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Battery backup for wood furnace

Started by Woodcutter_Mo, January 15, 2018, 11:04:34 AM

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Woodcutter_Mo

 Hello, hope this hasn't been over discussed on here. I finally got my Fire Chief fs2200 outdoor furnace fired up and am wanting to install a battery backup in case of a power outage when I'm not home. I am not experienced with electrical stuff so I'm looking for input on exactly what parts I need.

From what I know, I need an automatic inverter/charger to switch to battery power when the power goes off.

I found a Tripp Lite APS750 inverter with 750W continuous and 1500W surge rating on the I internet that should work?. What size of deep cycle auto/marine batteries would I need to run the furnace for 6-8hr+ ? 6-8hr is just a guess on the burn time since I haven't used the furnace enough yet.

As far as the furnace goes, it has a single blower as well as a draft blower to run.

Any info or knowledge would be appreciated, thanks
-WoodMizer LT25
-592XP full wrap, 372XP, 550XP, 455 Rancher, RedMax GZ3500T
-Fixer-uppers/projects:
024AV, MS260, MS361, MS460, Shindaiwa 488, 394XPG

TKehl

What is the intent?   ???

The furnace should "self protect", close dampers, and go to a slow burn without power.

Setting and forget the T-stat on your existing heat to a low temperature is very simple.  (We leave ours at 55°F just in case a fire goes out.  Haven't needed it, but nice to know it's there if we can't get home.) 

A small generator to run the blower on the stove would be cheaper and simpler.  We have a standard wall outlet type plug in for the furnace blower and a $200 TSC generator to run the stove and a few lights in a power outage.  HF makes decent little generators to.

If you really want the inverter, google "steven harris inverter bank" and look at some of the youtube videos.  You will need to know the wattage the blowers use when running (watts=volts*amps).  This will tell you the wattage of the inverter.  Then redo the calculation for the battery voltage (watts/volts=amps).  This will tell you how many amps you need from that voltage.  Then you need enough battery for that many amp-hours (amps*hours) plus extra for fudge factor and when batteries age they loose output.  That's the very basics of it.

May be better for "alternative methods" board.
In the long run, you make your own luck – good, bad, or indifferent. Loretta Lynn

Woodcutter_Mo

 This particular furnace has a "heat dump" hatch with the melt fuse in case it overheats. In the odd case that the power did go out and it did start to overheat, the spring loaded hatch would open when the "fuse" melted. But for piece of mind, I wouldn't mind having an automatic power supply to let it run for a while if the power went out when I wasn't home and let the fire burn down to where it  would be safer. I do agree it will be a little pricey, that's the kicker for sure. But it might be a good second safety feature. I've read about some setups people use, just not for sure on the specific parts.

I like the generator idea as well, but this would be more for if I happened to be gone when the power went out. Replacing that fuse in the heat dump don't look like fun if it's cold and windy  :D
-WoodMizer LT25
-592XP full wrap, 372XP, 550XP, 455 Rancher, RedMax GZ3500T
-Fixer-uppers/projects:
024AV, MS260, MS361, MS460, Shindaiwa 488, 394XPG

Ivan49

Shut the power off to it and see what it does. I think you will find all the extras are not needed

TKehl

Never been into a Fire Chief.  Learning new stuff! 

My Bryan has a solenoid operated draft door on a spring.  Overtemp, it shuts.  Loose power, it shuts.  Fire getting low, it opens to try to hold temp. 

If this is the part, at $10 each, I think I would order a few spares and call it good.  But then I don't know how much of a PITA it is to access...   :-\

https://www.stove-parts-unlimited.com/fire-chief-fuse-link-370-degree-for-os2200d-furnaces-fcfl370-p/fcfl370.htm

[In my mind I am secretly Rube Goldberg-ing a contraption together with a solenoid operated water valve that would douse the flames if it lost power.   :D  :D  :D ]
In the long run, you make your own luck – good, bad, or indifferent. Loretta Lynn

Woodcutter_Mo

 Ok, this furnace has the forced draft so it's probably not too likely to over heat with no air being forced in then. I'll try to do some more research on this specific model and see how they are about overheating.

Thanks for the link, I believe those are the correct fuses. I need to get a few of those to have on hand regardless. Not a bad price as long as I don't have to replace them too often  :o
-WoodMizer LT25
-592XP full wrap, 372XP, 550XP, 455 Rancher, RedMax GZ3500T
-Fixer-uppers/projects:
024AV, MS260, MS361, MS460, Shindaiwa 488, 394XPG

overclocking

750 watts should be enough, but that is really dependent on the pump being used. I too have looked into the idea and its not a bad suggestion.  The boiler itself doesn't really use that much, with the blower fan being the biggest draw.

Any two deep cycle batteries should give you the 24 volts you need for several hours. APC typically will power computers for about 45 minutes, again depending on the load. With two marine battery you would be ok for several hours if you weren't home and the power went out.

Now a better suggestion is a generlink automatic transfer switch with an auto starting generator, but obviously there is additional expense going that route. The generlink has taken all wiring out of the equation though and is a great investment. I'm picking one up next month for my manual start generator.

Woodcutter_Mo

Quote from: overclocking on January 16, 2018, 05:58:16 PM
750 watts should be enough, but that is really dependent on the pump being used. I too have looked into the idea and its not a bad suggestion.  The boiler itself doesn't really use that much, with the blower fan being the biggest draw.

Any two deep cycle batteries should give you the 24 volts you need for several hours. APC typically will power computers for about 45 minutes, again depending on the load. With two marine battery you would be ok for several hours if you weren't home and the power went out.

Now a better suggestion is a generlink automatic transfer switch with an auto starting generator, but obviously there is additional expense going that route. The generlink has taken all wiring out of the equation though and is a great investment. I'm picking one up next month for my manual start generator.

Good to know. All that will run on this furnace is the circulator blower and maybe the draft blower. I haven't found what the specs are on the circulator blower, so far in the manual it just says 1800cfm. I will look further into the specs.
-WoodMizer LT25
-592XP full wrap, 372XP, 550XP, 455 Rancher, RedMax GZ3500T
-Fixer-uppers/projects:
024AV, MS260, MS361, MS460, Shindaiwa 488, 394XPG

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