2oldman
NM
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Maybe we'll get lucky and the OP will return.
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Grit dog
Black Diamond, WA
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Joined: 05/06/2013
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ROBERTSUNRUS wrote:![[emoticon]](http://www.rv.net/sharedcontent/cfb/images/smile.gif "smile") My furnace, HVAC system, runs on 240 volts. So my generator won't run it either.
My furnace is a woodstove. My Honda doesn't do much for it either....
Relevance?
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Gdetrailer
PA
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Joined: 01/05/2007
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C Schomer wrote:I never use it for camping anymore and I only keep it cuz of my crappy power company. It will run the frig but the furnace is too fussy. Is there a device that will make it pure sine wave and will it then run the furnace?
Next ?… are all pure sine wave gens created equal so they will run this furnace or does it take a special model. Thanks, Craig
Honda 2000 is already a "pure sinewave" output so no other devices needed to make it sinewave.
The problem you are having is actually between the control board of the furnace and how the generator is wired.
Some portable generators will not have a connection between the neutral position on the socket and the ground position of the socket.
The furnace control board is designed to check that there is continuity between the neutral and ground from your power source (IE breaker panel).
Inside your main breaker panel both neutral and equipment ground are tied together (IE "bonded") so everything on neutral and equipment ground are at the same ground potential.
The furnace control board needs to have the equipment ground and the neutral to be at the same voltage potential as the control board typically uses flame sensing via a probe into the flame to determine if the burner is lit. The flame across the probe creates a small electrical path from the burner to the probe. The burner must be at the same voltage potential as the neutral as the burner is connected to the equipment ground.
Without having the neutral and equipment ground at the same voltage potential the furnace control board is unable to detect the flame properly and the control board will fail the process until it reaches the retry limit and locks out until power is removed.
As others have mentioned, if your going to run the furnace from an extension cord plugged into your gen instead of through your breaker panel you will may need to create that neutral to ground bond. Other posters have shown how to do that with a plug that you plug into the other outlet on your gen.
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C Schomer
Pueblo West, Co.
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Sorry, I’ve been away! It’s NG 35kbtuh ECM induced draft 96%/condensing 120vac 2016 model. I retired from HVAC but the older Models that I was trained on had different ECM motors. They were all 1 hp and the speeds were selected with dip switches. Even those motors only drew 75 W on half speed. This tiny furnace that I have has three selectable speeds by switching taps on the motor and the wattage will be super low. The furnace and stat do nothing when connected to the generator.
This generator was new in about 2010. Now that you guys mentioned it. I made a pigtail with the neutral and ground bonded for some thing but I don’t remember what, but I know it had to be some thing for camping… My charger wizard or some thing in this trailer.
It’s nice that all these later appliances have such low power demand. Refrigerators even use PSC compressor motors and draw less than 2 A. Extension cord size won’t a problem… I have up to 4 gauge.
That’s a great tip on the bonded connector. I’ll try it in January when I’m back in Colorado. Thanks a million!! Craig
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2oldman
NM
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C Schomer wrote:The furnace and stat do nothing when connected to the generator. Does the generator do anything?
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Gdetrailer
PA
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Furnace control board automatically checks and detects for open neutral to equipment ground and should automatically lockout the furnace from operating. Hence the reason why you get no response from the furnace.
Some control boards actually have a diagnostic LED on board which will blink out a trouble code to help pin down the issue..
Assuming you have a Honda 2000i inverter series, as I recall those generators do not connect the neutral position to the equipment ground. This typically is not a problem with most electrical items. But it does create issues with things like RV EMS systems or in your case a control board that monitors the neutral to equipment ground and with no connection it faults on the open neutral/ground.
As I stated, the control board uses what is called diode rectification to determine if flame is present via a metal probe which is isolated from the burner and when a flame is present the flame engulfs the probe.
The flame conducts electricity in one direction (like a diode) between the rod and burner.
This sensing only works correctly when the burner is at the same voltage potential as the neutral. For that reason the control board will prevent the furnace from starting or responding to the T stat call for heat.
It is part of a safety system to prevent gas valve from staying open if no flame is present.
Retry your setup with adding the neutral/ground plug on the gen, it should work once you establish that connection.
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S Davis
Western WA
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valhalla360 wrote:2oldman wrote:Fisherman wrote:Has nothing to do with the fuel source, . Has everything to do with the fuel if it's electric.
Furnace implies it burns fuel. Otherwise it would be an electric heater and 2000w is no where close to enough for a whole house electric heating system.
As others have mentioned, it's nothing to do with the sine wave but with the grounding.
Could be oil fired, they draw more power for the burner.
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Fisherman
Angus, Ontario, Canada
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Joined: 09/28/2002
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S Davis wrote:valhalla360 wrote:2oldman wrote:Fisherman wrote:Has nothing to do with the fuel source, . Has everything to do with the fuel if it's electric.
Furnace implies it burns fuel. Otherwise it would be an electric heater and 2000w is no where close to enough for a whole house electric heating system.
As others have mentioned, it's nothing to do with the sine wave but with the grounding.
Could be oil fired, they draw more power for the burner.
He mentioned it's NG, Natural Gas.
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austinjenna
Columbus, Ohio
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So forgive my lack of electrical knowledge but is all that I would need to do is get a 110 plug, then run a small jumper from the ground to the neutral(white/silver) side of the plug and plug that into the generator?
My assumption is that instead of using a 110 plug I could also do it for the 30 amp outlet on the generator and therefore free up a 110 outlet. My genny has 2 - 110 outlets and 1-30 amp outlet
Thanks
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Tvov
CT
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Joined: 07/19/2003
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quote=C Schomer:
How big is the furnace's blower.. Good chance the starting current exceeds the generator's ability.
Starting current for a blower fan would exceed a generator's ability? Would that be like a commercial factory size blower or something?
I am not an expert in HVAC, this is not being sarcastic or anything.
Note: couldn't do a normal quote for some reason.
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