bradw.5991 crap, if only knew what "grounded to the inverter" meant. I just hope to be prepared to run a new forced air, natural gas furnace in a power outage.
Not sure if it was mentioned here, I was told by an electrician to start the generator and let it run a couple of minutes to let the power head gain steady power prior to putting a demand on it. It’s especially important for those back feeding the panel box. A sine wave generator is needed for sensitive electronics like TVs and computers as any voltage spikes will likely ruin them. Nice information on this channel, I like the pigtail setup, I previously unwired my furnace and used Romeo to the generator during hurricane Sandy years ago, my house had 70 degrees of heat and lights for all 8 days. needed while the rest of the street was dark. I now will now add your method to have the quick plug disconnect so I can have a permanent solution.
On one of our last videos, a commenter suggested that running the furnace off the battery (and then charging the battery with the generator) was a better idea, as normally the furnace goes off and on. The generator will keep running (even at idle) whereas nothing is drawn from the battery when the furnace is off.
I have the tri-fuel model and a NG quick connect similar to this set up. What I learned from frequent outages in our area is that in winter, with the furnace, water heater and two gas fireplaces taking NG off the line first, pressure was inadequate to the generator to run on NG. Fortunately I have a 20lb propane tank that I can use instead. NG is great, but most houses will have other NG requirements that will prevent NG from being useable to power the generator. Thanks for this video! The more knowledge the better!
I stand corrected on this explanation. It so happened that my water tank needed replacement last week and coincidentally the guy who installed my BBQ gas line 5 years ago was the guy who came to do the tank. I asked him about this. He said it’s the size of the BBQ line to the deck (1/2”?) which I use for the generator, not the number of appliances on the system. A bigger line would help.
Just a comment on plugging the open fuel ports: A better method would be to purchase some rubber caps (similar to those used in automobiles to plug unused vacuum ports). They seal better than tape and are reusable. Great series of videos btw.
Most smaller generators 2500 watts or smaller are running with a floating neutral. You have to have a bonded neutral for this to run most newer furnaces. My furnace is 16 years old and required a bonded neutral on the generator before it will operate with a straight extension cord to the generator. Large generators like yours are all wired with the neutral bonded to the ground wire from the factory. to get my furnace to operate with this same setup you are showing, I had to order a bonding plug from Amazon and plug it into one of the 120 v outlets on the generator .. It looks just like a plug off of an extension cord .. when plugged into the socket on the generator, It connects(bonds) the neutral wire and the ground wire together on the generator. The main panel box on your house is wired this way with the neutrals from all circuits connected (bonded) to the Ground. If you were hooking the generator to your main panel box for operating the furnace, you wouldn't need to use a bonding plug on the generator because your main panel is already bonded.
@@tgriebe Yes, you can make a plug like you're talking about. I just bought this one already made. it's all connected inside the plug like you are saying. Solved my furnace starting problem...
I agree with Roger. If you have a generator with a floating neutral this will not work with newer digital furnaces. The blower runs but will not go into the fire mode. You need to purchase or make a Bonded Neutral plug. This needs to be plugged into one outlet of the generator. Then you have a bonded neutral circuit that is just like your household power. If you have more questions, research Bonded neutral grounds for generators on UA-cam.
If I wanted a switch like this installed by an electrician or HVAC guy what would I ask for? This is genius and could be a life saver as we are 70 years old. Thanks
Very cool video! That model generator has very high total harmonic distortion. This can potentially cause issues for certain controller boards. It is also important to note that this generator has a neutral bond to the frame. I would bet that if you used a generator that did not have a neutral ground bond ( floating neutral generator) that the furnace would not work properly. From what I've read the flame sensor needs a ground reference otherwise only the fan will turn on and not ignite the flame on generator power. I'm going to be working on that exact model Firman dual fuel generator in the near future as it currently has an issue.
Thanks for the follow up video and the tip about how/when to turn off the generator. I hadn't thought about not cracking the heat exchanger but agree it could be a possibility if you turn the generator off before the heat exchanger has cooled down.
you should also mention as a warning that anything that is a sensitive electronic can be hurt if the generator surges or is overloaded. you shouldn't run your tv, pc. and potentially your furnace if your generator isn't running smoothly like yours. basically anything that runs with a chip can be sensitive to voltage drops. i really like how smooth your generator runs on natural gas i had not considered that
nice operations. Always wondered why the furnace was hardwired in my house. Its just the way they are delivered, and of course to keep homeowners out of them. Maybe you could plug in a "Kill O Watt" meter to should the current draw on startup and run. This is good stuff and well within the capabilities of a conscientious homeowner. Thanks.
I used your plug Idea last winter to heat two furnaces using my Dual fuel generator last winter . Thank you so much,now watching for power stations for the quiet
Well we’re about to hit 10° here in Texas and in 2021 (after a low of -7°) we went with a Champion dual fuel 4250w to run off our 200 gal propane tank. We won’t have central heat but do have a fireplace and can run a refrigerator, a 750w small heater, coffee maker, griddle and a TV/cable/internet set up (obviously not at the same time). We also have a Bluetti EB50 for phone charging and a few LED lights. The NG and LP are absolutely the best way to go vs gasoline. Slight reduction in available wattage but still an easier way to maintain a unit. Great video.
Yes, it works and it's great way to do a backup in an emergency. I would highly suggest that you install an interlock in your electrical panel to insure that someone else doesn't come along and turn the main breaker on while the generator is running. Please keep it safe for yourself and the linemen that may be working on the lines in your area.
I live in the Southeast US, we routinely lose power approximately 3-4 times a year for about 4-6 hours per occurrence. The generator I use is a 4000 watt Harbor Freight and runs strictly on gasoline. I put a reminder in my phone calendar every month to run it and make it power something. I also use Stabil in the gas for it and have never had a problem with it, starts every time on the first or second pull. Every year it also gets the oil changed in it. Think I am going to be doing this with my furnace as we just lost power on the coldest day of the year (low 10 degrees) it's usually always in the spring, summer, or fall, and never that cold. Thanks for posting this. FLY NAVY!!!
Thanks Dave for another video with lots of useful information! For those wanting to save some money, here's an alternate generator, an open frame inverter generator with 3,500 running watts; the WEN GN400i, currently selling for $383 on the Wen website. It only weighs about 70 lbs, is more compact, and with no battery start or dual fuel. The type of generator (the Firman) shown in the video is a basic 2-pole generator. They use a lawn mower engine and run at a constant 3,600 RPM (full throttle) in order to produce the 60 Hertz line frequency. Due to the engine speed, they are produce lots of noise/vibration and eat lots of fuel. That generator will empty that BBQ grill propane cylinder in a few hours. I prefer the Inverter type generator, as they always produce a perfect AC power signal and throttle the engine back when electrical low is light, saving gas, noise, vibration, and engine wear. I try to never buy the electric start generators as the battery only seems to last about 1 year. Most of the portable generators have an engine small enough that they can be hand cranked easily.
Takes mine a bit more than a few hours (11+ hours to be precise) to “empty that bbq grill propane cylinder” on the Firman. There’s also ZERO upkeep/maintenance on LP, & NG. It stores f o r e v e r … can’t say the same about the gasoline in your WEN. Also, if it’s reserved for emergency use, I don’t care how much noise it makes… there’s an EMERGENCY. Which of course helps me flex on the other neighborhood dads… when the power is out, and they ALL can hear my generator running. 💅🏻
@@djek8667 I think you are correct on the fuel economy, I'm not sure what I was thinking at the time. I think that 200 cc engine consumes about a half gallon an hour. I have had a lot of trouble in the past with gasoline going bad if left in the engine, fouling the carburetor. I (through trial and error) developed a gas mix that doesn't seem to go bad. I use non-ethanol gas, mixed with Sta-Bil and Marvel Mystery Oil. I have only tested it out to 4 years so far but, it causes zero fouling in fuel tanks and carburetors. As far as running off propane, LPG, or natural gas; agreed it is the cleanest burning and causes zero gasoline deterioration issues.
Bought a duel fuel generator at Sam's and used it with LP to paint a house 4 years ago. Pulled it out a month ago for a power outrage and it saved the day. Have to look into that mod for the furnace
That's a slick generator. Good job showing those that thought you were doing something wrong and back feeding onto the main grid. Those people commenting that clearly don't have a concept on electricity and how things work and shouldn't attempt to do this kind of work. Pretty basic stuff here. I did a similar setup for my sump pumps where instead of hard wiring it into my GFI plug (to provide protection on the rest of the circuit) I wired it to a male plug adapter and just plug it into the GFI receptacle itself. Then whenever there's a risk of the power being out during the mid winter thaws and the power does indeed go out, I can just run an extension cord to that receptacle, unplug it and plug into the extension cord which is being fed from my gas powered generator outside. Exact same idea you've shown everyone but for the furnace. At the time 10 years + ago when I did this I was more concerned about basement flooding versus keeping the family warm :) but have since adopted the same thing for the furnace.
A good and easy way to plug the orifices that you aren't using on your propane regulator would be to attach a short section of the hose and plug it with a bolt. No spiders would get in and you'll have the hose hooked up if you decide to put the regulator back into service.
That 100 amp breaker in the main panel that you turned off, I think needs to be locked to prevent anyone other than you from operating that breaker switch. I know you are very good at what you do. Just an observation brother. Be safe!
Thank you. I’d love to do the interlock kit and power inlet box at my house but haven’t made time to tackle that one. Thanks for the tip though! Cheers
Before you buy one just think of the noise level of the generator. Your neighbors are going to appreciate if you buy a Honda or alike and just think if you could sleep with this tractor running next to your house:)
When it is in the middle of winter and you need heat who gives a f@#k what the neighbours think you are just trying to keep warm . If they have any sense they will be doing the same thing.
@@dje7335 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Can't stop laughing! For real though...Great idea. I'm getting a cheap fence charger now. In an extended outage generators could tend to walk away.
This stuff is great. Will be a great help. Please do show us how to set up the natural gas regulator for a generator, as well as for other propane heaters, grills, fireplaces.
