This Could Keep Your Family Warm During An Emergency Power Outage. 

Thanks for the tip! I’ll pin this in case anyone else runs into that.

The better alternative is to bond the generator to the building's ground rod. There should be a threaded stud and nut on the generator for this. The furnace cabinet remains bonded to ground through the surface mounted box and ground screw on the device--in all cases that's an iffy connection, if say the mounting screws are loose. Better to have a ground wire from the box to the device.

@@diyhvacguy my trane furnace had issues with flame detection.. I used to be in the field so I knew it was a ground issue from years of errors on various furnaces.. in my case I connected a ground wire from the generator frame ground to the house ground.. I had zero ground potential but it was a wierd flame sense.. I didnt have a bad ground flash on the board.. but would not sense flame.. my furnace has ground from my box.. so figured if i grounded the Genny to the box id be good.. and it works great.. in some areas there is code that a furnace has to be permanently wired into electricity.. the plug and whip may be looked at like an extension cord even though its permanently attached... its something to think about even if you never plan to sell your house as an insurance company could use it as a way to not payout.. nevertheless its worth checking local codes... a transfer switch would most likely be code FYI

I already figured that out 4 months ago and I am all set for any power outage. 200 watts of solar power, 1500-watt inverter and 165ah of batteries which is to say 55ah each.

@@JohnT.4321 165ah at what voltage? my furnace pulls about 700 watts running full blast. at 12 volts that equates to about 60 amps.. 165ah would be what 2 and a half hours runtime.. I cant use solar in my area (ohio) winter the sun angle is dismal and its almsot always cloudy , days are short too at only 9 and a half hours daylight.. probably little less than 9 useable daylight for solar.. I have 800ah @ 12 volts batteries.. of course the furnace doesnt run all the time.. but i can make it through the night with the generator off and secured...

You won't be so happy when your house burns down because the guys hack is dangerous. Make sure your smoke detectors are working because you are going to need them some night while you are sleeping and the furnace wiring shorts out.

@@winstonsmith8898 Forreal, If this was safe, it would already be installed on most furnaces already. Power transfer systems w/ generator interlock switch exist for this reason, much safer having it connect directly to the main panel through a sub panel and not having your main breaker and generator run at the same time.

@@winstonsmith8898 This is a bit of an overreaction in my opinion; needless fear mongering for no good reason. If you do it exactly as he says, it will be fine. The draw of the igniter and squirrel cage fan really isn't that much at all.

The most dangerous part of this is the wiring running through the sheet metal with no strain relief just begging to be shorted on that sharp edge. Crazy cause he knows the issue and does it correctly on the exterior of the box.

So much criticism and pearl clutching 🙄

Thank you, some others have said the same. I’ll make sure and correct that.

@@diyhvacguy I come from the automotive world and it's the constant subtle vibration (such as produced by the furnace blower) that sneaks up on you to slowly eat through unprotected insulation. 3 or 5 or 10 years later.... ZZAAPPPPP!!!!!

@@offsideundo One big safety step also missed is grounding the box. Sure, a short will still be a problem for functionality, but at least it would keep the switch box from becoming live and deadly.

There are some plastic grommets that fit the knockout hole (3/8 in. - 1/2 in. Knockout Non-Metallic Push-In Connector). They have these fingers that you put the cable through and it insulates the cable from the metal and does an adequate job of holding the cable in place. Places like Home Depot will have them and probably Amazon.

@@CanadianCuttingEdge actually, he has a bare ground wire connected to the box through a screw from inside the furnace, the he connected to ground. So it is grounded, though I agree it might be better to have used a grounding screw inside the box so that would be apparent upon visual inspection without having to look inside the furnace.

Thanks brotha

Thanks Bob. I appreciate your support too! Cheers!

