Question
I like to turn off mine in March and on again just before Christmas. This way,
I only get charged $6.60 a month, whereas if I didn’t my bill in July would be
about $20. However, the guy who’s going to put gas stoves in our building said
it’s not a good idea because when the furnace is off, the lack of the pilot
light leads to condensation on the outside of the pipes, encouraging rust and
damp floors, therefore I’d save more money by leaving it on. What’s your
experience?

Answers
I have seen this happen. I turned off a new furnace’s pilot light for
the summer, and by the fall, the insides were coated with a film of
rust.
It was in a damp basement.

frugal solution:

put a small heat source like a small light bulb where the pilot light
would be.

25 watt bulb: .025kw x 24hours x 30days x 9months = 162 kw.hr
at 10 cents per kw.hr that would cost only $16.20 for the whole summer
plus maybe the cost of a lightbulb and a small fixture if you don’t
already
have one.

A small 7 watt bulb might work ok, as well (less than $5 per summer)

I was once told that a gas pilot light will cost about $6 per month.
Associated Furnace Pilot Light On In Summer Or Off Question:Should I turn off pilot light from furnace in summer…?
I’m intimidated by the furnace and its functions, and I was wondering if it is worth it to shut if off in the summer, or just keep it on. Does it a) cause unnecessary emmisions b) waste gas (natural gas furnace) Thanx!

• Answer:We always turned ours off. However, someone better be handy enough to light it again in the fall or your best bet would be to leave it on. You would be surprised just how much money you can save by turning off that one little pilot light. Make SURE all gas supplied to the pilot are off or you risk danger from explosion. That is why you better have an in-residence handyman around. Gas isn’t somethng that should be fooled with by the inexperienced.

Associated Furnace Pilot Light On In Summer Or Off Question:Turn off, or  I have an older gas furnace with a pilot light. In the summer, when it doesn’t need to be used, should I turn off the pilot light or leave it on year-round? Thanks.

• Answer:You can turn it off. The pilot light is used to keep a device known as a thermocouple hot–which allows the fan to blow whenever the thermostat is raised. But you can simply turn the knob to full off and leave it that way until fall. Be sure you know how to restart it before you shut it off!

Associated Furnace Pilot Light On In Summer Or Off Question:A/C worked fine all summer, heater pilot light lit yesterday, now a/c blows hot air?
We’re renting a house, moved here in Feb, used the heat till around April. Then switched to a/c when it started getting hot outside. Heat a/c worked fine all summer. Husband replaced the thermostat at the end of June because the arm/lever thingy you use to adjust the temperature was broken off before we moved in. So we’ve used the a/c all summer, no problems at all. Over the weekend it got cool, so I turned the heat on Saturday morning and after 2 hours of blowing cool air I realized the pilot light on the furnace needed to be lit. So when the handyman who has been painting the outside of the house for a couple of weeks came I asked him if he could light it. He said he’ll call the landlord (his boss) to do it. It gets lit, heater works fine. Later yesterday afternoon it got hot outside so I turned on the a/c only to find that it blows warm/hot air, even all the way down to 45 degree. We’ve tried this 3 or 4 times since yest. afternoon and it still blows warm air. What is wrong? To the person who explained the wires. All I know is that when my husband replaced the thermostat the a/c and heat worked fine when we tested them. We never actually used (tried to) the heat until this weekend when we discovered the pilot light was out. So up until now the a/c worked like a charm. Knowing this, if the only change was the pilot light was being lit, how would this now make the a/c blow hot air when it was working fine till now?

• Answer:it’s likely the A – Frame is a block of Ice. Called the landlord and have them call the HVAC person.

Associated Furnace Pilot Light On In Summer Or Off Question:Will turning off my pilot light, will it effect my water heater or other things in my home?
The pilot light is the one realted to or beneath the furnace. However, I was recently told I should shut it off during the summer to conserve on my gas bill as it isn’t needed for my hot water tank & I don’t have central air conditioning. Is this true? How much will I realistically be saving?

• Answer:I THINK YOU WILL SAVE A BUCK OR TWO A MONTH. CALL THE GAS COMPANY AND GET THE CORRECT ANSWER AND LET ME KNOW.

Associated Furnace Pilot Light On In Summer Or Off Question:Can you help with my White-Rogers 36C03 Type 222 gas valve? Can’t turn or push the pilot control knob.?
Last summer I decided to turn my furnace’s pilot light off. Here in southern Louisiana, you just don’t need the added heat from an early 1970’s vintage pilot light adding to your home’s heat load. I couldn’t turn the pilot knob on the gas valve, so I just shut the gas supply off and left the gas control valve knob in the “ON” position. Now it’s cold (by southern Louisiana standards…60 deg F or so), and I want to turn the pilot & furnace back on. But I cannot get that darn gas valve control knob to move. I can’t push it in and I can’t turn it in any direction. And I don’t want to call the repairman b/c he will try hard to talk me into a new furnace. And I know I won’t buy one from him, I’ll buy one online somewhere because I’ll find one for a third the price the repairman wants. And then when it gets here it will be damaged, and I’ll return it and get a new one. When the 2nd one comes, I’ll spend a week installing it and something will go wrong or won’t fit or something like that, and I’ll spend as much money as I would have paid the repairman for a new furnace. And at the end of the week I’ll be a little closer to being certifiably insane. And my wife and kids will not like me as much. But they probably will have some interesting stories to tell their friends. So I’m hoping someone could just give me some advice on how to get this doggone gas contol valve knob to budge. On the valve it says it’s a Model 36C03 Type 222. And when I do a Yahoo! search on that, I quickly find many links to various White-Rogers model 36C03 gas control valves. So I’m surmising the organization that made my gas control valve is White-Rogers, but no where on the valve does it actually say, “White-Rogers”. Thanks in advance! Bill

• Answer:Use silicone spray. There’s a small straw supplied with the can that you use to aim the silicone. Then, just tap on the knob and it will loosen up.

Associated Furnace Pilot Light On In Summer Or Off Question:Can anyone explain to me how to use a 745 Duo Therm natural gas furnace?
I have been living in a trailer over the Summer and it’s a bit old. I believe it’s called a Daytona 44 X 12, and it’s a bit older. With it being September now the nights are getting colder and I was just curious how you use the furnace. It’s natural gas, and I can see that the pilot light is lit. If you remove the cover, there is a blower fan that says Summer, Winter, and Off. When you put it on anything besides off, the fan starts blowing regardless of what the thermostat is set to. I didn’t know if the fan is supposed to run constantly, or if there was something I was missing. Can someone help me?