MIND BLOWN!!!! 🤯🤯. North Eastern Ohio, urban area. Power outages for me are rare and brief. However, a day without power in winter can turn a house into an ice box. Will definitely be looking into the gen option, but the bat powered furnace is a MUST. I do service a VARY rural area where power outages can last for several days.
WOW! Update: I have the power inverter hooked up to the furnace for emergencies. Awesome idea, thanks again. I priced out that port gen you recommend 2 months ago it was $499...... *Today (3/26/2023) It is $699.99!!!!* "stuff" is getting real folks. *The question:* Do you have a recommendations for a 240 volt dual fuel gen? (Want to be able to run A/C) EDIT: An Electrician by trade.
You have an interesting process that will work. I used a pigtail as well, but I ran it from the furnace to the dedicated curcit junction box I converted to a single plug to meet North Carolina electrical code. This way, I can simply unplug the furnace from the wall and plug the end into a drop cord that is run to my small honda generator. I also installed a conduit through an interior basement wall that has a flip cover. This way, I can run the dropcord under my garage door so that no doors have dropcords run through them, and all of them are fully closed. There is no need to trun off the breaker for the furnance, but I still do to keep the process the same for deentergising the power. My wife can complete this simple process without any issue. The grid power can come back on at anytime without any concern, as the furnace is completely independent like a large appliance. The panel does not have to be shut off. The local code only allows for a single plug for the furnance.🎉
In Florida for hurricanes I have a 8500 watt generator. I turn off my main breaker and run a cord I made to my dryer plug. I can power my whole house except the dryer. I use the breaker box to choose when I power my water heater.
I’ve watched a few videos of guys using a quality 1000w power inverter and their car to run a furnace. Neat idea if the car is full of gas and you park it outside while it’s running. Start the car, let the furnace run up to temp or hotter then shut it off. Pretty cheap and less maintenance than a generator as long as your vehicle/battery are in good condition. A lot less work if your not able to move/store/maintain a generator. You will need to build a box or roof to keep a generator out of the weather too in my experience unless you have a porch or garage you can open. The more heat sources and power options you have the better. We have a LP furnace, wood stove, kerosene heater, wall hung LP heater, a few electric ceramic heaters, and LP tank mounted heaters. We’ve gone 8 days without power before and you learn fast to get buying and get prepared.
Good video. I used the same Garretson natural gas regulator to convert an old Porter Cable generator to NG and it is super convenient to just quick couple to the home's gas line. It starts right up with no need to worry about old stale gasoline or running out of gasoline if power is out to the local gas stations.
In 2020, I bought a 6,500 watt Champion generator and did the same tri-fuel conversion with the Motor Snorkel. I love it. Hooked up primarily to my natural gas utility with 8 20lb propane tanks backing. I made a mistake though, I really should have bought an inverter generator. May remedy that in 2023 depending on how the geopolitical world looks. Also looking at the comments below, I think I should look into that bonded neutral issue. Always new stuff to learn.
Why was it a mistake to not get an inverter generator? I think the only one that I trust is the Honda lineup, but they have low power output and are really expensive on a per watt basis. They also don't have a grounded outlet, and if I remember right the neutral is floating. So some things don't like it, but can make a cheater box for it. Anything with a 2 prong plug will work fine, I think if I remember right, I plugged in my outlet tester into one of the generator outlets and it said I had no ground, but hot and neutral polarity was correct.
@@diyhvacguy Bonded neutral is fine. You just have to be careful if you directly connect to the building system that will already have a main bonding jumper. What you could do in that case is, only connect your hot(s) and neutral wires from generator to the house, and DO NOT CONNECT any ground wire from the generator to the house. And leave the generator neutral to frame bond alone. And then put the generator on some rubber pads or something to isolate it from the surrounding ground, and don't touch while running. This way you will only have 1 point of interconnection from neutral to ground on your premises, and you stop nuisance neutral current from flowing thru the grounding equipment conductor back to your generator. This isn't quite code legal, but then you don't have to modify your generator, and by keeping the neutral to frame bonding intact, you can still use your generator for camping, running power tools etc, and still be OSHA compliant to use on a job site. Of course, if you want to permanently connect a standby generator to your house, then you want to convert or make sure to get a "neutral floating" generator, if the transfer switch setup does not switch the neutral. Which will be 99.9% of the time for residential setups. The only time I run into transfer switches that also switch the neutral is at health care facilities like hospitals and nursing homes where the generator has to meet life safety codes. My wife works at a larger nursing home, and we ripped out the old Generac generator there which only backed up the coolers, freezers, computers, and the resident room outlets and such. And installed a newer generator that runs the whole facility, that things a beast! It only has an inline 6 cylinder engine.... but it's twin turbo, 750hp, and 33.4 liters... It can supply up to 1600 amps at 208v 3 phase! Anyway, that transfer switch switches all 3 phases and the neutral from the utility pad mounted transformer to the generator, however the neutral to ground bond is still in the main 2000 amp service disconnect in the basement. Anyway the thing to remember to keep things safe in any electrical service, is you only want one single solitary point on the entire system from the meter or utility point of presence, to the last branch circuit, that has a neutral to ground bonding connection. Think of it like Highlander, there can only be one. Multiple points of contact on one service between neutral to ground, especially in wet locations, can be extremely hazardous. Kids have been killed by stray currents of only 2 volts flowing thru a swimming pool, because neutral current was flowing thru everything grounded at the place because some moron installed a sub panel out in the barn, and connected all the neutrals and grounds on all the same bus bars just like the main panel in a house. Big no-no, you can only do that if there's only one electrical panel right behind the meter. Watch some of Mike Holts videos on grounding and bonding, and 250.2, and 250.6, (objectional current).
@@brnmcc01 Because apparently some electronic devices can be damaged if they are powered by a non inverter generator. Which on the one hand does make sense, but on the other, it doesn't, and it is hard to get a clear answer. I am sure tons of people use non inverter generators in power outages, like the one we just had, and yet you don't hear of tons of people blowing their fridges, freezers, TVs, etc. Yea some, but you'd think the stories would be more plentiful if it were a hard fast rule.
@@johncasey5594 That was my thought too John, No proof of this but I believe a gas generator that surges from lack of regular maintenance is more harmful than a NG generator with a higher THD. It would be all over the internet if people were burning out electronics left and right. I think most people just use what they bought and never give it a second thought.
In NJ the inspector did not allow me to do the pigtail to the outlet. I did it anyway after the inspection. I could explain to him but could not understand it for him that there was no live electricity in pigtail plug until it was plugged in. A furnace is just an appliance like a toaster or microwave
I totally agree. You mentioned on those other videos that the setup with the inverter was for an emergency when you have no other choice because generators are not available. Some cannot afford a generator. The battery and inverter is more economical. I have a Tri-fuel Firman generator with power going onto my house using the 30 amp 240 volt cord. It goes through to the transfer switch. I haven’t had a power failure recently but I hope it will work in the event of one.
Anyone can afford a generator. It's all about the priorities. People wastes mega $1000's on stupid crap like smokes, beer, alcohol, eating out, going on expensive useless vacations etc. Then complain they can't afford electric bill.
@@brnmcc01 That’s true to a certain extent. Those on fixed incomes may not be able to afford a generator. I could because I don’t smoke or drink or go anywhere on vacation. Kind of boring yes, but I really don’t have the money to travel and I don’t need bad habits like drinking and smoking adding to the problem. Electricity where I live is very stable but we did have 2 tornadoes since 2018. That took the power out for more than 24 hours each time. I think because power is so stable people don’t think about having a generator.
@@ds99 Oh yeah that's very true! There's too many people on retirement that can't even afford gas and groceries these days, and then they have to rob Peter to fill their prescriptions. It's terrible.
A better way to do it would be to get a bigger portable generator (mine is 8,500 starting/ 6,800 running watts) and back feed it into your home’s breaker panel. Mine connects via the 30A outlet on the generator to a 220V outlet in the garage (via a heavy duty RV electrical cord with locking prongs) that was wired by an electrician into the panel and has its own dedicated breaker. So, if the power goes out, you shut off the master switch, start the generator and switch the generator breaker on. The entire house is powered, with NO cords running to individual lights or appliances. 👍🏻
It's a great setup, Double check the main is Off, before starting generator. Have a check list ready for generator sequence when power goes out. My electrician wired a light to the always hot lugs at the top of the service panel ( above the main shutoff) so I can tell when grid power comes back.
Great setup and great video! It would be much better and safer to NOT mount the NG regulator to the machine due to the vibrations coming from the generator. At minimum I'd suggest adding a rubber isolator. Thanks for taking the time to make the video and share your setup!
Don't buy a Duramax generator on Amazon. I bought a 4800 watt Duramax real cheap looked great ran nicely for like 24 hrs total and then stopped running. Likely the coil but to replace the coil it costs nearly a third of the units cost. If you read the reviews on Duramax they have many saying their unit didn't work properly from the get-go or died in short order. The only repair facility was 25 miles from my large city and that facility had poor reviews as well. By the way my unit was dual fuel.
I'm glad you were not using a suicide cable. This was the first video I saw from you & I have seen too many UA-camrs use suicide cords to connect a generator to their house.
I love the idea of a dual fuel generator. I have natural gas too. This would be a great way to power my house with my generator transfer switch. I had a electrician put one in my house. I can run everything except the electric stove and washer and dryer. My house is a small one.
Just get a Generac standby generator, the one I have can run everything and the air conditioning too. But before getting the generator, I swapped out the stove and dryer for gas versions. Saves a lot of electricity use, and I was able to get a much smaller generator. There's no point in burning gas in a generator to make electricity to just waste and turn into heat. It's 3x more efficient to just burn the gas directly to get heat. Small generators are only about 20-25% efficient in turning the energy in the gas into electricity, so you end up throwing away buckets of money running a generator to power a clothes dryer or stove. Use the generator only for electronics or motor and lighting loads, the things you can run off of gas directly.