I too invested ~$700 into a generator, transfer switch & ...10/3 wire in a rural home in Maine back in 2010. We got divorced 3 year later (not related) and in 2015 I was in Tampa Bay area, and saw they had a huge blizzard that cut power to the house for about 2-3 days. With hydronic heating & 240v well pump AND a powered exhaust vent, you needed multiple circuits & a 240v generator. I wonder how she made out during that storm. Sucks to have to learn everything in a crisis when you could simply not have been a beach.

Happy wife happy life haha that’s one thing I’ve learned after 10 years of marriage! :)

The usual story. They always think you're some sort of a nut, or such until it benefits them directly...

@@diyhvacguy I believe that, or did. At 46 years in, nothing makes a happy wife! Only kidding. They do get crankier though...

@@mfgc2610can’t live with em or without em

Calm down sparky. I fail to see how someone could be that inept as to plus something into that outlet. Instructions? 🤣It's the same thing if you plugged it into a wall outlet. The cord is already protected by the jacket on the cord but ok, install a grommet so you sleep better at night. CO2 let inside? Most smart people have detectors and keep gas powered machines away from their home. Not everyone is a complete moron 🤣

@@re2248 Here's a scenario...10yrs. from now hubby is away or sick or just gone. Single digit winter night, power goes out. Wifey goes down to transfer the power feed, no instructions, just a flashlight and crying kids upstairs. (But hubby did tell her how to do it...10 years ago).Would she be a moron for not understanding/remembering the process? And Damn! could only find a 50 ft. cord for the generator, since the neighbor borrowed that heavy duty 100 footer last year, which only leaves 10 ft. beyond the last door/window.....But...calm down sparky...what could possibly go wrong? Forgot to mention that a modified heavy duty cord or modified pigtail would be required since you'd need male to male connections...Which anyone would know without thinking, right?

@@lukula2934 You should tell stories for a living. You are good in the make believe world 🤣

@@lukula2934 Seems you misunderstood what he was doing. There's no male to male connection. Have your husband explain it to you.

Ok Bill. How does an extension cord plug into your generator? And you can see the switched outlet in the pics right? But you go ahead with your piss-ant, snarky, insulting comments. After all, it makes good you tube entertainment....@@BillyBobDingledorf

It's not worth the trouble and expense......A DPDT switch big enough for you whole house costs several hundred bucks and you have to get your main service shut down to rewire the main to the switch. In many locations, they are beginning to follow to the 2020 code which requires updates to include installing your main breakers OUTSIDE next to the meter. Then a licensed inspector must audit your whole system for 2020 compliance, prior to the electric utility reconnecting your service. Lastly, a manual transfer switch is very hard to operate and so only husky people can flip it.

@@diverbob8 I've not heard of anyone in northern Ohio being forced to relocated the breakers outdoors and have not seen it even in new construction. The manual breaker interlock/transfer switch I was referring to is an add on to a standard breaker panel, UL and NEC approved, and available on eBay for about $60 to $70. One uses the top breaker closest to the main breaker to back feed the panel from the generator. The interlock is a sliding piece of metal that prevents both the main breaker and back feed breaker from being turned on at the same time.

Amazing! Glad it was helpful for you

@@diyhvacguymy unit compressor went out. It’s only 7 year old . Gould I get another unit. Or replace the compressor.if so, do you have a video on how to replace the compressor non a 2.5 ton Goodman unit? Please I hope you respond, as time is winding down. It’s about to get hot in Atlanta

That was Feb. 2021, right? It caught me woefully unprepared. Last winter, near Austin, our power was out for one day. After the 2021 winter storm, I got a Mr. Heater 30,000 BTU natural gas heater. It wasn't convenient, but has heated the home nicely for two years.

One further measure to verify there is no power is to short your hot wire to a grounded appliance surface or to a neutral wire. This s more trustworthy than the inductive tester imo.

Wow.. you should be proud of yourself dude. You may very well have saved your family's life considering what just went down in Buffalo.

Amen to that

Smart people buy ahead of storms like I do. I bet you run out to get an AC or fan only when it is hot.