• Answer:In the winter mode the blower should not be running. The blower should energize when the fan switch gets hot enough after the burner runs for a few minutes. The fan switch may be defective.

Associated Furnace Pilot Light On In Summer Or Off Question:What’s a heat pump system?
I bought a new digital thermostat and it say’s that it’s not compatible with single or double phase heat pump systems. My system consists of an outside condenser and an inside unit stacked. The top part is an electric system for air conditioning and the lower portion a natural gas furnace. The heating and air is distributed through the the house via duct work by a large fan at the very base of the entire system. In the summer I turn off the pilot light for the gas portion of the system, Is this a heat pump system. When the air is running in the summer the air at the outside unit feels warm when the system is running and in the winter when the heat is on the outside unit does not run.

• Answer: This Question has not been answered yet! Send us Your best furnace pilot light on in summer or off Answer!

Associated Furnace Pilot Light On In Summer Or Off Question:I need a Heating and Plumbing Professionals advice on Carbon Monoxide posoining?
Please only answers from licensed heating and plumbing professionals! Every year for the last 3 my local gas company comes out to light the pilot on my wall furnace and says there is a yellow amber to it. I tell my landlord, he never calls a professional. He looks at it and then lights it. The last 2 years I have been getting unexplained expisodes of violent vomiting, diahreah, nausea and migrain, elevated blood pressure. it lasts about 8 hours each time and I end up in ER. I have had a total of 4 ER visits with no explanation to these episodes. Just before summer began I had my pilot turned off and also the the stove pilot. It generates alot of unwanted heat and I use a microwave. I realized today that I haven’t had an episode since I turned off the stove and furnace about 5 months. I had the gas co come out because cold season is about to start. This year the gas co decides not to turn on the pilot and says the same thing about the glow and notes a possible fire box issue. My Landlord checks it and decides to replace the generator. I haven’t used it yet, but do notice that it is quiet compared to before the replacement. It use have the sound of a flame constantly. Could I have had carbon monoxide posoining or illness due to the stove or furnace? What are the symptoms? Should I have the gas company back out and or call a licensed heating and plumbing guy to check it myself? I am very nervous about this. Thank you for your professional opinion in advance! Thank you everyone your advice is eye opening! I am wondering although I am not using the furnace and it is in the off position if I shouldn’t turn off the pilot as well?

• Answer:Iceman is right… You might also be interested in this link: http://www.firesnoop.com/fire-security-articles/carbon-monoxide-detector-tubes.php Also, I’d have the gas company come back out to check the system now & if they refuse to light it, ask them to give you a written notice of why they would not light it. If you are burning natural gas, a yellow flame means that the burner is dirty and not getting enough air. This can lead to carbon monoxide problems. I’m not a doctor either, however, you might also have an allergy to natural gas or burning natural gas. Good luck…

Question
Hey guys..

I have a furnace/thermostat question.I’ve got a Coleman/Evcon
electric furnace (EB20B),and a Maple/Chase thermostat.(Saverstat 0960)
I want to set the fan on the furnace to turn off after the heating
coils turn off,so that it blows the residual heat left in the
ductwork,etc out into the house.(slightly more efficient.) The
thermostat has a switch to set the fan turn _on_ delay,but nothing for
turn off.Perhaps the furnace has a control board inside with a
switch,or jumper? Does anyone know?
If I had a schematic of the thermostat,I’m sure I could build a small
delay circuit for the fan.I have years of electronics experience,so
soldering together a simple circuit is no problem. Does anyone have a
schematic of this thermostat? Is there a website where I might find
it?I’m unsure of how furnace,and heatpump controls are wired,having
never worked with them before,so any sites with basic onfo on that
could be useful aswell.

Thanks In Advance! Pat.
Answers
Umm…..its a switch…thats all…
Ask your local HVAC tech about a delay on break timer.
But…having all that electronics experence, you knew in advance those
existed..
And make damn sure that since thats an electric furnace, that he wires a
couple in, so that your heat strips are not running all the time that the
fan is as well,….
IF they are on when it stops getting the call from the stat….and thats IF
its acting as the airhandler for a heat pump…90% of those are not.

Also….as a York/Coleman UPG dealer…allow me to let you know that your
idea is ill advised, and you will not save anything since the existing
configuration is such that you get a slight delay as it is, IF everything is
working correctly.

Question
I recently installed a Honeywell F50 air cleaner and a Kenmore 3000 power
humidifier on my Trane XE80 furnace. I even added a Honeywell DPDT relay on
the humidifier power line of the furnace control module that switches the
fan speed from low to med-high and turns on the humidifier during a heating
cycle. Works great, and now I can leave the fan running on low all the time
and still have it run at the right speed for the heat and cool cycles.

One problem though, now we can smell ozone in the house from the F50.
Honeywell indicated that this could be a problem and has a jumper that is
supposed to lower the ozone output by 25% and drop the units efficiency by
7-10%. Also an indoor air quality test has indicated high formaldehyde and
ozone gas concentrations in the house. (New house, lots of particle board).
According to the EPA raising the humidity increases formaldehyde outgassing
from building materials. Recommendations from Honeywell and EPA “activated
carbon and impregnated alumna filter”. Problem is I cant find anyone that
makes a HVAC filter like this for residential use, plenty of commercial
units but nothing for 16×25 ductwork. All I can find is a few companies that
make standard furnace filters that are impregnated with a few grams of
carbon. EPA recommends upwards of 15 Lbs of carbon annually for a house my
size.

Anybody know of anything? I found a company that will make a custom unit
that can be refilled with new carbon but cant run more the 1400CFM through
it and big $$$$$ to make it for me. Could make it work with a bypass duct
for the higher airflows during heating and cooling cycles, but cant believe
that no company makes a standard residential model?

Any ideas would be appreciated.
Answers
I have to agree with Canadian Heat, you are better off with a Heat Recovery
Ventilator (HRV) or a Energy Recovery Ventilator(ERV). Many IAQ sources say that
you should replace the air in the house with fresh air every 1 – 3 hours. These
units will allow you to do that, and still keep your heat/cooling bills down. I
think the best way to deal with pollutants like Ozone, dust mite feces, and
Formaldehyde is to blow them out of the house .

