OWB Backup System

[mingom]

Hey Guys,

Just wondering what people are using/doing for a backup for their OWB when power goes out. I'm looking at getting a generator to run the OWB and its pump, and all of my zone pumps inside the house to circulate. Any tips? I had the boiler boiling the first time I lost power and it couldn't circulate.

Thanks

 

[mschoff]

thats what I did 5000 watt gen just in case I lose power.

 

[deutzman]

Hey Guys,

Just wondering what people are using/doing for a backup for their OWB when power goes out. I'm looking at getting a generator to run the OWB and its pump, and all of my zone pumps inside the house to circulate. Any tips? I had the boiler boiling the first time I lost power and it couldn't circulate.

Thanks

I have an old 3200 watt gas generator I leave under the shed beside the CB to keep power on the pump while I'm hooking up a PTO gen. on the tractor. Then the PTO gen. runs everything. Also have some LP unvented heaters in the house and use those too while changing over.

 

[milkie62]

I was thinking of picking up the 900 watt Harbor Frieght genertaor just for the furnace.Less than 100 bucks .

 

[wctech]

Inverter

I picked up a 1100 watt inverter. I hook it up to my truck, and then to a power strip. I have pumps on each of my zones, so I have a total of 7 taco 007's and a blower motor. It runs everything. I live in the coutry so my power fails after large snowstorms. It has worked perfect. About $65.00 if I remember right. I always fill up with gas before a big storm is predicted. One time it ran for 2 days non stop at an idle on about 1/2 tank of gas.

 

[blackdogon57]

6500 watt diesel generator. Runs pretty much everything I need including OWB pumps/furnace fan/well pump/lights/fridges. The generators are cheap. Wiring to code is expensive. Took a master electrician a couple of days to do it right.

 

[atlarge54]

I use a couple 12v batteries and a tripplite inverter with built in transfer switch. I think its about 750 watts and will keep the pumps going for about 8 hours.

I'll tell you from experience that the power will fail at the worst possible time. I used my neighbors Honda generator a couple times and it was a bit of a pain. I can remember one time with the wind and a full load not knowing whether the pex lines would both melt from the heat AND freeze from the cold. A wood boiler with a full load on a windy winter night and no electricity is not a nice thing.

 

[milkie62]

Yes,no power on a stormy nite with a boiler full of wood could spell trouble.Something a dealer will not tell you.

 

[mingom]

I think I'm getting a 6500 w generac to keep the owb, furnace pumps, well, and fridge going when we lose power. Luckily, the house was already wired for a generator to be plugged in when I bought it this fall so all I need in the genny and a extension cable to run to the receptacle in my garage.

 

[603doug]

I have a 7500 watt generac with 13500 smack so we run the whole house. Uses about 2 quarts an hr. If you are using it to power any large items the initial start is important(water pump, elect. stove). Cheap and easy way to hkup was a welding plug to a breaker in the panel so we kill the main and turn the breaker on

 

[mtfallsmikey]

I have an 8 KW Briggs genny to run the whole house, but have been kicking around the little HF model to use, just for the boiler, just in case...

 

[avason]

lost power the last two storms here. Generator about 6000 w runs just about everything including the air handlers, water, microwave toaster (which dims the lights quite a bit for a couple of seconds), most of my lights in the house including the big ones outside. I still don't know why people don't have a generator hook up at their homes. It is probable a grand to get a different box hooked up with all the necessities and probable another 600 for a small generator. Everyone should have one if they are at risk of losing power and freezing. I had about a dozen people over here during the last two power outages filling up water and taking showers. worth every penny.

 

[wctech]

The last outage was for about 12 hours. The nice thing about the owb is that you have an active fire, which we use to cook our diner with. We use those camping deals where you sandwich the meat in between 2 screens. We wait until we have a nice bed of coals and then the steaks go on. We have full bellies and we are warm. It seems theneighbors always seem to show up when the power goes out hmmm. The kids think this is quite the adventure especially when the marshmellows come out.

 

[war-wagon]

5500 watt generator hooks up to a transfer switch in the house. Runs the stove, water pump, fridge, freezers and all the other essentials and most of the lights. Now if the OWB should STB, the tankless propane H2O heater is plumbed to heat the house. I hear that sucks a ton of propane though. Never had to use it. Knock on wood.

 

[bluestem]

I'm in the same boat as most here, we have a 7500 watt Honeywell generator we hook to an outlet on the outside of the house that runs to a transfer panel at the breaker box. It runs pretty much everything in the house we need in either summer or winter: OWB, lights, fridge, window air conditioners, etc... The only thing we don't get is water since the pump is still hard wired out in the well pit (we do have a small head-water stream about 300 feet from the house though for fresh water).

 

[roger m]

i heat with a hardy OWB and we went through a bad ice storm a couple of years back,i bought a 8000 watt generator and it worked great,our entire town was without power for 8 days,getting gasoline was the biggest problem,you couldn't find a gas can anywhere local also,when i built my new house i ran a generator circuit to the breaker panel and bought a generator outlet and cable,i did save some race fuel barrels for gasoline, i run my generator for a few minutes each month and rotate the fuel in it, so if it happens again i will be better prepared :smile2:

 

[upsnake]

Anybody running a nat gas or propane stand-by generator?

 

[milkie62]

You will have less problems with a propane generator vs a gas since reg gas can gum up.All stanby units are generally propane or nat gas because of this.larger units are diesel.As for the guys that do not have their gas ready for a storm----what I do at Thanksgiving is fill my gas cans so I have 20 gallons ready to go for the winter.Then as soon as mowing season starts I use it in the mowers.
I use a 5000 continuous watt generator.It is OK but I have to be careful since I have well water which is 20 amps @220 volts.It is a little of a pain since I backfeed my panel and I must shut off my hot water heater (30 amps),hot tub (50 amps).I must remind my wife not to use the dryer and only use 1 burner on the stove.I have been looking at the Northern tool 15kw generator since all I would have to shut off is the hot tub and turn it on just to circulate the water.
I think for the 100 bucks the HF may be a good deal for just the OWB

 

[mingom]

The one i'm looking at is 6500w continuous, 8500 spike, it'll feed back to the panel with through a plug in my garage, then an interlock at the panel to shut off the main. I'll be running the well for water, the OWB, the heating system pumps (7 tacos), and my fridge, and hopefully some lights. I can use my stove/oven and possibly my dryer as they both run off my propane system.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

A friend in Pa. just installed a Siemens 17 KW propane genny, with full auto xfer switch, and load shedding. 2 days later, the freak Oct. snow hit, he was out of power for 4 days, used almost $300 worth of propane.