Electrical Backup Systems for the future

 
KLook
Member
Posts: 5791
Joined: Sun. Feb. 17, 2008 1:08 pm
Location: Harrison, Tenn
Other Heating: Wishing it was cold enough for coal here....not really

Post by KLook » Wed. Feb. 19, 2020 7:15 am

I presume this "Green Switch" is just a switch or breaker that shuts down all non essential outlets and lights. Would need more then one in a average house.....

Kevin

 
NoSmoke
Member
Posts: 1442
Joined: Sun. Oct. 14, 2012 7:52 pm
Location: Mid Coast Maine
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: New Yoker WC90
Baseburners & Antiques: Woods and Bishop Antique Pot Bellied Stove
Coal Size/Type: Stove/Nut/Pea Anthracite
Other Heating: Munchkin LP Boiler/Englander Pellet Stove/Perkins 4.108 Cogeneration diesel

Post by NoSmoke » Wed. Feb. 19, 2020 1:04 pm

KLook wrote:
Wed. Feb. 19, 2020 7:15 am
I presume this "Green Switch" is just a switch or breaker that shuts down all non essential outlets and lights. Would need more then one in a average house.....

Kevin
With mine I just wired it so that I had a main breaker panel, and that was my "Forever Power." Power from that box ran to all the outlets I wanted always lit, like the Refrigerator, Furnace, outside lights, etc. In every room of the house, I also had one outlet that was "forever power" so that we could plug a fish tank in it, or have a night light, whatever...every room in the house had at least one outlet that was always hot. I also made this heavy duty outlets too.

From that a main cable went up to another breaker box right beside the front door. 90% of my outlets, lights, and other electrical loads went to that. In that way, I could switch off the main breaker there whenever no one was in the house and we were headed out the door. It is great because not only are all phantom loads eliminated, so is the loss of power with powered wires in the wall. 90% of electrical fire danger is gone when I am away from home because 90% of wires are not even energized.

But it is more than that. Ever worry if you left the oven on while out of town? With a Green Switch the power to the oven is shut off. The same with the water pump so it cannot flood your house if you get a broken pipe while you are away. The dryer, water heater, whatever you do not want energized when you are gone, you run through that breaker box. Then it was just a simple matter of shutting off the switch when you left the house.

It saves a lot of worry, and a lot of power. It was about 50% less per given month.

But even I admit it is boring. No fancy wind mill, no solar panels on the roof, just a breaker panel and a little more wiring. Boring stuff, but it pays dividends.


 
KLook
Member
Posts: 5791
Joined: Sun. Feb. 17, 2008 1:08 pm
Location: Harrison, Tenn
Other Heating: Wishing it was cold enough for coal here....not really

Post by KLook » Wed. Feb. 19, 2020 1:30 pm

I think that is an excellent idea.

Kevin

 
NoSmoke
Member
Posts: 1442
Joined: Sun. Oct. 14, 2012 7:52 pm
Location: Mid Coast Maine
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: New Yoker WC90
Baseburners & Antiques: Woods and Bishop Antique Pot Bellied Stove
Coal Size/Type: Stove/Nut/Pea Anthracite
Other Heating: Munchkin LP Boiler/Englander Pellet Stove/Perkins 4.108 Cogeneration diesel

Post by NoSmoke » Wed. Feb. 19, 2020 2:17 pm

KLook wrote:
Wed. Feb. 19, 2020 1:30 pm
I think that is an excellent idea.

Kevin
Yeah, no real downside except it is a lot easier if the walls are all opened up so that you can run wires anywhere and everywhere.

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