I have a pair of Venmar units in my house and they are great! I no longer have
respiratory problems and my wife has stopped taking here allergy medication. I’m
also using Venmar’s optional charcoal filters in my ERV to filter the incoming
air. The only down side is that I have to replace the charcoal filters about
every 2 months because of high air pollution in my area – metro Boston.

Here’s a good site for the Venmar units

http://www.thermalassociates.com

Associated Furnace Filters Carbon Question:Best Electrostatic Furnace Filter with carbon and prefilter layer?
I have horribel allergies and asthma. I’m looking for a permanant electrostatic filter for my furnace that you don’t plug in, and has a carbon layer and a “pre-filter” layer.

• Answer:I will probably catch some flack, but there is no permanent filter that can do this job. Electrostatic filters are charged by static and the amount of charge is not enough to plate particulate matter to the filter media. In effect when the blower shuts down, many of the particles settle to the bottom of the blower, to be recycled again and again. They also do nothing about gaseous material or germs that come from carpets, varnishes, pets, etc. Check out the Micro Power Guard or Dyna Filter and consider a UV light installed in your duct system to control mold and odors.

Associated Furnace Filters Carbon Question:Can you add a carbon prefilter in front of your furnace filter to help with dust, animal dander, and smells?
Notice that most air cleaners have a carbon prefilter and was wondering if this could also be done with a household furnace filter? Hi Efficiency furnace/air conditioner (TRANE)

• Answer:It really depends on several things. If you are currently using a high efficiency filter and then you add a second filter to the system you may encounter some of the problems that Thor mentions. But if you are only using a moderately efficient filter and install a second filter you may be fine. There are a couple of options for carbon filtration that I am aware of for home owners. One is the pleated type of carbon filter. These are made of a material with carbon fibers added to the filter material. They are black and look the same as a pleated panel filter. I think they work OK, I have used them several times for customers and they seem happy with the results. Another option is to install carbon media pads with your regular media pad. Media air filters are not the most efficient filters available but they do an adequate job and having the second pad, which is thinner, doesn’t have a drastic impact on air flow. If you are using an electronic filter, not electrostatic, you can add the pre-filter if you want. Electronic air filters have very little impact on air flow so adding the pre-filter would only be like having one filter in the system anyway. Also if there is a foam pre-filter with the electronic filter, remove it when you install the new one. If your duct system is undersized and air flow is already an issue, you should stay away from a pre-filter of any kind. If you do try adding a pre-filter, monitor the system closely and change the filters regularly. If you don’t, you are looking for trouble.

Associated Furnace Filters Carbon Question:Intertherm Furnace Filter 1/4″ x 19″ x 54″?
Help! I can not locate a good furnace filter to stop or lesson the allergens in the air for my furnace. The only thing I’m able to locate is a washable carbon filter that does not stop much. It is putting so much dust in the air, I must dust every 2 days. (And yes, I keep the filter clean) Does anyone know where I can get a GOOD filter for my furnace?

• Answer:Hi, The filter you are using may be electrostatic. It’s hard to say without seeing it. I would recommend doing a search for Intertherm Furnace Filter 1/4″ x 19″ x 54″ in Yahoo and see what comes up. If that doesn’t return good results try doing the search in quotes. Unfortunately that’s an odd size filter and one of the standard types of filter won’t fit. I would recommend having an HVAC contractor look at it. They should be able to come up with a solution to mount a pleated filter on that unit. Regarding the answer about using a UV light. UV lights do not filter dust from the air, they only purify the air by killing organic compounds such as mold and viruses. They are useful but will not help your situation.

Associated Furnace Filters Carbon Question:Question about an oil burning furnace?
Content::Ok, i have an oil burning furnace and just curious what type of things i should get for it??? Like, do I need an oil filter for it should i get a carbon manoxide detector??? Any information you can give is appreciated.

• Answer:Hi, here is a site I found to be quite informative on furnaces and heating, it may help you as well, good luck. http://www.furnace-water-heaters.com/

Associated Furnace Filters Carbon Question:How My Heat Computer Detect Carbon Monoxide?
All the new furnaces are built with the computer board self diagnose lots of things like a clugged filter, bad heat exchanger, carbon monoxide and many others. I understand that one of the main operation of the PC is to detect carbon monoxide and therefore to keep the exhaust blower running until this clears. I also know that a wrong signal from the computer might cause the unit to work erratic. How does the unit computer detect the carbon monoxide levels?

• Answer:try this link it will explain it better than I can. http://ehow.com/how-does_5062768_carbon-monoxide_detected.html

Associated Furnace Filters Carbon Question:Carbon Monoxide Detectors at Fire Deparment?
I was told that I would need to call my fire department for a carbon monoxide detector. Do they really give those out for free or charge? I mentioned this to someone else and they said I was nutty. I havent called this Fire Department yet to ask. I kinda dont want to feel stupid if I do and they dont. My landlord just lit the pilot light to my furnace but also replaced the filters. I didnt think anything about carbon monoxide until my sister mentioned it. No one has been having any problems but with a 3 month old in the home I want to be safer than safe. Thank you.

• Answer:A lot of Fire Departments do give away detectors. Just give them a call on the non emergency number and ask.

Associated Furnace Filters Carbon Question:Furnace question. Close to tearing my hair out.?
OK, here is the issue at hand. Get comfortable it’s a bit long: When I first moved into my home our furnace was acting unreliably. We would start the furnace on (AmericanStandard) and it would go just fine. The blowers would start. The igniter would hit and we would get warm air. But, seemingly at random, hours later the flame would go out but we would continue to get cold air blown into our home. So I checked the furnace and the rollout switch had popped. Pressing it back in the furnace would go like normal for another random amount of time. Deciding this was probably wrong I called for an HVAC guy to come inspect the furnace. He came and poked around for awhile. Pushed a wire camera into my furnace and said there were three cracks on different cells of the furnace and tagged me with a $750 repair fee to replace the heat exchanger. I had heard of techs taking advantage of unknowledgable customers (like myself) so I called another guy for a second opinion. He came in and I showed him the same issue I had before. Knowing that a cracked heat exchange was a possibility he monitored the furnace and all of our vents with a digital Carbon Monoxide reader. Over the span of two days and over 4 or 5 hours he never detected anything in the air. The reader stayed at 0PPM. He did replace the ignitor, replace the rollout switch, and clean the filters and that seemed to help a little bit. I thought the issue was solved. But then a day later the problem started up again. The roll out switch pops and we get cold air blown into our house until I reset it. I was on the verge of calling the tech to come back, a few days ago, but since then the random problem has chosen not to fire up. I know it isn’t fixed but I don’t know why it isn’t causing issues anymore. Any advice? The furnace as well is only 6 years old. So it seemed odd for it to be a heat exchange issue.

