SIMPLE electrical job. Cost via electrician? chg direct-wire to plug & socket

[bud--]

There is no description of why the draft inducer was installed or whether the boiler can be safely run without it.

I have a condensing boiler that has a draft inducer. Some of the features:

- pre-burn purge run to make sure there are not combustible gasses in the boiler

- a pressure switch confirms that the draft inducer is running; also confirms that the pressure switch has not failed

- post-burn purge run to clear the boiler and flues

RBM commented that you might need a "post purge" run if you do not run the draft inducer continuously.

[Moe Gasser]

Best answer! 2 thumbs up!

[clare]

Not a very imaginative guy, are you??? The switch is before the firematic. Nothing stopping an electrician or other competent handy-guy from installing the plug and receptacle after the switch and before the firematic - or iven IN PLACE OF the switch. A plug IS a disconnect device.

[Stormin Mormon]

So, wire it back up, later, and no one needs to know.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

Best answer! 2 thumbs up!

[trader4]

:

Nothing except the NEC, that is. I'd say now you're violating code so that even an inspector that would pass a boiler connected with a cord would probably fail it. Where does using this cord stop because it's now part of the wiring of the house? Is it OK if I run the cord 25 feet across the basement, through the structure and into a receptacle on the basement stairs to serve as a disconnect there instead of a normal furnace switch?

[Robert Green]

I hadn't thought of that but you're right. Big cities have incredible vermin problems, especially in buildings with restaurants on the first floor. Even armored cable doesn't eliminate the problem. It just slows them down a little. (-:

[David Combs]

Powering the entire house via the panel is nice.

BUT HORRIBLY EXPENSIVE!

Right now I have this small generator, maybe $399 at Costco

15 or 20 years ago. All I care about is (a) keeping the frozen food frozen and the cold food cold and (b) not freezing my ass (AND the water pipes and the entire rest of the house).

That's it!

With these little 3-AAA "headlamp" lights (hi and low settings) and lots of AAA and AA batteries from Costco, reading is no problem.

Or, candle, plus alum-foil bent in cylindrical or parabolic shape around the candle thus concentrating the light on the book.

And run that small generator only 20 or 30 min every two hours uses only 1/4 the gasoline of full time.

On the other hand, powering the whole house takes a BIG generator, the concrete slab installation, large fuel storage, etc, for what, $5K? More?

(And attract interest from the entire neighborhood, what with lighted house visible for, what, miles? Atrracting who knows what kinds of bugs (gun-toting ones)!)

[David Combs]

In article , [e-mail] wrote: ...

I always heard that you ALWAYS want GFCI.

(Except that you don't want two on the same circuit? Why not?)

Why, in this boiler case, would you NOT want one?

Thanks,

David

[trader4]

Define horribly expensive. The necessary materials are ~ $250 DIY and that's it, except maybe $50 for a permit. Pay an electrician $250 and it's $500.

Who said anything about concrete, large fuel, or $5K? You could hook that same $399 generator up via the panel so that you could power whatever you choose in the house, not just the furnace and fridge via extension cords. How convenient is that? Fuel is dependent entirely on what you choose to power and for how long. Me, instead of doing it half-assed and powering only the furnace, I'd rather spend $250, do it right and NEC compliant, and be able to power whatever in the house I choose.

Capiche?

If you're a scared little sissy, that I can't help you with.

[David Combs]

What's a "condensing" furnace, and how does it differ from the older ones, and to what effect (each)?

Thanks,

David

[David Combs]

...

Thanks!

Which leads to two further questions:

(1) What's an *example* (and thinking behind) some switching being make before break?

(2) (Begging the question), what then is a "reversing duty" switch?

(Lotsa vocab here!)

David

[Bernt Berger]

Condensing furnaces are 95% efficient, a regular furnace might be only 80%.

Condensing furnaces are more trouble prone though, by the time mine was

20 years old I had replace the draft inducer ($540) and two exhaust pressure safety switches at $100 each.

At the end of the day, I don't think the high efficiency units actually save any money though.

[David Combs]

Well, I grew up in Texas (40's, 50's), and we had forced hot air (no built-in AC).

The hot, dry air would blow in at the top of the room, and exit through the botom.

The blowing force wasn't enough to keep the whole room stirred up, so the hot air stayed in the top part of the room.

OK enonugh, I guess, if you were lying down, but not in any way if you were standing up, with your head (ie mouth, nose) up in that extra hot, extra dry air.

Myself, I sure prefer steam heat via those old clanking RADIATORS. Wonderful things.

David

[clare]

The heater control swith on many cars in make before break so the heater does not shut off between speeds, causing arcing. Hi-Low would be double throw. Most are "multi-throw". Other similar applications - but like I said, generally "specialty" switched.

A switch that is used to reverse a motor - like a drill reverser, or the up/down switch on an electric garden tractor 3 point hitch, or the suck-blow switch on a ceiling fan, They are generally a DPDT switch with a jumper on them. MOST are "center off" but some use a separate switch for on-off and simply handle direction

[clare]

Blowing in at the top was the problem. Heat rises, so you feed the hot air in at the bottom and take it off, ideally, farther up. In general practice, the "cold air return" is often also at floor level.

But the air was only less dry if the radiator had a leak.

[clare]

Nasty trader calling anyone who dissagrees with him names again.

[clare]

A condensing furnace has 2 heat exchangers and cools the stack gasses to the point virtually all moisture condenses out - and a blower is required to force the exhaust out. You need either a floor drain near-by or a condensate pump to get the water to a drain.

Virtually all "high efficiency" furnaces (92% or better) are condensing furnaces.

[trader4]

e quoted text -

Nasty? Of course you'd never call anyone a nasty name now, would you?

From yesterday:

" I capiche you are a "culo"

We can add hypocrite to your list of qualities.

[krw]

*I* don't always want GFCI. I was looking at a few houses today. One (new) had a GFCI on the smoke alarm circuits. It may even be code, but I didn't think it's such a good idea. I certainly would *want* that.

No need. False trips. It's a cost/benefit tradeoff.

[Ed Pawlowski]

GFCI can trip for various reason, not always a fault. Not a big deal with a toaster, just hit the reset button. With refrigerators and heaters, if it trips while you are away, you can have a serious loss.