Neutral bonding is issue when people do this. The furnace needs a good ground and it needs a good, single, neutral-ground bond at the distribution panel, or in this at case the generator. If the generator has a bonded neutral and the neutral is not switched at the transfer switch then you end up with ground loops, and the furnace refuses to light. If the generator has a floating neutral and the transfer switch does switch the neutral then you end up with no neutral-ground bond anywhere in the system and the furnace again won't light. The particular problem that's happening in the furnace has to do with the flame sensor and the fact that it completes its circuit, through the flame, to the furnace ground. If that ground path is disurbed then the flame sensor won't operate as expected and the furnace controller (computer) will sense that as a failure to light (the gas) and it will shut itself down or put itself into some sort of safety lockout. Two situations work: i) generator bonded netural and switched neutral at the transfer switch, ii) generator floating neutral and unswitched neutral at the transfer switch. In case i, ground conductor continuty back to the panel is fine. In case ii their must be neutral and ground continuity back to the main panel because that's where they are bonded.
I have this exact same generator that I power with a 20lb propane tank. We have an interlock system setup on our electric control panel and an outlet outside the house to plug the generator into. Easy peasy to set up and will save our bacon during these cold Wisconsin winters should the power go out.
A trick to get the power cord into a house without leaving a door open is to use a dryer vent if nearby. But keep generator a bit away from that vent as to not suck in generator exhaust fumes.
Part of the preparedness challenge is the knowledge that when you need a generator, so does the fuel station. Friends in CA had to find a generator big enough to run the fuel station before they could buy the fuel they needed.
Your generator is not a pure sinewave inverter generator, right? I understand that some furnaces (I've been told mine) will not run properly without a pure sinewave. I don't know why anyone was saying that power was still going out to the electrical grid. Basically, you're running your furnace input wiring into the cable. Your switch box is just an outlet. When you unplug the cable from the outlet, there is no connection between the furnace and the house power. None. There is no reason to turn off your mains at the box because there is no a connection between the furnace/generator and the mains system. This was a very helpful suggestion, and I re-wired my furnace shutoff to work the same way. I am worried about letting the furnace system run down. If we turn off the heat at the thermostat, will it go through it's cooldown before turning off?
Yes the thermostat will allow it to do the cooldown procedure line normal, then once the air has cooled and quit blowing from the vents you are good to shut down your generator 👍🏽
Youll want to get the engine running and the power stabilized on the generator BEFORE you plug in your power cord. Also, you'll want to unplug your power cord BEFORE you turn the engine off. The way you did it, you are sending power surges and unstable power through the extension cord to your furnace, which can blow out electronics boards.
We used a generator to get heat for an older couple who lost power in the last blizzard storm where several around us lost power. Using a regular gas generator. Now unless you have a really nice generator that accommodates, you will need to run a jumper between neutral and ground on your male whip you connect to the furnace. Otherwise the board will fault out and no Ignition sequence.
Nice generator and I like the pigtail but who wants to have an extension cord running out the door overnight in the winter time or possibly longer you might as well bite the bullet and put in a transfer switch pretty easy to do then you can run your furnace or whichever items you decide to turn on great work thanks for the video!
@@tgriebe yeah I really like the interlock system as well unfortunately my panel was completely full opted for the six circuit transfer either way I guess we’ll be ready😄😄
ding ding. this dude stole my thunder. generator-transfer switch-no hula hoops to jump through. couple grand up front with gen purchase(599)50 amp cord(399) 50 amp 10 circuit transfer switch(400)electrician(400) I rotate 20-25 gallons of high octane tru fuel and have (4)30 pound lp tanks ready to let er rip. I rest easy knowing this is ready to go.
If you have natural gas I would check your breaker box. What I thought was a full breaker box turned out to not be true. They wired the house for all electric appliances. I have a gas stove, gas, dryer and a gas hit water heater. So I had 3- 220v breakers that were not being used. My AC unit was in the top right location where the interlock is supposed to be. Right under that was the water heater. So it was as simple as turning off the main breaker and moving the wires. The hardest part was pulling a little extra wire down from the mass coming from the attic. Only needed an inch or so but the slack was there
Recommend to invest in a Transfer Switch at your breaker panel and have your furnace circuit as one of the dedicated lines. Much safer and ready-to-go at all times...provided your generator is working. Stay safe!
The newer inverter style generators that have the "On/Off" switch on the fuel cap do not have the same issues with the fuel going bad and wrecking the carburetor. I use E10/E15 in mine, I have one of the A-iPower generators. I leave E10 in it all year long without an issue. You have to turn that switch off though.
Good video. You may want to work on the way you get that power cord into the house. You will get a good draft leaving that door open and could possibly get generator exhaust in to. Good tips on NOT using ethanol gas, that stuff is Kriptinite to small engines.
I’m gonna use a 1-1/2 drain pipe thru the wall with plugs on the ends. Run the cord thru and shove some socks in the pipe or tape up the ends. Have extra extension cords to reach your fridge and freezer too.
@@happyamerican3235 I think you can get PVC caps as well, just don't glue them on. And mind the gap around the pipe on the wall, keeping in mind mice can crawl through gaps as narrow as 1/4". Fill the gaps with copper mesh or stainless steel mesh and use fire proof caulking to seal around it. Don't use expanding foam as mice can chew straight through that.
Get a 1800 watt inverter generator, lite weight and quiet to operate. Your neighbors will thank you. That size generator will do fine connected directly to your furnace.
We just got a Generac in June, connected to natural gas, only thing that worries me about it is not knowing how much is going to cost after the outage in gas cost, versus at my last house. We had a Generac connected to a 500 gallon propane tank, and I knew how much it would likely cost to refill the tank. Natural gas, it’s really a surprise when you get the bill.
I disconnected my gas furnace from hardwired to plug-in years ago. If the power grid drops I can quickly plug in to another power source. I have four RV batteries on a hand cart on constant maintenance charge with a pure sine wave inverter, outside are two generators with power cords terminating in the furnace room.
My understanding that you should be plugging in sensitive electronics into an inverter generator. There is close to 25 percent of Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) on regular generators that can fry up things such as home appliances and electronics or even newer furnace electronic boards. THD of a regular ac current should be under 5 percent.
Just had a difficult time starting my propane generator... tried everything and then I thought about the dirty, cobwebbed garage where it was stored. Sure enough, there was a spider nest in the propane inlet fitting! Poked it out with a nail and it started first pull!
I have been using the cheapest ethanol fuel i can get on these for years with no problems. The secret is that every 3 months drain it all out, dump it in your car and use it up but then immediately replace it with fresh pump gas. Then make sure to start and run generator for 15 minutes to get the new fuel in the carb. Preferably with a load on it. I just plug in a space heater. If you want you can use a fuel stabilizer but i never do because i usually change the fuel out every other month just to be safe. I got it setup so I can open a valve with a hose in a gas can and walk away. Come back a half hour later and the gen is empty.
Do this at your our risk! All gas furnace built after July 3, 2019 (79 FR 38129) and many built before this date, require ECM motor technology as well as microprocessor controls. Big box stores sell generators that do not meet minimum power quality requirements and can damage components within your furnace. Failures related to improper voltages, frequencies and harmonics ARE NOT covered by the manufacturer's standard warranty. My advice would be to get a high quality whole home generator (commonly referred to as hospital grade). Check with your furnace manufacturer for generator power quality requirements and make sure the whole home generator meets those requirements in writing.
take note for new generator owners. When you purchase a generator and leave it buried somewhere, run it once a month at least, to take sure the gas doesn't go bad
This can also be done with a gas generator. Don't forget to turn off the circuit breaker for your furnace, you don't need to do for the whole house. Make sure the generator is far enough from the house to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. You can also power your fridge, freezer, sump pump (or portable small window AC unit) and some lights (purchase a 3500 watt generator with 4 normal 20 amp or 15 amp outlets on it). You may have the light switch / plug combo on your furnace if you have a condensate pump to pump the water to a drain from the AC / Humidifier on your furnace.
I get the importance of making sure you don’t send power back to the grid, but in the video the furnace is unplugged from the power supply, and plugged into the generator. Whether the breaker is switched off or not, I see no way to send power back to the grid. Am I missing something, or is this just the ultimate sense of security that is not really necessary? Thanks
@@chrisward8278 You are unplugging the condensate pump, not the furnace most of the time. If feeding power into it, you will back feed power into your circuit breaker box with it coming thru when the power comes back on.
@@easywindowssidingllc1464 he's unplugging power to the entire furnace. He connected the whole furnace system to that plug specifically for this reason.
Funny 40 years ago you could leave an outboard for 20 years put gas in it and go fishing and complain that it doesn't run quite right the gas we burn today is like Mexican gas low quality thx for the video very informative
At about 4:03 you mention that ..."once you start to smell propane, this is fully primed and you can let off". Given you are setting natural gas to run the generator, I would have thought you would smell natural gas. Is the reason your smelling propane due to purging the propane with natural gas? Is there a difference in the smell of propane and natural gas? Also you talk about propane not needing to "choke", so I'm thinking you meant this for natural gas too?
You’ve got the generator, the gas hookup, all you need is a proper way to connect it safely to your panel via a power inlet and transfer switch. With the same amount of effort you could be powering most if not all of your house rather than running extension cords everywhere.
Just as an aside. Gas with ethanol is perfectly fine as long as you're going to use every bit in the tank and run it dry within 30 days. For the last long while I use the less expensive ethanol gas when I know I'm going to run it dry and then run about a cup of ethanol free. It's only when e gas sits for a long while that it starts to gel up and clog the injectors.
Thank you Dave you have some really clever ideas.. once I figure out how to keep the heat on during the blizzard this year, I want to figure out how to replace my AC compressor that is going on 12 years. And not have to pay an HVAC guy like three to $4000, when a 3 1/2 ton Goodman would only cost about 1500.. just no need to know how to change out the lines and refill the gas. Wiring and a coil are all there, and doing it before july might be good thinkin! Nice work man!