@@toriless Pretty bold assumption thinking that I don't think ahead. I was just giving this man his props that I felt he deserved.

@@toriless sooo smart, be proud 😂

Yes thank you for this. Every little detail matters. Cheers

Only if he was using j-hook wiring to the switch/outlet. He instead used back wiring where the screw clamps a plate down onto the wire. (This is different from back-stab wiring.) Back wiring like this is common on commercial grade outlets. See this video from "Everyday Home Repairs" for the details of back wiring: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-SSfPzunEQ9g.html (I'm sure there are other good videos, I just happened to know about this one.)

Nope, depends on the receptacle. He did exactly per the manual come with the receptacle. You can use the J hook method but that not the only method here.

No, this one has metal clamp plates, which are better still, and allow two wires to fit neatly.

Hay Dave, For safety sake I always wrap my connections with electrical tape, especially when they are in close quarters like a steel box.I just like to insulate them so that they don't possibly short out at some point and possibly cause a fire.

@@danstein8305 A short to ground trips a breaker.

Wow! Wish my internet was somehow connected to my furnace.

@@duckhunter8387 I still had cable, just not electricity.

@@dperreno Just a little sarcasm! Peace Brother

Incorrect. The appliance cord only needs to be rated for the appliance load. Does every thing you own that plugs into a 15 Amp receptacle have a 14 AWG cord???? No. Stop giving advice when you know little more than nothing about it.

@@DiffEQ As mentioned it is a suggestion, not a requirement. He didn't cover that in the video, so I made mention of it

Thank you for this 🙏🏻

I'm mildly concerned that he used a 15A receptacle and plug on a 20A circuit. While it's certainly possible his furnace doesn't pull more than 15 amps, other people's furnaces might, and this will lead to people using under-rated extension cords during an emergency.

@@DiffEQa furnace that is hooked directly to a 20 amp breaker should be 12 awg all the way to it. Doesn’t matter what the load is. If the manufacturer says a 20 amp circuit minimum of 12awg.

WITH an interlock to make it impossible to have the main breaker on with the generator input active, I hope. Don't backfeed the grid!

@@williamevans6522 yes I added an interlock kit and a manual safety switch.

Same here. Mounted an inlet box and changed the on-off furnace switch to an interlock switch so a back feed is impossible. I chose a switch that was rated for double the amps and HP rating of my furnace motor for extra safety. Now I have generator-center off- line power.

There are municipalities around the country that do not permit a manual interlock kit. You would need a transfer switch. Just because it works doesn’t mean it’s legal. Check with your building department to do it safely and correct the first time.

@bills6946 bold of you to assume any of us care whether or not it's legal

"I was born into a union household and have been a union worker all my life." Please dear God tell me you don't vote republican.

@@rael5469 republicans keep you warm in winter and cool in summer. You’re welcome

@@DoDgeSwaG OK, put down the beer and tell me what that mean.

@@rael5469 Unions may have had their place years ago. Today, they’ve ruined our schools, automobile and building industries. With all the “go bots” we have today, it takes YEARS and $$$$$ money to do what was gone in the past. Greed and soft life have destroyed this country. Not to mention “turning our backs to the Creator and 1 God, Jesus Christ”.

@@9856CB You're drunk. I can see that from behind a computer screen on the other side of the country.

A lot of people have mentioned this. I can only assume they were referring to the old switch, which I didn’t wire 🤷🏻‍♂️ I’m like the new one has the clamp connectors so I don’t know what y’all are squalling about haha thanks for the comment. Cheers

Of course!

Exactly.

In which blue state are you interned?

@@qanononabong8491 Oh, I think you can guess.

Is your battery back up for on demand water heater runs through the inverter and a deep cycle 12V battery? Curious to know exactly how you did that set up.