• Answer:Just a thought—the roll -out switch will pop if the exhaust or chimney is obstructed–sometimes birds will nest in there–have you had the chimney examined ? I would also go to hardware and get a CO2 detector and place it in the proximity of the furnace to make sure this thing isnt gassing you.

Associated Furnace Filters Carbon Question:Rheem Criterion II Gas Furnace that shuts down when temp is reached?
We have a Criterion II Gas Furnace. It is set at 72 degrees, and once that is reached, the furnace shuts itself down and we have to turn the furnace off by the switch, wait several seconds, and then turn it back on in order for it to work again. I woke up this morning to 60 degrees! It ignites fine…the filter is brand new…the carbon has been cleaned off of the sensor. Any other suggestions? I live in Cleveland and it is freezing cold and we have 3 birds that will die in extreme cold! Thanks.

• Answer:It may or may not be your thermostat, so one thing you can try is ISOLATING THE THERMOSTAT. In order to do this you: FIRST, TURN OFF MAIN POWER! Remove the thermostat from it’s sub-base, so as to expose the wiring connections and set screws on the rear of the thermostat. Remove the “W”- (WHITE WIRE) from the set screw. Then remove the “R”- RED WIRE from the set screw. FIRMLY, JOIN THOSE TWO WIRES TOGETHER. BE SURE TO NOT ALLOW THE WIRE TO TOUCH ANYTHING! Now restore power. The furnace should operate as it normally does and allow it to run for 2-3 minutes, then while it is running MANUALLY DISCONNECT THE WHITE AND RED WIRES WITH A PAIR OF INSULATED NEEDLE NOSE PLIERS OR WHILE WEARING LEATHER GLOVES-YOU CAN JUST USE YOUR HANDS. DON’T WORRY, THE VOLTAGE AT THOSE WIRES IS ONLY 24 VOLTS AND WILL NOT HURT YOU. BUT STILL USE PROTECTION. By disconnecting the WHITE & RED WIRE the main burner should drop out. Then after 90 – 120 seconds the blower should stop. Once everything has stopped on it’s own I want you to reconnect the white and red wires again and see if the heater starts on it’s own WITHOUT RESETING THE SWITCH. If the heater re-starts on it’s own then the thermostat is your problem. If the heater does not start again then you (might) have a problem with the IGNITION MODULE. One last thing, be sure that the 120 volt (main power) is polarized correctly. That is- HOT WIRE from the wall outlet — TO BLACK WIRE ON THE FURNACE. AND NEUTRAL (white wire) from the wall outlet TO WHITE wire on the furnace. If it is backwards, ie… HOT FROM WALL TO WHITE IN FURNACE, THE IGNITION MODULE WILL NOT WORK PROPERLY. Also be sure that your furnace has a good GROUD CONNECTION as well. If all else fails contact a pro

Associated Furnace Filters Carbon Question:oil furnace odor & black soot?
I bought my 1950’s cape cod in CT in Sept 2008. The forced hot air furance was inspected and cleaned, and passed without comment. I have a 200+ oil tank that I fill about two times per year. I planned to have the furnace cleaned in the spring of 2010. However, I have not had anything done to it between 2008 and now (Feb 2010). But for I coudl have it cleaned/oil filter changed, the smoke stack has noticeable black smoke and small flakes of soot land on the roof. After only 2 days of this the inside started to smell of fumes (My carbon detector did NOT go off) but the smell is too strong for my family. I plan to have a furnaces/ HVAC tech clean/inspect ASAP. What should I ask them to do? maintenance

• Answer:Ask them to check the furnace for proper combustion and ventilation. Make sure you have a source of combustion air (AKA make up air) to the furnace.