Hey thanks so much! If you’d like tech support for your ac replacement as well as finding the best price on equipment check out our $25 membership at Patreon.com/diyhvacguy and I’ll help walk you through the replacement. Cheers
Hi Dave I appreciate your offer , I am retired and I have a small income. Since I was in the trades for over 50 years, this is why I feel confident on working around stuff. I did play the lottery tonight if perhaps an extra $25 will show up, and I will gladly pay you. I really do wish you well, and I think you’re doing well..? Really enjoy your work and hope to see more…
Works if you have a gas furnace. If you have an electric furnace you're going to need a bigger generator. My electric furnace is 51,000 BTU and I would need a 20kW generator. 51,000 BTUs per Hour (BTUIT/h) = 14.9466 Kilowatts (kW) and the blower fan uses some power. BTW, I haven't used the furnace in 5 years. Costs over $200 month added to my electric bill every month. I have 5500 running watt generator and space heaters and a Big Buddy propane heater if the power goes out.
Not sure if this was mentioned elsewhere, but if your generator or inverter is NOT bonded “neutral to ground” when running “direct” to your inverter or generator your furnace will most likely fail to start especially with newer control board furnaces. Easy to test by using a meter to test for continuity between neutral and ground on the inverter or generator. Once I bonded everything worked perfectly off inverter and Generator. If you tested with one of those 3 prong probes you will see an “open ground” if the inverter or generator is NOT bonded. If bonded you will see no error or ground fault.
@@diyhvacguy Your welcome! I spent a full day testing…. and bonding neutral to ground is very important in many sensitive applications not to mention for safety too. Generator / Inverter manuals will state how they are configured but beware…. My Renogy Inverter stated it was bonded inside the inverter but when I checked it was NOT. Once I bonded neutral to ground the furnace passed it’s self test and bingo off to the races. This was running the furnace stand-alone directly to the inverter. Sorry for the long winded reply.
Great job 👍 thanks for sharing. I've always had a generator ready. Now where I'm going I'll have to do it there. I liked your inverter with the 12 volt battery close to furnace. That would get you through the night no problem. I'll have to check out that generator mines too big and heavy. Only thing I would do is have it so i can pug the generator from outside. Run the furnace and a kitchen light and fridge and stove. It might be a good idea to get a gas stove instead of electric.
Thanks. And yes gas stove is always a great idea. That’s one of the first things I did when I bought my place. I’m gonna be doing some test videos with two different 1000w lithium power stations so stay tuned for that!
Have the same generator put a trickle charger on your generator battery that plugs into the wall. Pull start is hard for older people .It the best 25$ you can spend.
So the outlet on the side of the furnace is a "switched outlet" and the 120 v male plug is wired into the outlet and can only be hot when plugged into it?! NEAT!
If a person has the means, I suggest checking into installing a permanent standby generator. Standby generators are typically intended to be connected to critical systems - like HVAC, refrigerators, microwave, water pumps, sump pumps, some lighting, and security. If you plan to have an additional freezer, a chest freezer is a good option so you can still go into it occasionally as needed without dramatically impacting the cool air while the power is out if you don't want to have it connected for extended outages.
So my neighbor quoted one out after a storm ripped through where I live that knocked us off the grid for 5 days over the past summer. He was minimum quote was $13k. While he was getting those quotes, my electrician swung by and wired in a Generac Transfer Switch and I bought a Champion Generator so I can now easily run the vitals of my home (A/C, Furnace, Well Pump, Kitchen Appliances, 1 bathroom, and Living Room) all for under $3k. I may or may not ever have to use it again, but at least Ill be comfortable whether its -25 wind chill or 100 degrees outside
To get full power and not possibly damage the genset your going to need to about double the flow of natural gas One cubic foot of propane = 2,516 BTUs compared to one cubic foot of natural gas = 1,030 BTUs. Propane contains more than twice the energy of natural gas. So a larger office will be needed how big is above my pay grade
I was going to do the pigtail but then I got lazy plus most pigtails are 14awg. I just cut the 12-2 and installed a male plug. On one furnace I did put a single gang outlet but on the other I just spliced in a male and female plug. I know this isn't recommended but how often will I actually have to unplug it. Also just note my 1/2 horsepower pulls 869 Watts but my 1 hp dual zone pulls 1169 continuously. They both pulled 1500 watts on start up. Get a watt meter and check this out before you lock into a generator as some of the smaller ones could struggle. I just ordered the new pulsar 4000 that's 2800 on LP and should be perfect. This strategy is all a back up to my 17500 generac with an interlock kit.
Everything at my house runs on propane, except lights and outlets! A wood stove keeps me from having to burn $2.65 a gallon propane for heat. I have 1000-watt inverters mounted next to both refers and my living room entertainment center ( 60" plasma and related stereo components). When the power goes out I move a battery to each location and we are off to the races!. I also have 2 solar panels that charge up 3 battery banks (24volt) in my sunroom, and they run the lights there, at least in the summer and on good days with no clouds. Collect batteries anywhere you can, they are golden! :) I also just got an incredible deal on 2 3000 watt inverter/chargers new in the box. they will go into storage! :) Get a solar generator too if you can afford it. I have an ECOFLOW and my son got the Bluetti!! Merry Christmas!
Just a FYI - to my understanding that whole back feeding the lines and killing a lineman is mostly BS. My son is a lineman and a good friend of mine is also. From what they tell me, they work of live wires all the time and treat every wire like it is live. To dive the point here, I lost power to my house for three weeks during a hurricane here in Florida, I ran my house the entire time on a genny, when the guy finally came out to do the final inspection and pop the meter in I ran outside waving my arms like a idiot telling him my generator was running still. He told me worst case scenario if I left it running and through the main it would fry the genny, but more than liking it would trip the breaker.
Excellent video! Thanks for running through everything with so such detail. The pigtail is a great tool to provide many options for a power source. I live in Michigan so no power in the dead of winter is a nightmare scenario. Definitely am going to install one and look into a generator.
Awesome. Thanks for watching! Cheers
not sure if the pigtail is in code, need to check local area
I’d rather not die of hypothermia than worry about “code”
@@brandonious9060 you can still hook it up with out doing what he did as he's shown before, it just requires more work.... or better yet just install a transfer switch for your generator and be in "code" and it's permeant and easy.... power up generator plug into switch, flip switch get power to appliance....
Just to comment on the above statement. Yes this will work on most standard furnaces manufactured prior to 2019 that have psc type motors. This definitely wont work modern furnaces with x-13 or variable speed ECM motors. I had a conversation with a fellow technician who tried this on his own equipment last winter during a power outage. This ended up frying the ecm motor module on his furnace, which cost him several hundreds in repairs.
If you live in a very cold area and you have the extention cord propping he door propped open. Letting very cold air into the house. You can take The door door knob off an fun the extension cord through the knob hole an stuff a small towel in the door knob hole. Keeping the cold out side. To keep the door closed. You can use the dead bolt or a chair or something against the door to to keep it shut.
I will chime in here on important information that you have left out. First of all I am a HVAC Service Tech and Electrician with 25+ years experience including installing backup Generators. The information you posted here and in your last video are partially correct but you need to go a step farther before you tell everyone this will work for all Furnaces before they damage their own equipment. First off, your furnace is a simple 80% furnace with a PSC Blower Motor and most likely a Shaded Pole Inducer Motor. With those motors it is no issue running a common Generator or common Inverter for operation as these motors rely on magnetics for operation. Unfortunately newer Furnaces with ECM and Variable Blower drives are Frequency driven. This means that the Generator or the Inverter you use must be a Pure Sine Wave form as the common equipment is generally a stepped or modified wave form for a 60 hertz frequency. Most of the newer furnaces will sense this frequency change at the circuit board and will shut down the system before it tries to operate. The other issue is with grounding back to the source of the Generator or the Inverter. Again, if the circuit board doesn't sense a good and 'clean' ground it will shut off the unit to prevent damage. What you have done here is the basic of the basics that home owners have been doing for years, but now with the newer electronics it's not the same story. The other issue with running Natural Gas thru your Generator: You did not change the metering device that meters the amount of gas into combustion. Yes, the setup you have right now is working, but I will guess as soon as you put a heavy load on the generator it will not be able to keep up because you did not make that change. The Regulator just reduces and regulates the pressure, and the orifice is what meters the gas amount.
So, to have this setup work on a brand new forced air furnace would an inverter generator do the job?
@@jolkraeremeark6949 Again, if it is a 'Pure' Sine Wave Inverter Generator, and it is properly grounded to the Inverter and Earth Ground.
@@bradw.5991 crap, if only knew what "grounded to the inverter" meant. I just hope to be prepared to run a new forced air, natural gas furnace in a power outage.
I’m glad I read this comment as someone who has new furnaces and was thinking about getting a generator for this.
Then for those of us with heat pumps, we’re pretty much screwed. Lol
Not sure if it was mentioned here, I was told by an electrician to start the generator and let it run a couple of minutes to let the power head gain steady power prior to putting a demand on it. It’s especially important for those back feeding the panel box.
A sine wave generator is needed for sensitive electronics like TVs and computers as any voltage spikes will likely ruin them.
Nice information on this channel, I like the pigtail setup, I previously unwired my furnace and used Romeo to the generator during hurricane Sandy years ago, my house had 70 degrees of heat and lights for all 8 days. needed while the rest of the street was dark. I now will now add your method to have the quick plug disconnect so I can have a permanent solution.
On one of our last videos, a commenter suggested that running the furnace off the battery (and then charging the battery with the generator) was a better idea, as normally the furnace goes off and on. The generator will keep running (even at idle) whereas nothing is drawn from the battery when the furnace is off.
I have the tri-fuel model and a NG quick connect similar to this set up. What I learned from frequent outages in our area is that in winter, with the furnace, water heater and two gas fireplaces taking NG off the line first, pressure was inadequate to the generator to run on NG. Fortunately I have a 20lb propane tank that I can use instead. NG is great, but most houses will have other NG requirements that will prevent NG from being useable to power the generator. Thanks for this video! The more knowledge the better!
I stand corrected on this explanation. It so happened that my water tank needed replacement last week and coincidentally the guy who installed my BBQ gas line 5 years ago was the guy who came to do the tank. I asked him about this. He said it’s the size of the BBQ line to the deck (1/2”?) which I use for the generator, not the number of appliances on the system. A bigger line would help.