@@olegk455 No, actually an off the shelf APC UPS unit. The power draw for the gas on demand heater is minimal, just the fan and the operator panel. I did a test and it lasted more than a day on the UPS. I have a couple of those APC units around the house, and they give me time to put the generator into operation, which is fairly low tech. I run an extension cord into the house to power essential lighting and the refrigerator. I am planning to do the heater power cord conversion to operate that on the APC as well.

@@scottfranco1962 brilliantly done sir. Never even thought about APC solution for water heater to be honest. We have an older Navien CR-210A water heater but you are right it probably doesn't need much to power electronics and the fan. Will do some research how big of a unit I would need and installation set up. Thanks a lot for the tip!

Awesome! Glad they were able to take care of that for you 👍🏽 glad you are one step more prepared :) cheers

@@diyhvacguy - thank you. This is one of the best measures we've taken so for in our winter preparedness. Keep up the good work on your RU-vid channel.

Larry how much did the electrician charge you for the service?

@@mikewelling3618 - about $225

That makes a lot of sense. KISS Method

Yes.

"I will say that what I did on my furnace seems a whole lot more simple" Uh, that's what he did in the video. He just installed an outlet at the furnace switch box. By the way, what is a "so cable" ? Also, see Neil Brookins comment above. What about that ground situation if you change over to the generator during an outage? Like Mr Brookins said you will then only be bonded to the generator, not the house ground. Also....what about code? Is the furnace required to be on a switched power supply? ....in which case your 15 amp outlet might not be technically to code. In the scenario in this video it is still on a switched supply.

@rael5469 Well since you brought it up. no it's not the same I literally added a cord to my furnace... done, so yeah. So is just one designation for portable power cord that is flexible. There are multiple letters that get added in there like w's and j's and they all stand for something. Basically it's just like heavy duty extension cord cable mine being 10 gauge that I used for my application. You tube makes it very difficult to look at your comment and then reply to mine at the same time so I may have missed something and if I did by all means let me know and I will circle back around. As far as being grounded no it's not grounded to my power panel,which is good news for me because I'm not connected to it when running off the generator. But then again neither is my refrigerator my freezer my lights Myspace heater or any other thing I plug into my generator during a power outage so it's really no different. my furnace is really just one big fan, as the heat source is not from electricity. But I would imagine everybody already figured that out as it's only connected to A120 Volt 15 amp power receptacle! As far as being up to code I really don't care. And it literally is recommended by my furnace manufacturer as a way to run the furnace during power outages so it must meet code in Minnesota lol As I say I'm not concerned by it because my Furnace is literally a fan and a controller module as far as electricity powered items go so I'm trying not to overcomplicate things. And as every other appliance in my house other than my water heater is connected to the wall via a plug receptacle I don't see this as any different but that's just for me. everyone's free to Take and use all or just one piece or none at all. I just presented it as an extremely simple and foolproof solution to providing heat to my house in the event of a power outage. As far as being switched again I don't know and I'm not concerned but that is silly as can be because it is controlled by a breaker that is dedicated to the furnace so Besides the point I used to have an All electric furnace and there was no switch on the side it was just a big breaker. I think the switch only comes into play if it's permanently wired in because there would be no easy way to disconnect it but mine is plugged into receptacle so just like any other device I can just pull the plug if I have to.

@@brizzle8797 "Well since you brought it up. no it's not the same I literally added a cord to my furnace" That's exactly what was done in THIS video. Did you watch the video?

And safer for the linesmen trying to get your power up and running.

@@donziperk this mod can in no way create an unsafe condition for the linemen.

Having a switch near the furnace is a code requirement in many places. I think that might be based on the assumption that the furnace is hardwired. Some jurisdictions only require the switch if it's hardwired, but other places (like where I live) have a blanket requirement for all furnaces. Of course, many places also require all furnaces to be hardwired anyways.