Associated Furnace Filters Carbon Question:Please Help Me: I need some idea’s on how to organize in Power Point With some nice Pictures?
I need help on finding gooe pictures for each of my ideas posted here; perhaps i can help you with something? i am in South Korea; just ask. I am doing a Power Point Presentation on Protect the Enviroment; and i have the following ideas; however i could use great help on pictures for each idea. Please help me? To Stop Global Warming (Protect our Environment) 1. Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl) CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. 2. Install a programmable thermostat Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. They can save you $100 a year on your energy bill. 3. Move your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy has more tips for saving energy on heating and cooling. 4. Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner Cleaning a dirty air filter can save 350 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. 5. Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases Look for the Energy Star label on new appliances to choose the most efficient models available. 6. Do not leave appliances on standby Use the “on/off” function on the machine itself. A TV set that’s switched on for 3 hours a day (the average time Europeans spend watching TV) and in standby mode during the remaining 21 hours uses about 40% of its energy in standby mode. 7. Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket You’ll save 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple action. You can save another 550 pounds per year by setting the thermostat no higher than 50°C. 8. Move your fridge and freezer Placing them next to the cooker or boiler consumes much more energy than if they were standing on their own. For example, if you put them in a hot cellar room where the room temperature is 30-35ºC, energy use is almost double and causes an extra 160kg of CO2 emissions for fridges per year and 320kg for freezers. 9. Defrost old fridges and freezers regularly Even better is to replace them with newer models, which all have automatic defrost cycles and are generally up to two times more energy-efficient than their predecessors. 10. Don’t let heat escape from your house over a long period When airing your house, open the windows for only a few minutes. If you leave a small opening all day long, the energy needed to keep it warm inside during six cold months (10ºC or less outside temperature) would result in almost 1 ton of CO2 emissions. 11. Replace your old single-glazed windows with double-glazing This requires a bit of upfront investment, but will halve the energy lost through windows and pay off in the long term. If you go for the best the market has to offer (wooden-framed double-glazed units with low-emission glass and filled with argon gas), you can even save more than 70% of the energy lost. 12. Get a home energy audit Many utilities offer free home energy audits to find where your home is poorly insulated or energy inefficient. You can save up to 30% off your energy bill and 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Energy Star can help you find an energy specialist. 13. Cover your pots while cooking Doing so can save a lot of the energy needed for preparing the dish. Even better are pressure cookers and steamers: they can save around 70%! 14. Use the washing machine or dishwasher only when they are full If you need to use it when it is half full, then use the half-load or economy setting. There is also no need to set the temperatures high. Nowadays detergents are so efficient that they get your clothes and dishes clean at low temperatures. 15. Take a shower instead of a bath A shower takes up to four times less energy than a bath. To maximise the energy saving, avoid power showers and use low-flow showerheads, which are cheap and provide the same comfort. 16. Use less hot water It takes a lot of energy to heat water. You can use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing your clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year) instead of hot. 17. Use a clothesline instead of a dryer whenever possible You can save 700 pounds of carbon dioxide when you air dry your clothes for 6 months out of the year. 18. Insulate and weatherize your home Properly insulating your walls and ceilings can save 25% of your home heating bill and 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Caulking and weather-stripping can save another 1,700 pounds per year. Energy Efficient has more information on how to better insulate your home. 19. Be sure you’re recycling at home You can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year by recycling half of the waste your household generates. Earth 911 can help you find recycling resources in your area. 20. Recycle your organic waste Around 3% of the greenhouse gas emissions through the methane is released by decomposing bio-degradable waste. By recycling organic waste or composting it if you have a garden, you can help eliminate this problem! Just make sure that you compost it properly, so it decomposes with sufficient oxygen, otherwise your compost will cause methane emissions and smell foul. 21. Buy intelligently One bottle of 1.5l requires less energy and produces less waste than three bottles of 0.5l. As well, buy recycled paper products: it takes less 70 to 90% less energy to make recycled paper and it prevents the loss of forests worldwide. 22. Choose products that come with little packaging and buy refills when you can You will also cut down on waste production and energy use! 23. Reuse your shopping bag When shopping, it saves energy and waste to use a reusable bag instead of accepting a disposable one in each shop. Waste not only discharges CO2 and methane into the atmosphere, it can also pollute the air, groundwater and soil. 24. Reduce waste Most products we buy cause greenhouse gas emissions in one or another way, e.g. during production and distribution. By taking your lunch in a reusable lunch box instead of a disposable one, you save the energy needed to produce new lunch boxes. 25. Plant a tree A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Shade provided by trees can also reduce your air conditioning bill by 10 to 15%. The Arbor Day Foundation has information on planting and provides trees you can plant with membership. 26. Switch to green power In many areas, you can switch to energy generated by clean, renewable sources such as wind and solar. The Green Power Network is a good place to start to figure out what’s available in your area. 27. Buy locally grown and produced foods The average meal in the United States travels 1,200 miles from the farm to your plate. Buying locally will save fuel and keep money in your community. 28. Buy fresh foods instead of frozen Frozen food uses 10 times more energy to produce. 29. Seek out and support local farmers markets They reduce the amount of energy required to grow and transport the food to you by one fifth. You can find a farmer’s market in your area at the USDA website. 30. Buy organic foods as much as possible Organic soils capture and store carbon dioxide at much higher levels than soils from conventional farms. If we grew all of our corn and soybeans organically, we’d remove 580 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere! 31. Eat less meat Methane is the second most significant greenhouse gas and cows are one of the greatest methane emitters. Their grassy diet and multiple stomachs cause them to produce methane, which they exhale with every breath. 32. Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year! Look for transit options in your area. 33. Start a carpool with your coworkers or classmates Sharing a ride with someone just 2 days a week will reduce your carbon dioxide emissions by 1,590 pounds a year. eRideShare.com runs a free national service connecting commuters and travelers. 34. Don’t leave an empty roof rack on your car This can increase fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 10% due to wind resistance and the extra weight – removing it is a better idea. 35. Keep your car tuned up Regular maintenance helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions. When just 1% of car owners properly maintain their cars, nearly a billion pounds of carbon dioxide are kept out of the atmosphere. 36. Drive carefully and do not waste fuel You can reduce CO2 emissions by readjusting your driving style. Choose proper gears, do not abuse the gas pedal, use the engine brake instead of the pedal brake when possible and turn off your engine when your vehicle is motionless for more than one minute. By readjusting your driving style you can save money on both fuel and car mantainance. 37. Check your tires weekly to make sure they’re properly inflated Proper inflation can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Since every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, every increase in fuel efficiency makes a difference! 38. When it is time for a new car, choose a more fuel efficient vehicle You can save 3,000 pounds of carbon dioxide every year if your new car gets only 3 miles per gallon more than your current one. You can get up to 60 miles per gallon with a hybrid! You can find information on fuel efficiency on FuelEconomy and on GreenCars websites. 39. Try car sharing Need a car but don’t want to buy one? Community car sharing organizations provide access to a car and your membership fee covers gas, maintenance and insurance. Many companies – such as Flexcar – offer low emission or hybrid cars too! Also, see ZipCar. 40. Try telecommuting from home Telecommuting can help you drastically reduce the number of miles you drive every week. For more information, check out the Telework Coalition. 41. Fly less Air travel produces large amounts of emissions so reducing how much you fly by even one or two trips a year can reduce your emissions significantly. You can also offset your air travel by investing in renewable energy projects. 42. Encourage your school or business to reduce emissions You can extend your positive influence on global warming well beyond your home by actively encouraging other to take action. 43. Join the virtual march The Stop Global Warming Virtual March is a non-political effort to bring people concerned about global warming together in one place. Add your voice to the hundreds of thousands of other people urging action on this issue. 44. Encourage the switch to renewable energy Successfully combating global warming requires a national transition to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass. These technologies are ready to be deployed more widely but there are regulatory barriers impeding them. Take action to break down those barriers with Vote Solar. 45. Protect and conserve forest worldwide Forests play a critial role in global warming: they store carbon. When forests are burned or cut down, their stored carbon is release into the atmosphere – deforestation now accounts for about 20% of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Conservation International has more information on forests and global warming. 46. Consider the impact of your investments If you invest your money, you should consider the impact that your investments and savings will have on global warming. Check out SocialInvest and Ceres to can learn more about how to ensure your money is being invested in companies, products and projects that address issues related to climate change. 47. Make your city cool Cities and states around the country have taken action to stop global warming by passing innovative transportation and energy saving legislation. 194 cities nationwide representing over 40 million people have made this pledge as part of the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Find out how to make your city a cool city. 48. Tell Congress to act The McCain Lieberman Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act would set a firm limit on carbon dioxide emissions and then use free market incentives to lower costs, promote efficiency and spur innovation. Tell your representative to support it. 49. Make sure your voice is heard! Americans must have a stronger commitment from their government in order to stop global warming and implement solutions and such a commitment won’t come without a dramatic increase in citizen lobbying for new laws with teeth. Get the facts about U.S. politicians and candidates at Project Vote Smart and The League of Conservation Voters. Make sure your voice is heard by voting!