Just a comment on plugging the open fuel ports: A better method would be to purchase some rubber caps (similar to those used in automobiles to plug unused vacuum ports). They seal better than tape and are reusable. Great series of videos btw.
Most smaller generators 2500 watts or smaller are running with a floating neutral. You have to have a bonded neutral for this to run most newer furnaces. My furnace is 16 years old and required a bonded neutral on the generator before it will operate with a straight extension cord to the generator. Large generators like yours are all wired with the neutral bonded to the ground wire from the factory.
to get my furnace to operate with this same setup you are showing, I had to order a bonding plug from Amazon and plug it into one of the 120 v outlets on the generator .. It looks just like a plug off of an extension cord .. when plugged into the socket on the generator, It connects(bonds) the neutral wire and the ground wire together on the generator. The main panel box on your house is wired this way with the neutrals from all circuits connected (bonded) to the Ground.
If you were hooking the generator to your main panel box for operating the furnace, you wouldn't need to use a bonding plug on the
generator because your main panel is already bonded.
This is good Knowledge to have. Thanks for sharing!
You can bond the neutral just by taking a male plug and connecting the ground to the neutral and plugging it into one of the generator outlets.
@@tgriebe Yes, you can make a plug like you're talking about. I just bought this one already made. it's all connected inside the plug like you are saying.
Solved my furnace starting problem...
I agree with Roger. If you have a generator with a floating neutral this will not work with newer digital furnaces. The blower runs but will not go into the fire mode.
You need to purchase or make a Bonded Neutral plug. This needs to be plugged into one outlet of the generator. Then you have a bonded neutral circuit that is just like your household power. If you have more questions, research Bonded neutral grounds for generators on UA-cam.
A floating neutral........I never knew.Why would they do that?
If I wanted a switch like this installed by an electrician or HVAC guy what would I ask for? This is genius and could be a life saver as we are 70 years old. Thanks
Just share this video with them 👍🏼
Excellent job explaining to someone who’s not familiar with this. In Ontario Canada 🇨🇦 thx
Very cool video! That model generator has very high total harmonic distortion. This can potentially cause issues for certain controller boards. It is also important to note that this generator has a neutral bond to the frame. I would bet that if you used a generator that did not have a neutral ground bond ( floating neutral generator) that the furnace would not work properly. From what I've read the flame sensor needs a ground reference otherwise only the fan will turn on and not ignite the flame on generator power.
I'm going to be working on that exact model Firman dual fuel generator in the near future as it currently has an issue.
Thanks for the follow up video and the tip about how/when to turn off the generator. I hadn't thought about not cracking the heat exchanger but agree it could be a possibility if you turn the generator off before the heat exchanger has cooled down.
You bet!
@@diyhvacguy Couldn't the heat exchanger crack when the line power goes out?
@@brianw6645 yes of course, but why add to it on purpose.
That's a great reminder to people. I hadn't thought of that risk.
you should also mention as a warning that anything that is a sensitive electronic can be hurt if the generator surges or is overloaded. you shouldn't run your tv, pc. and potentially your furnace if your generator isn't running smoothly like yours. basically anything that runs with a chip can be sensitive to voltage drops. i really like how smooth your generator runs on natural gas i had not considered that
Appreciate you taking the time to make this video. No doubt it will help a lot of folks! I didn't know about the NG regulator 👍
They run at different pressures. Know what you're doing. Propane runs at twice the pressure. and a much smaller orifice
nice operations. Always wondered why the furnace was hardwired in my house. Its just the way they are delivered, and of course to keep homeowners out of them. Maybe you could plug in a "Kill O Watt" meter to should the current draw on startup and run. This is good stuff and well within the capabilities of a conscientious homeowner. Thanks.
I used your plug Idea last winter to heat two furnaces using my Dual fuel generator last winter . Thank you so much,now watching for power stations for the quiet
Well we’re about to hit 10° here in Texas and in 2021 (after a low of -7°) we went with a Champion dual fuel 4250w to run off our 200 gal propane tank. We won’t have central heat but do have a fireplace and can run a refrigerator, a 750w small heater, coffee maker, griddle and a TV/cable/internet set up (obviously not at the same time). We also have a Bluetti EB50 for phone charging and a few LED lights. The NG and LP are absolutely the best way to go vs gasoline. Slight reduction in available wattage but still an easier way to maintain a unit. Great video.
🙏🏻 stay warm friend
Yes, it works and it's great way to do a backup in an emergency. I would highly suggest that you install an interlock in your electrical panel to insure that someone else doesn't come along and turn the main breaker on while the generator is running. Please keep it safe for yourself and the linemen that may be working on the lines in your area.
Thank you. Interlock kit is soon to come with a full install tutorial! Thanks for watching. Cheers
I live in the Southeast US, we routinely lose power approximately 3-4 times a year for about 4-6 hours per occurrence. The generator I use is a 4000 watt Harbor Freight and runs strictly on gasoline. I put a reminder in my phone calendar every month to run it and make it power something. I also use Stabil in the gas for it and have never had a problem with it, starts every time on the first or second pull. Every year it also gets the oil changed in it. Think I am going to be doing this with my furnace as we just lost power on the coldest day of the year (low 10 degrees) it's usually always in the spring, summer, or fall, and never that cold. Thanks for posting this. FLY NAVY!!!
Great content! Ignore the idiots that don’t understand how things work.
Thanks Dave for another video with lots of useful information!
For those wanting to save some money, here's an alternate generator, an open frame inverter generator with 3,500 running watts; the WEN GN400i, currently selling for $383 on the Wen website. It only weighs about 70 lbs, is more compact, and with no battery start or dual fuel.
The type of generator (the Firman) shown in the video is a basic 2-pole generator. They use a lawn mower engine and run at a constant 3,600 RPM (full throttle) in order to produce the 60 Hertz line frequency. Due to the engine speed, they are produce lots of noise/vibration and eat lots of fuel. That generator will empty that BBQ grill propane cylinder in a few hours.
I prefer the Inverter type generator, as they always produce a perfect AC power signal and throttle the engine back when electrical low is light, saving gas, noise, vibration, and engine wear.
I try to never buy the electric start generators as the battery only seems to last about 1 year. Most of the portable generators have an engine small enough that they can be hand cranked easily.
Takes mine a bit more than a few hours (11+ hours to be precise) to “empty that bbq grill propane cylinder” on the Firman. There’s also ZERO upkeep/maintenance on LP, & NG. It stores f o r e v e r … can’t say the same about the gasoline in your WEN. Also, if it’s reserved for emergency use, I don’t care how much noise it makes… there’s an EMERGENCY. Which of course helps me flex on the other neighborhood dads… when the power is out, and they ALL can hear my generator running. 💅🏻
@@djek8667 I think you are correct on the fuel economy, I'm not sure what I was thinking at the time. I think that 200 cc engine consumes about a half gallon an hour.
I have had a lot of trouble in the past with gasoline going bad if left in the engine, fouling the carburetor. I (through trial and error) developed a gas mix that doesn't seem to go bad. I use non-ethanol gas, mixed with Sta-Bil and Marvel Mystery Oil. I have only tested it out to 4 years so far but, it causes zero fouling in fuel tanks and carburetors.
As far as running off propane, LPG, or natural gas; agreed it is the cleanest burning and causes zero gasoline deterioration issues.
Quite an informative video! Yes I would like to see how you set that generator up to run on the natural gas! Thanks Michael 😊
Bought a duel fuel generator at Sam's and used it with LP to paint a house 4 years ago. Pulled it out a month ago for a power outrage and it saved the day. Have to look into that mod for the furnace
That's a slick generator.
Good job showing those that thought you were doing something wrong and back feeding onto the main grid. Those people commenting that clearly don't have a concept on electricity and how things work and shouldn't attempt to do this kind of work. Pretty basic stuff here. I did a similar setup for my sump pumps where instead of hard wiring it into my GFI plug (to provide protection on the rest of the circuit) I wired it to a male plug adapter and just plug it into the GFI receptacle itself. Then whenever there's a risk of the power being out during the mid winter thaws and the power does indeed go out, I can just run an extension cord to that receptacle, unplug it and plug into the extension cord which is being fed from my gas powered generator outside. Exact same idea you've shown everyone but for the furnace. At the time 10 years + ago when I did this I was more concerned about basement flooding versus keeping the family warm :) but have since adopted the same thing for the furnace.
A good and easy way to plug the orifices that you aren't using on your propane regulator would be to attach a short section of the hose and plug it with a bolt. No spiders would get in and you'll have the hose hooked up if you decide to put the regulator back into service.
That 100 amp breaker in the main panel that you turned off, I think needs to be locked to prevent anyone other than you from operating that breaker switch. I know you are very good at what you do. Just an observation brother. Be safe!
Thank you. I’d love to do the interlock kit and power inlet box at my house but haven’t made time to tackle that one. Thanks for the tip though! Cheers
Before you buy one just think of the noise level of the generator. Your neighbors are going to appreciate if you buy a Honda or alike and just think if you could sleep with this tractor running next to your house:)
Ver good point! One advantage to a smaller one.
How about a silent generator 😊
ua-cam.com/video/25dCG557qC0/v-deo.html
When it is in the middle of winter and you need heat who gives a f@#k what the neighbours think you are just trying to keep warm . If they have any sense they will be doing the same thing.
@@12wingwfetech couldn't agree more! Survival situations surpass courtesy.
And use the extra outlet to feed the electic fence...😉
@@dje7335 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Can't stop laughing!
For real though...Great idea. I'm getting a cheap fence charger now. In an extended outage generators could tend to walk away.
This stuff is great. Will be a great help. Please do show us how to set up the natural gas regulator for a generator, as well as for other propane heaters, grills, fireplaces.
Will do!! Thanks for watching
MIND BLOWN!!!! 🤯🤯. North Eastern Ohio, urban area. Power outages for me are rare and brief. However, a day without power in winter can turn a house into an ice box. Will definitely be looking into the gen option, but the bat powered furnace is a MUST. I do service a VARY rural area where power outages can last for several days.
WOW! Update: I have the power inverter hooked up to the furnace for emergencies. Awesome idea, thanks again. I priced out that port gen you recommend 2 months ago it was $499...... *Today (3/26/2023) It is $699.99!!!!* "stuff" is getting real folks.