@@johnbugden2222 Yes, this is true. There is a red colored plate that identifies the switch too. That switch should not be removed or altered in anyway. And of course, licensed electricians must follow code or risk losing their license. But what a home owner does after the fact, is up to that person. And must take all responsibility for the modification. Videos like this one can be a great source of information for many people, but there are those who really don't know what they are doing and should never attempt such things. That's the scary part.

@@johnbugden2222 In our city, a switch is required. But the code changes. Our old furnace had the switch up high, so a child couldn't reach it. Now the code requires the switch to be low, so that anyone can reach it.

Haha you can take the credit 👊🏼

but does this on a federal 🇺🇸 government's code enforcement pass? as i wouldn't mine doing this or paying for it done but my local county's inspectors have to come and look and my in progress upgrading aka main panel was a 100A now a 400A

A similar approach can if it’s done right, but transfer switches are expensive, and transfer panels limit what you can power from the generator. The most flexible and cost effective way to do this is to add an interlocked breaker to your main panel, and run a 30A or 50A feed to an inlet box outside.

@@jeffscott1543 got it so not code compliant on a federal law level so indererlocked breaker's for the furnaces down there if i really whated it and or the plugin in method and of course check with local authorities to see if it passes or not all ready have and or working on a 400A 240V sp ATS/UPS this idea was in the video feed so i click on it and it sounded like a less hassle was to replace the heating units later on and another layer of power properness if the power gird and my backup planning fail's 20kw solar/1-5kwind/400A PTO-tractors/surpluses generation head off my 60's dodge or 80's chevy v8 vehicle and $$/time allowing later a F150 V to G

@@jeffscott1543 That's how I do it. Just back feed the panel

​@@MrBen527 that's highly illegal and for good reason. Seems simple enough until you forget to shut of the main and backfeed power back into the grid and kill a utility worker actively trying to restore the outage. Not smart and not something to be advocating for.

You got it!

Exactly; the rule is to test first on a "known" hot source, and then test intended circuit. Excellent point sir.

Never thought of this, I am commercial refrigeration, so it's all power panels. You automatically verify a source since most of the stuff you work on is hot at some point. But here, verify, agreed.

@@tracykey9227 if you want to go the extra mile, you can test it again afterwards on the known hot source, to ensure the pen didn't stop working between the time you verified it was working and the time you tested the circuit in question

Or just rub it on your forearm or your pants to make sure it’s working

The best way to verify the pen tester is functioning properly is to rub the tester up and down on your shirt. This causes friction and assuming you bought a automatic ranging pen tester(which can detect low voltage) you are creating a known live power source for your pen tester

after watching this I realized you added the outlet to the switch and there was already a switch there... but... with the outlet and the plug, you dont really need a switch If you replaced the switch with a standard power outlet, and put a plug on the furnace wires, all you need to do is unplug the furnace to turn it off or to plug it into the extension cord that runs to your DC to AC power inverter.

@@kenwittlief255 functionally it would work, but I’m pretty sure that the NEC stipulates a switch. Of course, I’m not sure that the cord/plug would pass inspection when the house was sold, so you’d probably have to take it out.

We are installing a 220v electric heat pump system - today! It will take 60 amps to run, so . . .

@@Isaacson4 You could probably run that off a generator. I have an electric boiler that’s 100A at 220v. I’d have to bring in a truck.

Gfci usually but homeowner can make this change for what it is, power source choice. Great idea and video. 57☆

Of course! Thanks for watching :) cheers

Why do you think the jumper was 18 AWG?

Nice. Thanks for sharing

That’s not as safe as a break before make approved transfer switch.

The furnace would still be grounded via the gas line, and the grounded metal outlet/housing. I agree, a separate ground is best practice regardless, but in this case he should be fine.

His furnace is always remains grounded to the service panel. The switch only switches the AC line. Ground and Neutral remain connected to the service panel.

@@brianczuhai8909 floating generator ground is "safer" than a dead man cord

@@BinaryHackerMan I've retracted my comment about trying to commonized the Neutrals on the generator with the House AC. Let 'er float is what they apparently say.