• Answer:Google Search of pics related to each of the topics you have addressed above… use key words such as each Water heater blankets.. save a pic of a heater and then one with a blanket… on your puter as an example.. then use the insert command in powerpoint to add it.. you should be able to adjust size in powerpoint to fit your layout… use text block to do your writeups.. and arrows to point to what your talking about… in each block… does this help… You have so many topics above it’ll take a little while to get the pics you need… I’ve done alot of briefings in powerpoint while in the military. Where in South Korea are you?? I spent 3 years stationed over there.. one in Weagan… and 2 in Seoul

Question
We have a couple of high efficiency, condensing gas furnaces with
forced hot air used to heat our home.

So far, every year at the start of the heating season, I have been
doing the following for maintenance.
1. Thoroughly vacuum out the interior
2. Clean the condensate pump of accumulated crud
3. Wash the air filter (it’s a simple low-end washable one)
4. Inspect for cracks, loose wires, funny noises, etc.

I have a CO detector mounted near all the heaters.

- Do I need to clean the burners, igniters, heat exchanger, etc? Or
are they best left alone if everything is working properly

- Is there anything else I need to be doing from a regular maintenance
perspective?

- Is there any need to call in an official HVAC person for
(additional) preventive maintenance?

Answers
I had a friend buy a house, I dont know if it the furnace was run
without a filter or just a bad one, but the AC coil was so clogged he
was getting almost no heat. We removed the AC coil until he cleaned it
next spring. A crappy air filter can trash an AC unit. With a
condensing unit checking exaust temp should tell you alot about the
unit, I dont know what range it should run at, but to high would
indicate its not efficent. I think poor-cheap air filtration is the
quickest way to ruin a furnace and cut its efficency way down.

Question
Why should they respond? I know this may sound trite but here is my reasoning;

Carrier has been in business many years and probably has this happen often.
However, the general public cares so little about it that they never bother to
say anything about it, thus Carrier is not motivated to do anything.

Lennox is almost as bad. A couple of years ago my mom bought a Lennox central
heat a/c system for close to 3K. Every season something goes wrong and it has
to be corrected. It is long out of warranty so it costs each time.

I will say this; the system is far more effecient than the old
Chrysler/Kenmore system she had before.

Answers
I see that her message was posted to EIGHT newsgroups. The Carrier
58SXC has no defects, has not had any service bulletins and is the
culmination of all the learning made on the previous SX and SXA
models. It is the furnace that dealers wish they never stopped
making. It is the furnace that we find to be the most reliable that
they ever made.

There are not enough facts given to base any kind of a diagnosis.
Restrictive venting could give pressure switch and lock out problems
but connect a Magna Helix and you’ll know if that is the problem.
Does the condensate drain? How hard is that to tell? The primary
heat exchanger has a 100% reliability record but there is a L O N G
shot that the secondary may be collapsing in the rear. It pulls out
easily for inspection. Five years old? Probably has needed a new
glow bar by now. Yes, there are other things that could give trouble
but the point is that the furnace model has no known bugs.

So what I read into this is a customer who might be unreasonable and
is seeking, for zero worth and personal spite, negative opinions about
Carrier.

Remember guys, always get both sides of the story and the paperwork
before drawing a conclusion.

Associated Carrier Furnace Problems Question: 1983 carrier furnace problem?
I have a 1983 carrier furnace that when turned on heats for about 15 minutes and then slowly the air gets cooler. The furnace is located in a closet and flames r still burning with cool air blowing out. It is a rental house we temp in, but old heaters scare me and i dont know whats wrong.

• Answer:That furnace is 27 years old and is long past needing replacement. Only a licensed furnace technician can determine what is wrong. No one on YA can diagnose anything remotely based on that description. This needs to be brought to the landlord’’s attention right away. If a technician comes and decides it is not safe he can red-tag it and you willl have to leave until the landlord takes the necessary corrective action.

Associated Carrier Furnace Problems Question: carrier furnace?
I have a carrier gas furnace with electric ignition, the igniter comes on, then the flame kicks on, but goes out after about 5 seconds then it tries again about 20 seconds later. I would say its probably the flame sensor, since when i unplug the sensor, it does the exact same thing. Is there anything else that I am overlooking that could be causing the problem?

• Answer:i think you have a control valve problem and you need to call a service man because the gas is something you should not mess with unless you know what you’re doing. it can go blue on you and then no more house.

Associated Carrier Furnace Problems Question: Can anyone help with Carrier gas furnace 58MVP problem?
I replaced draft inducer kit because motor was screeching, furnace was not working and fault code 42 (Inducer Outside Valid Speed Range) was flashing. After motor was replaced, furnace worked but after a half hour, furnace would not light and code 42 flashed again. After shut off for 2 hours, furnace worked for a half hour again then would not work. Any suggestions ?

• Answer:Check the intake also. Flush the trap(that’s the white PVC fitting located in the shelf that separates the blower compartment). Then flush your drain hose. Be sure to also check the PVC intake and exhaust terminations outside.

Associated Carrier Furnace Problems Question::Leaking Carrier Furnace – DIY Problem Solving?
I have a Carrier Furnace that is 4 years old. This past spring it was leaking quite a bit of water so I turned the whole thing off as we don’t use it in the summer anyway. There is a line that is about a dime width that water is released from the furnace. This is full of water and it is not emptying into the sink where the line drains. This line originates at a box on the side of the furnace which I assume is a pump to push the water out. Is there a way to fix the pump? Determine if the pump is indeed not working? Replace the pump? I am fairly competent with most repairs if I understand what’s going on. Is this something I can fix myself? Or at least do a little problem solving? Or even put a quick fix on? It’s cold and I just need heat for another month. My cash flow is severely limited and the company that installed the furnace are horribly overpriced and inefficient and snotty. Hooray! I went down and made sure the furnace was completely shut off (gas and power). I unplugged the pump (thanks for that info!) and took off the top. After looking at it and figuring out how it worked (pretty simple really) I could see that I had a bunch of fairly easy solutions. a) I could poke around the float because maybe it was just stuck and try again b) just take the hose out of the pump entirely and let the water drain onto the floor or extend that pipe to the floor drain thus bypassing the pump for a quick and temporary fix c) just take the whole thing off and have it replaced or fixed without having some doofus repair guy come into my home and all that hassle (thanks Drewfuss!) So anyway I poked around the float which did seem to be sticky and gave it a wipe. Then I turned the furnace back on and filled the water reservoir with water to see what would happen and well… it just worked fine. THANK GOODNESS! Now it’s warm and toasty in here. Great advice guys! Thanks

• Answer:Ok, you are correct, the little box is the condensate pump. It could be broken, or maybe just unplugged. sometimes these are just plugged in, and sometimes they are hardwired into the electical box. I think there is some sort of float switch inside the box. Make sure it has power to it. if it does, and stilll doesn’t work. unplug it and open it up to see if there is anything you can see wrong in there. I should be a pretty easy thing to replace the whole pump, since it’s really not connected to anything except by a hose and a cord.