*The question:* Do you have a recommendations for a 240 volt dual fuel gen? (Want to be able to run A/C) EDIT: An Electrician by trade.
You have an interesting process that will work. I used a pigtail as well, but I ran it from the furnace to the dedicated curcit junction box I converted to a single plug to meet North Carolina electrical code. This way, I can simply unplug the furnace from the wall and plug the end into a drop cord that is run to my small honda generator. I also installed a conduit through an interior basement wall that has a flip cover. This way, I can run the dropcord under my garage door so that no doors have dropcords run through them, and all of them are fully closed. There is no need to trun off the breaker for the furnance, but I still do to keep the process the same for deentergising the power. My wife can complete this simple process without any issue. The grid power can come back on at anytime without any concern, as the furnace is completely independent like a large appliance. The panel does not have to be shut off. The local code only allows for a single plug for the furnance.🎉
In Florida for hurricanes I have a 8500 watt generator. I turn off my main breaker and run a cord I made to my dryer plug. I can power my whole house except the dryer. I use the breaker box to choose when I power my water heater.
I’ve watched a few videos of guys using a quality 1000w power inverter and their car to run a furnace. Neat idea if the car is full of gas and you park it outside while it’s running. Start the car, let the furnace run up to temp or hotter then shut it off. Pretty cheap and less maintenance than a generator as long as your vehicle/battery are in good condition. A lot less work if your not able to move/store/maintain a generator. You will need to build a box or roof to keep a generator out of the weather too in my experience unless you have a porch or garage you can open. The more heat sources and power options you have the better. We have a LP furnace, wood stove, kerosene heater, wall hung LP heater, a few electric ceramic heaters, and LP tank mounted heaters. We’ve gone 8 days without power before and you learn fast to get buying and get prepared.
Amazing. Thanks for sharing 🙏🏻
Good video. I used the same Garretson natural gas regulator to convert an old Porter Cable generator to NG and it is super convenient to just quick couple to the home's gas line. It starts right up with no need to worry about old stale gasoline or running out of gasoline if power is out to the local gas stations.
It’s so nice isn’t it?!? I love it
That is a nice set up.
No issues with larger loads? I don’t get how it’s regulating the amount of gas coming to it
@@somethingsomething404 The regulator varies the gas flow as a function of vacuum, just like a carburetor.
In 2020, I bought a 6,500 watt Champion generator and did the same tri-fuel conversion with the Motor Snorkel. I love it. Hooked up primarily to my natural gas utility with 8 20lb propane tanks backing. I made a mistake though, I really should have bought an inverter generator. May remedy that in 2023 depending on how the geopolitical world looks. Also looking at the comments below, I think I should look into that bonded neutral issue. Always new stuff to learn.
My Firmin 3500 white actually has a bonded neutral apparently. I didn’t realize that but it prevents you from having to take that extra step
Why was it a mistake to not get an inverter generator? I think the only one that I trust is the Honda lineup, but they have low power output and are really expensive on a per watt basis. They also don't have a grounded outlet, and if I remember right the neutral is floating. So some things don't like it, but can make a cheater box for it. Anything with a 2 prong plug will work fine, I think if I remember right, I plugged in my outlet tester into one of the generator outlets and it said I had no ground, but hot and neutral polarity was correct.
@@diyhvacguy Bonded neutral is fine. You just have to be careful if you directly connect to the building system that will already have a main bonding jumper. What you could do in that case is, only connect your hot(s) and neutral wires from generator to the house, and DO NOT CONNECT any ground wire from the generator to the house. And leave the generator neutral to frame bond alone. And then put the generator on some rubber pads or something to isolate it from the surrounding ground, and don't touch while running. This way you will only have 1 point of interconnection from neutral to ground on your premises, and you stop nuisance neutral current from flowing thru the grounding equipment conductor back to your generator. This isn't quite code legal, but then you don't have to modify your generator, and by keeping the neutral to frame bonding intact, you can still use your generator for camping, running power tools etc, and still be OSHA compliant to use on a job site.
Of course, if you want to permanently connect a standby generator to your house, then you want to convert or make sure to get a "neutral floating" generator, if the transfer switch setup does not switch the neutral. Which will be 99.9% of the time for residential setups. The only time I run into transfer switches that also switch the neutral is at health care facilities like hospitals and nursing homes where the generator has to meet life safety codes. My wife works at a larger nursing home, and we ripped out the old Generac generator there which only backed up the coolers, freezers, computers, and the resident room outlets and such. And installed a newer generator that runs the whole facility, that things a beast! It only has an inline 6 cylinder engine.... but it's twin turbo, 750hp, and 33.4 liters... It can supply up to 1600 amps at 208v 3 phase! Anyway, that transfer switch switches all 3 phases and the neutral from the utility pad mounted transformer to the generator, however the neutral to ground bond is still in the main 2000 amp service disconnect in the basement.
Anyway the thing to remember to keep things safe in any electrical service, is you only want one single solitary point on the entire system from the meter or utility point of presence, to the last branch circuit, that has a neutral to ground bonding connection. Think of it like Highlander, there can only be one. Multiple points of contact on one service between neutral to ground, especially in wet locations, can be extremely hazardous. Kids have been killed by stray currents of only 2 volts flowing thru a swimming pool, because neutral current was flowing thru everything grounded at the place because some moron installed a sub panel out in the barn, and connected all the neutrals and grounds on all the same bus bars just like the main panel in a house. Big no-no, you can only do that if there's only one electrical panel right behind the meter.
Watch some of Mike Holts videos on grounding and bonding, and 250.2, and 250.6, (objectional current).
@@brnmcc01 Because apparently some electronic devices can be damaged if they are powered by a non inverter generator. Which on the one hand does make sense, but on the other, it doesn't, and it is hard to get a clear answer. I am sure tons of people use non inverter generators in power outages, like the one we just had, and yet you don't hear of tons of people blowing their fridges, freezers, TVs, etc. Yea some, but you'd think the stories would be more plentiful if it were a hard fast rule.
@@johncasey5594 That was my thought too John, No proof of this but I believe a gas generator that surges from lack of regular maintenance is more harmful than a NG generator with a higher THD. It would be all over the internet if people were burning out electronics left and right. I think most people just use what they bought and never give it a second thought.
I understand what you did and your are correct that you can not back feed your service, but you did not need to turn off the main breaker
In NJ the inspector did not allow me to do the pigtail to the outlet. I did it anyway after the inspection. I could explain to him but could not understand it for him that there was no live electricity in pigtail plug until it was plugged in. A furnace is just an appliance like a toaster or microwave
I totally agree. You mentioned on those other videos that the setup with the inverter was for an emergency when you have no other choice because generators are not available. Some cannot afford a generator. The battery and inverter is more economical. I have a Tri-fuel Firman generator with power going onto my house using the 30 amp 240 volt cord. It goes through to the transfer switch. I haven’t had a power failure recently but I hope it will work in the event of one.
Please test out your system now,
It takes out the guess work.
@@Glocktard I run it for 20 minutes each month so that it doesn’t cease up on me. I have a reminder that pops up each month.
Anyone can afford a generator. It's all about the priorities. People wastes mega $1000's on stupid crap like smokes, beer, alcohol, eating out, going on expensive useless vacations etc. Then complain they can't afford electric bill.
@@brnmcc01 That’s true to a certain extent. Those on fixed incomes may not be able to afford a generator. I could because I don’t smoke or drink or go anywhere on vacation. Kind of boring yes, but I really don’t have the money to travel and I don’t need bad habits like drinking and smoking adding to the problem. Electricity where I live is very stable but we did have 2 tornadoes since 2018. That took the power out for more than 24 hours each time. I think because power is so stable people don’t think about having a generator.
@@ds99 Oh yeah that's very true! There's too many people on retirement that can't even afford gas and groceries these days, and then they have to rob Peter to fill their prescriptions. It's terrible.
A better way to do it would be to get a bigger portable generator (mine is 8,500 starting/ 6,800 running watts) and back feed it into your home’s breaker panel. Mine connects via the 30A outlet on the generator to a 220V outlet in the garage (via a heavy duty RV electrical cord with locking prongs) that was wired by an electrician into the panel and has its own dedicated breaker. So, if the power goes out, you shut off the master switch, start
the generator and switch the generator breaker on. The entire house is powered, with NO cords running to individual lights or appliances. 👍🏻
This is the plan in the next month or so!! Thanks for sharing
It's a great setup, Double check the main is Off, before starting generator. Have a check list ready for generator sequence when power goes out. My electrician wired a light to the always hot lugs at the top of the service panel ( above the main shutoff) so I can tell when grid power comes back.
@@dand3975
I really like the idea of an indicator light for the main power status. 👍🏻
@@SquirrelTheaterYour Very much Need a Liscensed Electrician, to make that connection.
Great setup and great video! It would be much better and safer to NOT mount the NG regulator to the machine due to the vibrations coming from the generator. At minimum I'd suggest adding a rubber isolator. Thanks for taking the time to make the video and share your setup!
Don't buy a Duramax generator on Amazon. I bought a 4800 watt Duramax real cheap looked great ran nicely for like 24 hrs total and then stopped running. Likely the coil but to replace the coil it costs nearly a third of the units cost. If you read the reviews on Duramax they have many saying their unit didn't work properly from the get-go or died in short order. The only repair facility was 25 miles from my large city and that facility had poor reviews as well. By the way my unit was dual fuel.
Good to know!
I have a CAT and has been good so far for a few years. 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼
I'm glad you were not using a suicide cable. This was the first video I saw from you & I have seen too many UA-camrs use suicide cords to connect a generator to their house.
I love the idea of a dual fuel generator. I have natural gas too. This would be a great way to power my house with my generator transfer switch. I had a electrician put one in my house. I can run everything except the electric stove and washer and dryer. My house is a small one.