The ground wire is there to provide an alternative path back to the supply, there is no magic about being hooked to the actual ground. In the case of a generator if there was a short to normal house ground every grounded surface in the house would be "hot" relative to the generator neutral. most portable generators are not used with a ground rod, most sit on wheels or rubber pads. In this case you want your ground to connect to the generator, not to the ground rod driven by your electrical supply. In reality because appliances have multiple unintentional ground connections you are actually tying house ground back to the ground connection on the generator, but the intentional ground connection needs to be as short and direct as possible, which it is in the installation in the video. In the case of a poor ground, or when the service isn't properly bonded, a short to ground may not trip the breaker, potentially leaving grounded surfaces energized, which will definitely get your attention, at least briefly.

I really like your thinking. It's an even more simple solution. Bravo.

@@ricklee4 What code violation is that? I'm an electrical engineer, please tell me because I must have missed that one. Do people plug in cords in which they have no idea what they do? What if there's a clothes iron with a pile of clothes on it? Someone could "accidentally" plug that in and burn down the house. Does that mean clothe irons violate the code? If you're going to do this to your own home and you know there is no one stupid enough to plug it in, it is not a problem. The plug cord is short and can't be accidentally plugged in without connecting to an extension cord. But hey, if there are people that dumb living in the house that would go out of their way to find an extension cord to plug in something that obviously shouldn't be, then you can put a receptacle there instead of the cord and have a special cord made up with plugs at both ends that could be used instead.

I'd love to see a video on exactly how to do this.

@@Artanis1000 All you would need to modify is the white neutral wire inside the switch box. You would cut that wire, pull an inch or so slack out from the furnace and strip the two ends. Those two ends would be reconnected along with the white from the plug; you can use the same WAGO connector used in this video. The existing switch would be removed. There are two black wires going to it. The hot from main and the hot that goes to the furnace. With a 3 way switch, you would connect the hot from the furnace to the pole (or common terminal) and you would connect the main to one of the throws and the black from the plug to the other. Connect the ground terminal from the plug to a screw in the switch box. That's all there is to it.

@@lizardking8388 Your reply is spot on. All the codes in the world can't fix stupid. If you make it 'idiot proof' they will simply build a better idiot. The only remedy is the Darwin Award.

Can be lethal but almost never is. On YT if you get shocked there will be nothing left but a smoking puddle of goo on the ground.

@@publicmail2 Cool, thanks AD.

The switch is probably code as mine also has one. I’d add an outlet between the switch and furnace. Flip breaker, flip the switch as additional safety and plug the generator into the outlet with male male adapter.

I have a 1992 bryant and mine is running at 96.4% efficiency and 11 for the exhaust gases. Hvac guy was very impressed. Older stuff built well when maintained.

By bonded neutral is that same as bonded to frame?

@@gadasavideos8564 No that’s a wire or other contact that attaches the ground plug to the neutral line. My Honda Generator had a 2inch wire that I had to remove so I could hook it up to my transfer switch on a power failure, because your main breaker panel is bonded and you can only bond in 1 place. Computers in high efficiency furnace’s usually check ground conditions as 1 of there pre ignition checks. I made a plug that has a ground to neutral short that I plug in when I use it as a stand-alone generator outside otherwise the voltage could float and you could get zapped .

@Les W thanks. But my setup doesn't go through my main or sub panel. It's like my furnace is connected to generator just like a work light would be.

adding the external power source involves UNPLUGGING the furnace from the mains, no connection to shut off. This switch is completely unnecessary, you don't need to shut off the outlet if you're unplugging it anyway.