Associated Carrier Furnace Problems Question:Anyone have a Carrier furnace that won’t always go on in the winter?
I have a two stage high efficiency Carrier furnace installed in 2000 that we’ve been having trouble with every winter. The furnace will intermittently stop running and won’t come on unless the front cover to the furnace is pushed or the thermostat is clicked off and then on (the latter doesn’t always work though and we have to go push the door anyway). We change the air filters every month, and even had the thermostat (programmable) changed twice, the last time by a service tech. Nothing seems to work. The manufacturer said that since the furnace kicks on when the door is pushed or the thermostat is turned off and then on, its a thermostat problem. The manufacturer of the thermostat (Honeywell) says that the thermostat is working properly and that its the furnace that is the issue. Anyone got any ideas to fix this furnace since these two companies aren’t being any help? Thanks in advance!

• Answer:If it’s the switch behind the blower-compartment door, you can run a simple check by temporarily bypassing the switch and leaving it out of the circuit. But, from what you say, your intermittent defect may not be the switch. If proper operation is restored by switching the thermostat off and on, that is an indication of a lockout condition – which occurs after the computer detects an operational problem. Your furnace probably has a diagnostic LED light that normally indicates an area that needs to be investigated when the computer locks out. The HVAC tech should focus on pressure switches, loose connections, and resettable limit switches. Your frustration is understandable. Intermittents are nightmares to the techs also. They don’t want to be your house guest for however many weeks it takes the furnace to malfunction again. The next time this occurs do nothing. Call a heating company immediately. If you fiddle with the thermostat or furnace you may reset the CPU. In doing so you will erase the trouble code, thus denying vital information to the tech. Good luck.

Associated Carrier Furnace Problems Question:why do the burners go out on my new Carrier furnace after lighting in about 5 seconds?
My new Carrier 155,000 BTU furnace developed this problem after I was trying to adjust the front panel to make it fit properly. I josselled the furnace a little forcing the door onto the furnace. It was working perfectly before that. Now the blower and vent fans come on in the correct sequence, the ignighter comes on as before, you then hear the”click” of the gas pump, burners light just as before but shut down fter about 5 seconds. It will make this same cycle 3 times before shutting down completely. I have shut the power off to the furnace a couple times hoping this would reset any problems but it hasnt. please advise me of my problem.. Thank-You so much! .

• tAnswer:Brian the flame sensor is probably contaminated with residue, improperly sensing the heat, and therefore not relaying back to the control a confirmation of ignition. You can remedy this by removing the sensor and cleaning it with a dry brillo pad or some steel wool. Take a look at this you tube video showing exactly what to do: http://sites.google.com/site/sublimeappliancerepair/ask-the-sublime-one-a-question/furnace-comes-on-and-shuts-down

Associated Carrier Furnace Problems Question:Carrier 4 burner ribbon type furnace … why doesn’t the last burner ignite?
I have a 4-year old Carrier furnace with a 4-section burner. It fails to ignite intermittently. I had a furnace tech out last week to look at it. He showed me that the 4-burners ignite in a series — an electic igniter lights the 1st burner and the flame travels to the 2nd burner via a small channel then on to the 3rd and on to the 4th. The intermittency is caused by the 4th burner not always lighting — the flame sensor detects this and after three tries to ignite the furnace it just shuts off. He spent about 2 hours looking at it and couldn’t figure out what the problem was. He says the gas pressure is adequate to this 4th burner. His only solution was to replace the burner … even though it looks fine upon visual inspection. (Is it possible that these burners are so precisely designed that a slight misshape would cause a problem?) The tech hasn’t called me back with a quote for the burner replacement yet. Is there anything else I should be thinking of?

• Answer:it sounds like there is a problem with the carry over tube. They can get a small blockage in them from propane gas usage or a spiders web or dirt. You can clean it out or just replace it.

Associated Carrier Furnace Problems Question:Carrier 58pav070-1-08 furnace with a problem – HELP, please.?
I have a Carrier 58pav070-1-08 furnace with a problem. The blower comes on, but it never ignites. It is giving me error code: 31 & 12. There doesn’t seem to be any air blockage on the unit. Could it be something to do with the ignition heating element? Any advice on how to fix it myself would be greatly appreciated! I do know what the fault codes mean, and I’ve done what I can to remedy them (such as making sure there is no air blockage on the unit – code 12).

• Answer:This is one of those things better left to the professional. Call an H-VAC Tech.

Associated Carrier Furnace Problems Question: 13 yo Carrier furnace that will not stay lit. Often starts and stops after about 5 sec. Problem? Solution?
Its a 13 year old Carrier Weathermaker 8000 furnace. It correctly works about half the time. The other half of the time it will start for about 5 seconds and then shut off. After a few seconds it will start again for 5 seconds and then shut off. At that point I either have to manually restart it (by turning it off and on again) and then it will work. Otherwise, I can wait a few hours and it will work, at least temporarily, again. It seems to work better at night than in the day. It runs off an electronic thermostat.

• Answer: This Question has not been answered yet! Send us Your best carrier furnace problems Answer!

Associated Carrier Furnace Problems Question:Where can I find a furnace control board?
I have a Carrier 58PAV-series 130 Furnace. The exhaust fan comes on, 15-30sec later, sometimes the resistance ignitor glows on and sometimes it doesn’t. I can hear a clicking in the control board but think there is a bad relay. If I tap the board while I hear the clicking the furnace works, no problem. Hate doing that but it was cold this morning!