Just get a Generac standby generator, the one I have can run everything and the air conditioning too. But before getting the generator, I swapped out the stove and dryer for gas versions. Saves a lot of electricity use, and I was able to get a much smaller generator. There's no point in burning gas in a generator to make electricity to just waste and turn into heat. It's 3x more efficient to just burn the gas directly to get heat. Small generators are only about 20-25% efficient in turning the energy in the gas into electricity, so you end up throwing away buckets of money running a generator to power a clothes dryer or stove. Use the generator only for electronics or motor and lighting loads, the things you can run off of gas directly.
Neutral bonding is issue when people do this. The furnace needs a good ground and it needs a good, single, neutral-ground bond at the distribution panel, or in this at case the generator. If the generator has a bonded neutral and the neutral is not switched at the transfer switch then you end up with ground loops, and the furnace refuses to light. If the generator has a floating neutral and the transfer switch does switch the neutral then you end up with no neutral-ground bond anywhere in the system and the furnace again won't light. The particular problem that's happening in the furnace has to do with the flame sensor and the fact that it completes its circuit, through the flame, to the furnace ground. If that ground path is disurbed then the flame sensor won't operate as expected and the furnace controller (computer) will sense that as a failure to light (the gas) and it will shut itself down or put itself into some sort of safety lockout.
Two situations work: i) generator bonded netural and switched neutral at the transfer switch, ii) generator floating neutral and unswitched neutral at the transfer switch. In case i, ground conductor continuty back to the panel is fine. In case ii their must be neutral and ground continuity back to the main panel because that's where they are bonded.
I have this exact same generator that I power with a 20lb propane tank. We have an interlock system setup on our electric control panel and an outlet outside the house to plug the generator into. Easy peasy to set up and will save our bacon during these cold Wisconsin winters should the power go out.
A trick to get the power cord into a house without leaving a door open is to use a dryer vent if nearby. But keep generator a bit away from that vent as to not suck in generator exhaust fumes.
Brilliant! Thanks for sharing
These vids will save lives if put to use in proper time.
Very nice setup for using a generator to keep the heat working, the outlet/plug system is simple and safe, great idea, will be doing this mod.
Part of the preparedness challenge is the knowledge that when you need a generator, so does the fuel station. Friends in CA had to find a generator big enough to run the fuel station before they could buy the fuel they needed.
Your generator is not a pure sinewave inverter generator, right? I understand that some furnaces (I've been told mine) will not run properly without a pure sinewave.
I don't know why anyone was saying that power was still going out to the electrical grid. Basically, you're running your furnace input wiring into the cable. Your switch box is just an outlet. When you unplug the cable from the outlet, there is no connection between the furnace and the house power. None. There is no reason to turn off your mains at the box because there is no a connection between the furnace/generator and the mains system. This was a very helpful suggestion, and I re-wired my furnace shutoff to work the same way.
I am worried about letting the furnace system run down. If we turn off the heat at the thermostat, will it go through it's cooldown before turning off?
Yes the thermostat will allow it to do the cooldown procedure line normal, then once the air has cooled and quit blowing from the vents you are good to shut down your generator 👍🏽
You could also install a pure sine wave inverter in between if you have a high efficiency furnace.
Use a silent generator 😊 ua-cam.com/video/25dCG557qC0/v-deo.html
Youll want to get the engine running and the power stabilized on the generator BEFORE you plug in your power cord. Also, you'll want to unplug your power cord BEFORE you turn the engine off. The way you did it, you are sending power surges and unstable power through the extension cord to your furnace, which can blow out electronics boards.
This is good to know. I learn something new every day here on UA-cam thanks to commenters like yourself. Thanks so much 🙏🏻
We used a generator to get heat for an older couple who lost power in the last blizzard storm where several around us lost power. Using a regular gas generator. Now unless you have a really nice generator that accommodates, you will need to run a jumper between neutral and ground on your male whip you connect to the furnace. Otherwise the board will fault out and no Ignition sequence.
Nice generator and I like the pigtail but who wants to have an extension cord running out the door overnight in the winter time or possibly longer you might as well bite the bullet and put in a transfer switch pretty easy to do then you can run your furnace or whichever items you decide to turn on great work thanks for the video!
That’s next on my list!! Just thought I’d share what I got so far :)
At my house, I installed an interlock on my service panel. It is made by Siemens and is UL approved. Much cheaper than a full blown transfer switch.
@@tgriebe yeah I really like the interlock system as well unfortunately my panel was completely full opted for the six circuit transfer either way I guess we’ll be ready😄😄
ding ding. this dude stole my thunder. generator-transfer switch-no hula hoops to jump through. couple grand up front with gen purchase(599)50 amp cord(399) 50 amp 10 circuit transfer switch(400)electrician(400) I rotate 20-25 gallons of high octane tru fuel and have (4)30 pound lp tanks ready to let er rip. I rest easy knowing this is ready to go.
If you have natural gas I would check your breaker box. What I thought was a full breaker box turned out to not be true. They wired the house for all electric appliances. I have a gas stove, gas, dryer and a gas hit water heater. So I had 3- 220v breakers that were not being used. My AC unit was in the top right location where the interlock is supposed to be. Right under that was the water heater. So it was as simple as turning off the main breaker and moving the wires. The hardest part was pulling a little extra wire down from the mass coming from the attic. Only needed an inch or so but the slack was there
Recommend to invest in a Transfer Switch at your breaker panel and have your furnace circuit as one of the dedicated lines. Much safer and ready-to-go at all times...provided your generator is working. Stay safe!
The newer inverter style generators that have the "On/Off" switch on the fuel cap do not have the same issues with the fuel going bad and wrecking the carburetor. I use E10/E15 in mine, I have one of the A-iPower generators. I leave E10 in it all year long without an issue. You have to turn that switch off though.
Good video.
You may want to work on the way you get that power cord into the house.
You will get a good draft leaving that door open and could possibly get generator exhaust in to.
Good tips on NOT using ethanol gas, that stuff is Kriptinite to small engines.
Thanks for the tips!
I was thinking the same thing. Something like a shore power connector for an RV could be the way to go
I’m gonna use a 1-1/2 drain pipe thru the wall with plugs on the ends. Run the cord thru and shove some socks in the pipe or tape up the ends. Have extra extension cords to reach your fridge and freezer too.
@@happyamerican3235 I think you can get PVC caps as well, just don't glue them on. And mind the gap around the pipe on the wall, keeping in mind mice can crawl through gaps as narrow as 1/4". Fill the gaps with copper mesh or stainless steel mesh and use fire proof caulking to seal around it. Don't use expanding foam as mice can chew straight through that.
Get a 1800 watt inverter generator, lite weight and quiet to operate. Your neighbors will thank you. That size generator will do fine connected directly to your furnace.
Absolutely. The only reason I have such a big one is I sometimes use it for my ac in our camper. Cheers
"complex" solutions can and do work well, the "engineered in" simplicity of built in wood heat backup that only needs a small wood pile is a comfort.
We just got a Generac in June, connected to natural gas, only thing that worries me about it is not knowing how much is going to cost after the outage in gas cost, versus at my last house. We had a Generac connected to a 500 gallon propane tank, and I knew how much it would likely cost to refill the tank. Natural gas, it’s really a surprise when you get the bill.
Yea especially with the threat of it tripling in price because of this Russia thing.
Great set-up. It's definitely something I need for harsh winters in PA when the power goes out.
I bought a champion tri fuel generator this year to use as a backup. Thanks for sharing the info.
Great video series!! Never really thought about setting up a secondary power supply for the heater. Keep it up
Thanks for watching!
Thank you a million times over
Good video. Just a suggestion. Where these different fuels are involved it might be clearer to use the word "gasoline" to avoid confusion.
3:07 I would REALLY love a video explaining how you set up the regulator.
I disconnected my gas furnace from hardwired to plug-in years ago. If the power grid drops I can quickly plug in to another power source. I have four RV batteries on a hand cart on constant maintenance charge with a pure sine wave inverter, outside are two generators with power cords terminating in the furnace room.
Ignore the haters! You’re awesome!
🙏🏻 thanks so much
I have the same generator, she's running off propane though, best generator I've ever had!! Thanks for the info about that natural gas hook up!!
Glad to help!
My understanding that you should be plugging in sensitive electronics into an inverter generator. There is close to 25 percent of Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) on regular generators that can fry up things such as home appliances and electronics or even newer furnace electronic boards. THD of a regular ac current should be under 5 percent.
If you have a generator already you could use a pure sine wave inverter in between the generator and the furnace.
@@diyhvacguy what! How?
@@Glocktard Generator runs a battery charger. Battery runs the inverter. Inverter runs the furnace. It's about as scary as you can imagine.
Just had a difficult time starting my propane generator... tried everything and then I thought about the dirty, cobwebbed garage where it was stored. Sure enough, there was a spider nest in the propane inlet fitting! Poked it out with a nail and it started first pull!
Nice. Good catch 👍🏼 always keep that guy covered!
I have been using the cheapest ethanol fuel i can get on these for years with no problems. The secret is that every 3 months drain it all out, dump it in your car and use it up but then immediately replace it with fresh pump gas. Then make sure to start and run generator for 15 minutes to get the new fuel in the carb. Preferably with a load on it. I just plug in a space heater. If you want you can use a fuel stabilizer but i never do because i usually change the fuel out every other month just to be safe. I got it setup so I can open a valve with a hose in a gas can and walk away. Come back a half hour later and the gen is empty.
Ow boy I love this!! You sir have given me a great project to do that could really save my family in a time of need.
Thank you
Glad I could help!
Do this at your our risk! All gas furnace built after July 3, 2019 (79 FR 38129) and many built before this date, require ECM motor technology as well as microprocessor controls. Big box stores sell generators that do not meet minimum power quality requirements and can damage components within your furnace. Failures related to improper voltages, frequencies and harmonics ARE NOT covered by the manufacturer's standard warranty. My advice would be to get a high quality whole home generator (commonly referred to as hospital grade). Check with your furnace manufacturer for generator power quality requirements and make sure the whole home generator meets those requirements in writing.
take note for new generator owners. When you purchase a generator and leave it buried somewhere, run it once a month at least, to take sure the gas doesn't go bad
Not if it’s natural gas :) didn’t run mine for over a year and it started right up 👌🏽
This can also be done with a gas generator. Don't forget to turn off the circuit breaker for your furnace, you don't need to do for the whole house. Make sure the generator is far enough from the house to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. You can also power your fridge, freezer, sump pump (or portable small window AC unit) and some lights (purchase a 3500 watt generator with 4 normal 20 amp or 15 amp outlets on it). You may have the light switch / plug combo on your furnace if you have a condensate pump to pump the water to a drain from the AC / Humidifier on your furnace.
