On 9/2/21 09:33, Mel Beckman wrote:
Here’s a nice article on the code issue, which is nationwide in the US
(it’s part of the NEC). It speaks specifically about the generator
requirements:
https://temperaturemaster.com/furnaces-hardwired-what-you-need-to-know/
<https://temperaturemaster.com/furnaces-hardwired-what-you-need-to-know/>
TLDR: The NEC is against plugged-in furnaces for a good reason: they
consume so much electricity that they need a dedicated circuit. When
you have a plug-in furnace, you’re likely to plug it into a shared
outlet with other appliances. As a result, the circuit gets
overloaded, damaging the furnace and the other plugged-in electrical
devices or even resulting in a fire.
So, converting a hardwired furnace into a plugged-in constitutes an
NEC code violation.
The article then proceeds to show how to safely violate the NEC with a
plug and socket, and how to follow the letter of the law with a
transfer switch or interlock kit.
I think these are the same devices my brother Peter might be talking
about. :)
We have two kettles in our kitchen, and one of them seems to be slowly
breaking down. So my Mrs. ran both at the same time last week, and was
wondering why one of the breakers in our panel kept tripping. The two
separate sockets that serve each kettle are wired to the same 20A
breaker into the panel. That was an easy one to explain... run one at a
time.
Just easier to not encourage folk to breakout high-current devices such
as these into regular wall sockets. Most people do not understand the
effects of cascading loads on a single circuit, especially when they
don't get that different loads generate different current, even if the
voltage is the same. And nor should they, if we always implement and
certify code compliance.
But alas, the real world...
Mark.