That’s great advice. Thank you so much! I think any diyer needs a hot pen as they’re only like 20 dollars. I used mine on the daily. Cheers

@@diyhvacguy You are welcome! Have a great week and thanks for you awesome content, guys like you keep us from getting ripped off not knowing the way around our own home's equipment. Channels like yours here on RU-vid have save me thousands of dollars and so much inconvenience. Quick anecdote. Icemaker in my Fridgedaire Gallery stops working, go through every fix the manufacturer website says to do, they say get one of their local techs to take a look. Go online and find out it is a huge problem for people. Videos everywhere. Nothing lasts. Find a tech willing to divulge that the factory settings come back after a power outage and they are too cold. Valves freeze up and people give up and get new units after countless service calls and money down the drain. He told me in a pm, just remember the old car from the 60's to get it back up and running all the time, watch for that number to be always on your display. Oldsmobile 4-4-2. Freezer manually set to 4 degrees and Refrigerator manually set to 42 degrees. I was skeptical, but techs have given me secrets before, even sent me whole manuals and fuel lines when I had an issue with one of my vehicles having vapor lock after filling up. So I am in the kitchen 6 hours or so later, maybe longer, later at night and I hear, whirrrrrrrrr. Click, click, clunk! Clunk! Ice is dropping into the receptacle again! No tools, no resets, just keep it at 4 42. Never short of ice and no issues with food or frozen items not lasting or not being frozen. He said they have those super cold settings so that when people get the new units they get ice and cold food as fast as possible. I think it also is to send out techs for repair work, but opinions vary. Anyhoo, thanks again!

Real smart Debbie. Do it in a way that will only kill you .1 percent of the time. Genius.

His furnace should have had a plastic bushing before like mine but it was removed, than again that is the single worst connection to a screw I have ever seen and not where near the 60% required by code.

We used to call them red dogs...

TV and lights also. Our home was built in 1978. At the time of construction it had a 50Amp transfer switch installed just for emergency circuits sub-panel. Along came Hurricane Andrew in Aug of 1992. The whole power grid became non-existent. A larger transfer switch was installed so that the whole house could be run on a generator. It is fused for 200Amps ( slow blow ) and is rated at 600Amps and with addition of another set of contacts, could be used for 3 Phase power. Needless to say it was needed as we were without commercial power for 5 weeks. A 10KW or a 7.5KW running either/both circuit(s). Now I just have the 7.5s or a 6KW inverter that can run off solar or charge the batteries if the generator is running. As I am moving to our house in Ohio, first thing to be done there will be another whole house transfer switch installed. Along with a proper sub-panel fed off of the inverter when power goes out. This will also allow me to get rid of some of the Romex wiring ( I hate Romex ) and install proper conduit and wire runs.

HAHA

I think my setup would avoid that, since my generator is able to plug into an outdoor 3 prong outlet connected to a breaker, ground and neutral in the panel with an interlock kit on the panel as opposed to just running an extension cord from the generator to the plug on the furnace which is what I think your caution is about?

@Scott---absolutely right! I learned this the hard way on a cold night! I made a little bonded box on a pigtail to run my furnace.

@@HobbyOrganist Right, the problem pops up if just plugging the furnace straight into a gen/inv and bypassing the panel.

@@bruceeverett5372 LOL, that's how I learned it too!

Kudos for identifying that this concept eliminates back feeding.

Can you explain how this prevents back-feeding through the neutral. It's difficult to understand without a wiring diagram, but I see one neutral coming from the switch/outlet to the furnace. How is that one neutral not shared by the outlet and the switch (in any position)?

All outlets, this one included, has the ground screw connected to the metal mounting tabs. Those tabs are screwed into the metal box with metal screws so there is an electrical path from the box to the ground wire.

Line power not log

You bet. Those unprotected wires passing through the metal holes give me pause. A combined plastic bushing with strain relief may do the job nicely. That along with anti-short bushing inside the sharp ends of the bx cable would really smarten up the whole thing.

Especially so on a housing that vibrates from the motor. That is a short just waiting to happen.

Yes, an EZ Transfer switch is only about $100, is up to code, and can be set up for bonded or floating neutrals. It's also completely outside of the furnace so you don't have to touch the internal wiring.