I get the importance of making sure you don’t send power back to the grid, but in the video the furnace is unplugged from the power supply, and plugged into the generator. Whether the breaker is switched off or not, I see no way to send power back to the grid. Am I missing something, or is this just the ultimate sense of security that is not really necessary? Thanks
@@chrisward8278 You are unplugging the condensate pump, not the furnace most of the time. If feeding power into it, you will back feed power into your circuit breaker box with it coming thru when the power comes back on.
@@easywindowssidingllc1464 he's unplugging power to the entire furnace. He connected the whole furnace system to that plug specifically for this reason.
Ecobee the best thermostat on the market! Great Canadian company.
The best!
Funny 40 years ago you could leave an outboard for 20 years put gas in it and go fishing and complain that it doesn't run quite right the gas we burn today is like Mexican gas low quality thx for the video very informative
At about 4:03 you mention that ..."once you start to smell propane, this is fully primed and you can let off".
Given you are setting natural gas to run the generator, I would have thought you would smell natural gas. Is the reason your smelling propane due to purging the propane with natural gas?
Is there a difference in the smell of propane and natural gas? Also you talk about propane not needing to "choke", so I'm thinking you meant this for natural gas too?
Sorry i mean natural gas. They both have a strong odor so I just meant once you smell it you know you are bled thoroughly 👍🏽
You’ve got the generator, the gas hookup, all you need is a proper way to connect it safely to your panel via a power inlet and transfer switch. With the same amount of effort you could be powering most if not all of your house rather than running extension cords everywhere.
Yes that’s soon to come! Cheers
We just bought a transfer switch that goes behind the hydro meter
Safe and covered by your home insurance
Is it called the generlink? Pretty nifty but man they are spendy!! I love the idea of how easy they are if you have the funds for it.
Just as an aside. Gas with ethanol is perfectly fine as long as you're going to use every bit in the tank and run it dry within 30 days. For the last long while I use the less expensive ethanol gas when I know I'm going to run it dry and then run about a cup of ethanol free. It's only when e gas sits for a long while that it starts to gel up and clog the injectors.
Thank you Dave you have some really clever ideas.. once I figure out how to keep the heat on during the blizzard this year, I want to figure out how to replace my AC compressor that is going on 12 years. And not have to pay an HVAC guy like three to $4000, when a 3 1/2 ton Goodman would only cost about 1500.. just no need to know how to change out the lines and refill the gas. Wiring and a coil are all there, and doing it before july might be good thinkin! Nice work man!
Hey thanks so much! If you’d like tech support for your ac replacement as well as finding the best price on equipment check out our $25 membership at Patreon.com/diyhvacguy and I’ll help walk you through the replacement. Cheers
Hi Dave I appreciate your offer , I am retired and I have a small income. Since I was in the trades for over 50 years, this is why I feel confident on working around stuff. I did play the lottery tonight if perhaps an extra $25 will show up, and I will gladly pay you. I really do wish you well, and I think you’re doing well..? Really enjoy your work and hope to see more…
Sorry just a crusty old Yankee.. got take a note by Wall Street. Nevertheless your work is good and I appreciate your videos and sure watch.
You'll need a manifold guage set and a vaccumn pump plus fittings, map gas or acetylene, silver solder. Maybe rent vac pump, guage manifold?
I admire your ability to do all this stuff...pretty amazing.
Works if you have a gas furnace. If you have an electric furnace you're going to need a bigger generator.
My electric furnace is 51,000 BTU and I would need a 20kW generator. 51,000 BTUs per Hour (BTUIT/h) = 14.9466 Kilowatts (kW) and the blower fan uses some power.
BTW, I haven't used the furnace in 5 years. Costs over $200 month added to my electric bill every month.
I have 5500 running watt generator and space heaters and a Big Buddy propane heater if the power goes out.
Not sure if this was mentioned elsewhere, but if your generator or inverter is NOT bonded “neutral to ground” when running “direct” to your inverter or generator your furnace will most likely fail to start especially with newer control board furnaces. Easy to test by using a meter to test for continuity between neutral and ground on the inverter or generator. Once I bonded everything worked perfectly off inverter and Generator. If you tested with one of those 3 prong probes you will see an “open ground” if the inverter or generator is NOT bonded. If bonded you will see no error or ground fault.
Great advice. Maybe it will help some folks out. I didn’t realize that my Gen set has a bonded ground, so it does the work for me.
@@diyhvacguy Your welcome! I spent a full day testing…. and bonding neutral to ground is very important in many sensitive applications not to mention for safety too. Generator / Inverter manuals will state how they are configured but beware…. My Renogy Inverter stated it was bonded inside the inverter but when I checked it was NOT. Once I bonded neutral to ground the furnace passed it’s self test and bingo off to the races. This was running the furnace stand-alone directly to the inverter. Sorry for the long winded reply.
You should consider adding a transfer switch to your home so you can power more than just your furnace.
I’m in the process of doing this! Thanks for sharing. Cheers
Great job 👍 thanks for sharing. I've always had a generator ready. Now where I'm going I'll have to do it there. I liked your inverter with the 12 volt battery close to furnace. That would get you through the night no problem. I'll have to check out that generator mines too big and heavy. Only thing I would do is have it so i can pug the generator from outside.
Run the furnace and a kitchen light and fridge and stove. It might be a good idea to get a gas stove instead of electric.
Thanks. And yes gas stove is always a great idea. That’s one of the first things I did when I bought my place. I’m gonna be doing some test videos with two different 1000w lithium power stations so stay tuned for that!
I just turn main off plug into my 220 volt 50 amp welder back feed to breakers I run fridge and living room circuits working for years.
I would make sure you caution your viewers to use a much heavier Guage extension cord as some basic cords may get hot. Just my two cents.
I included that in the video I think… but thanks for the comment!
I thought you needed an inverter generator on newer high efficiency furnaces unless you have a basic one.
Have the same generator put a trickle charger on your generator battery that plugs into the wall. Pull start is hard for older people .It the best 25$ you can spend.
Yes , info on how to adjust the natural gas regulator for different pressures would be helpful. thnx
So the outlet on the side of the furnace is a "switched outlet" and the 120 v male plug is wired into the outlet and can only be hot when plugged into it?! NEAT!
Yesir! Thanks for watching!
you stumped me with tri-fuel, i didnt know they existed, great video, im sure it will help many peeps
Thank you!
If a person has the means, I suggest checking into installing a permanent standby generator. Standby generators are typically intended to be connected to critical systems - like HVAC, refrigerators, microwave, water pumps, sump pumps, some lighting, and security. If you plan to have an additional freezer, a chest freezer is a good option so you can still go into it occasionally as needed without dramatically impacting the cool air while the power is out if you don't want to have it connected for extended outages.
Easily 10 grand these days
Rich man's plan. Far out of reach for the average Joe...
I'll keep my little generator with extension cord and pocket the $9500+ savings.
So my neighbor quoted one out after a storm ripped through where I live that knocked us off the grid for 5 days over the past summer. He was minimum quote was $13k. While he was getting those quotes, my electrician swung by and wired in a Generac Transfer Switch and I bought a Champion Generator so I can now easily run the vitals of my home (A/C, Furnace, Well Pump, Kitchen Appliances, 1 bathroom, and Living Room) all for under $3k. I may or may not ever have to use it again, but at least Ill be comfortable whether its -25 wind chill or 100 degrees outside
To get full power and not possibly damage the genset your going to need to about double the flow of natural gas
One cubic foot of propane = 2,516 BTUs compared to one cubic foot of natural gas = 1,030 BTUs. Propane contains more than twice the energy of natural gas.
So a larger office will be needed how big is above my pay grade
Thank you I'm still a dumb A but at least I have ideas where to start
Thanks David, I like the idea of using natural gas with my generator.
I was going to do the pigtail but then I got lazy plus most pigtails are 14awg. I just cut the 12-2 and installed a male plug. On one furnace I did put a single gang outlet but on the other I just spliced in a male and female plug. I know this isn't recommended but how often will I actually have to unplug it. Also just note my 1/2 horsepower pulls 869 Watts but my 1 hp dual zone pulls 1169 continuously. They both pulled 1500 watts on start up. Get a watt meter and check this out before you lock into a generator as some of the smaller ones could struggle. I just ordered the new pulsar 4000 that's 2800 on LP and should be perfect. This strategy is all a back up to my 17500 generac with an interlock kit.
Everything at my house runs on propane, except lights and outlets! A wood stove keeps me from having to burn $2.65 a gallon propane for heat. I have 1000-watt inverters mounted next to both refers and my living room entertainment center ( 60" plasma and related stereo components). When the power goes out I move a battery to each location and we are off to the races!. I also have 2 solar panels that charge up 3 battery banks (24volt) in my sunroom, and they run the lights there, at least in the summer and on good days with no clouds. Collect batteries anywhere you can, they are golden! :) I also just got an incredible deal on 2 3000 watt inverter/chargers new in the box. they will go into storage! :) Get a solar generator too if you can afford it. I have an ECOFLOW and my son got the Bluetti!! Merry Christmas!
Just a FYI - to my understanding that whole back feeding the lines and killing a lineman is mostly BS. My son is a lineman and a good friend of mine is also. From what they tell me, they work of live wires all the time and treat every wire like it is live. To dive the point here, I lost power to my house for three weeks during a hurricane here in Florida, I ran my house the entire time on a genny, when the guy finally came out to do the final inspection and pop the meter in I ran outside waving my arms like a idiot telling him my generator was running still. He told me worst case scenario if I left it running and through the main it would fry the genny, but more than liking it would trip the breaker.
Wow that’s great to know. Thanks for sharing!