• Answer:Carrier will sell you a board, as will any of several other after-market suppliers. You have the model number so you can find the exact board you need. There are a few things to note, however: a) Many intermittent-pilot systems have been revised and updated over the years and in some cases Manufacturers will provide updated boards to their users at little nor no cost. Weil-Mclain provided us with two updated boards over 23 years at no cost for the boiler in our old house the last one long after the electrical-section warranty had expired. b) I have successfully extended the life of these boards by replacing the relays and/or cleaning them. It is a bit of a PITA, but when faced with a large cost for a failed $3.00 item it is a valid alternative.

Question
In order to melt cast iron or other metals up to 1800oC and a small capacity
(up to 200 cc) in the crucible I want to build a small induction furnace. I
read recently in that it is possible to build such a low-frequency (50 Hz
mains freq ?) furnace which is powered from a household 230 V 50 Hz mains. Is
this true and how can I calculate the number of windings and the wire gauge
for the coil in order to build it ? Thanks in advance.
Answers
The problem is for decent efficiency you need high frequency or large
size (=
high power. Unfortunately I appear to have lost the details, formulae
etc
but for 1 kg size you want more than 1KHz preferably 5-10Khz and several
KW
of power, probably more than household supply.

The only real problem in getting these is getting appropriate capacitors
remembering that efficiency requires a resonant circuit and hence high
current
(parallel) or voltage (series). A friend has a 1.5 KW unit as part of a
carbon
analysis unit and the capacitor is unobtainible. The coil also needs to
be
water cooled (tubing).

The 50 Hz units are for industrial 100’s of Kg and 50 KW up. Experiments
with
50 Hz should not be carried out in the home.

For melting cast iron I have seen modeling books describe small blast
furnaces
with a vacuum cleaner to provide the blast, these would probably do what
you want.

Incidently if anyone has the formulae or a pointer to a source for
induction
heating I would appreciate a posting or email.

Associated Build An Induction Furnace Question: How do I build a small induction furnace? I want to cast iron and steel up to 30kg at a time.

• Answer:An induction furnace includes a crucible having a plurality of cooled metallic segments (6A, 6B) electrically insulated from each other and an electromagnetic induction coil (5) arranged around the crucible, wherein the electromagnetic induction coil is energized with low frequency electric current. Each of the metallic segments forming the crucible wall is made of a relatively thin sheet, and a cooling pipe is provided on each segment. The cooling pipes (22) are welded or brazed to an outer surface of each corresponding segment. A refrigerant flows through each pipe in order to evacuate heat from the corresponding segment. The furnace further includes a magnetic core (8) disposed above and near the top surface of the charge placed in the crucible. This magnetic core provides local narrowing of the magnetic field lines, causing centripetal motion of the melted part of charge located at or near the top surface of the charge. A second electromagnetic coil arranged at an exhaust port in the crucible controls flow of melted charge through the exhaust port.

Associated Build An Induction Furnace Question: where can I find a used oil furnace induction unit?
I am trying to build a metal melting furnace. Any other advice is more than welcome.

• Answer:My guess is nowhere as it sounds like an oxymoron. Either it is an oil burning furnace or it is an induction furnace (electric). You have to consider how much metal you want to melt. If you don’t want to melt more than 2 or 3 pounds max, there are small induction pots available from jewelry supply stores. Though finding them used will be challenging, eBay and Craig’s list come to mind. In addition it depends what metal you want to melt. For lead a torch should be more than sufficient, but I don’t think you’ll be able to melt steel. If you want to melt large amounts of bronze for bronze casting occasionally I am sure it will be much more economical to attend a foundry class at an university with a foundry. If none is close you could also see if there is a local art foundry and if you either can pay them for their work or if you can work for them to pay for using the foundry as well. They only may consider the latter if you have a track record of good metal work (are you good with welding?)

Question

I’ve got a little Thermolyne oven (Thermolyne F-A1730, 1093C, 9″x8″x13,” 240v) that was built way back. The controller consists of a contactor (relay) that drives the elements and is switched on/off by a rheostat (labeled 0% to 100% time on) that drives a coil wrapped around a bi-metal strip that pushes a momentary contact switch when sufficiently heated. A meter (connected directly to the oven sensor and not part of the control circuit) shows the oven temperature (0C – 1200C) and reaches full scale with 70ma. I’d like to replace this with something a bit more up-to-date. I could probably duplicate its function with a timer circuit with variable on/off, but it would be nice
to have a thermostat mode that used the sensor to keep a constant temperature.

Anyone designed and built something like this? I’d love to get pointers to schematics, books, web sites, etc.

Answers
There are tons of fairly cheap, exceedingly reliable devices (many
multifunction/ramp ones under $500, some much cheaper, less than $200,
depending on the desired functionality).  There are on/off controllers
for even less.  The Omega company sells slightly overpriced products
using a very well written set of catalogs that explain things very
well.  There are many other vendors selling the same sort of things
(Dwyer is a pretty good discount vendor).  Surf over to
www.thomasregister.com and check out the listings under “controllers:
temperature” (don’t hesitate to register with them, Thomas Register is
_the_ industrial yellow pages, very well respected, and found in every
library.)  After the initial page of listings comes up, you can narrow
to your state using the selector on the bottom of the page.

You can also check out your local phonebook under “thermocouple”.
Those companies will probably send out a rep to your site to see your
set-up and recommend an item.  What you want to do is standard fair.

Basic controllers (<$150) just check the temperature and turn their
relay either on or off.  Middle range controllers ($200-$600) can hook
up to anything that gives them thermocouple or any other sensor
feedback and then control virtually anything through either built in
relays or proportioned outputs.  High end controllers (>$600) can put
your furnace through controlled ramp schedules, remember multiple
schedules, and interface with a computer for datalogging if you want.
It’s pretty much determined by the price you want to pay.

Question

I was off looking for a generator to backup power as I live out in the
sticks and those sticks frequently fall on our power poles.  While doing
some search my wife asked why we can’t use the RV gen (purchase pending) to
power the house instead.

I imagine that if I had my RV already I would know the answer, but thought
that I would check with you guys.

Can it be done?  Has anyone actually done it?

Answers

You certainly can – provided you don’t require any 240v applications
like well pump, dryer, etc.

But for your own (and neighbors’) protection, PLEASE use a proper
transfer switch or just run essential stuff off extension cords from
the rv.  It is VERY dangerous to use any system that would allow
accidental back-feeding of the power grid.

We used an rv genset in emergencies a few times, but our current setup
is an electric-start 7kw dedicated geset connected via a whole-house
200a transfer switch so we can run anything in the house.