EXACTLY. That would be the correct, safe, and up to code way.

Is there a video on how to do this?

@@intensifier1346 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Hug6XckVc8E.html

Using a single circuit transfer switch is the “right” way to do it, and what I plan to do to power my boiler pump in emergency situations.

RE:Tom Griebe. I was wondering about that. I'm not an electrician but my guess is that the National Electric Code maybe requires a direct wire connection; not a pigtail. Any electricians here know?

lmao NO!

My guess is that your local code requires a hardwired connection for this application. Most code requirements are good but there are a few that make you scratch your head. Hardwired connections are beneficial for high-draw 240-volt (or more) appliances since heat can build up at the plug/socket and is the weak spot in a connection. Gas furnaces, OTOH, use comparatively little electricity. You have the draft inducer fan (not the blower) that uses between 50-100 watts, the hot surface igniter (about 600 watts), and the blower motor (about 370 watts for a 1/2 HP motor. the most common size). All three do not run at the same time. When the T-stat calls for heat, the inducer motor kicks on and the hot surface igniter lights up for a total of about 700 watts (5.8 amps @ 120 V). The hot surface igniter runs for only 30-60 seconds. Once the gas burners ignite, the hot surface igniter shuts down while the draft inducer motor continues running. After about 30 seconds the blower motor kicks on - now you have about 470 watts (about 4 amps @ 120V) for both the inducer and blower motors. For comparison, the typical electric dryer runs at 5,000-6,000 watts (~23 amps @240 V) and yet code allows a plug connection for the dryer. The plug-in technique in this vid is no different than plugging in any other corded appliance (vacuum cleaner, coffee maker, TV, hair dryer, etc.). If amp-draw is the driver for a hardwired connection on a gas furnace, then virtually every appliance would need to be hardwired.

@@binfordtoolman5674 Good explanation. Say hello to Tim & Al.

@@binfordtoolman5674 I guess you haven't figured out yet, neither the code, nor the code enforcement officer are driven by any connection to reality. And of course the code doesn't really matter, just the enforcement officers definition matters. Someday for fun try telling the enforcement officer what the code really says.

Thank you. I was only a few minutes into this and was getting a little anxious. Line to brass, neutral to silver.

Correct, but this guy used a lighted switch for some reason and that will be affected by being on all the time. The lighted switch is unnecessary and a needless expense so it doesn't matter, really. But, yes... you got it right!

@@jasonmackey6741 That's not what he's saying. Line can also go to the black screws if you want the switch to control something else and the outlet to be always hot (on). He's saying the OP didn't need to alter the device only to add a jumper later.

@@DiffEQ I was wondering why he broke the tab, then added a jumper. The tab is the jumper, isn't it? If he'd left it in place, the switch would still control the outlet receptacle, which is what he was after? I'd like to connect my boiler this way, which is also on just a switch.

No your wrong. If he didn't break the tab the outlet would be hot all of the time regardless of whether the switch was On or Off.

...read a lot of comments. Wondered the same thing. You're the first to say this. I'm not an electrician. Just a millwright/general machinist. Didn't understand the neutral/ground bonding thing. Guess if I pull the cover off my panel, I'll see the grounds and neutrals on the same rail. Can't remember everything. Just try to approach with logic. Can't see electricity. Must be careful. Thanks for your comment!

The reason you need the switch is to have a local cutoff for the furnace. Otherwise, someone would have to go to the circuit breaker panel every time the furnace needs to be turned off, as in for routine maintenance. It's code everywhere that I know of, because if the breaker was the only way to kill power, some yahoo would be too lazy to go all the way to the panel, and would try to work on a live unit.

Beau respectfully disagree with your switching between natural gas and propane there is much more involved to safely modifying a furnace to run one fuel to the other gas pressure springs in the gas valve burner offices pilot offices all must be changed with attention to altitude above sea level and shouldn't be done by an untrained person

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