<p>
  Hello, again.&nbsp;This is Trey.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  Before I begin, please note: In the show notes, I include links to
  several informative videos, and to specific products which might
  be used for a project like this.&nbsp;I do not endorse, nor
  support any of the products or influencers linked.&nbsp;I do not
  profit from anything on or associated with any of the
  links.&nbsp;They are provided merely for additional information or
  for reference.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  I live in the eastern part of the state of Tennessee in the
  southeast United States. Our summers are fairly hot and humid, but
  our winters are generally mild. Last winter, we experienced an ice
  storm, with temperatures dropping into the single digits
  (Fahrenheit) or below -12 degrees Celsius.&nbsp;This was not a
  problem until tree limbs heavy with ice began to break off and
  fall, on occasion taking power lines with them.&nbsp;As a direct
  result, we lost power at my home.&nbsp;The icy road conditions
  made it difficult for service vehicles to reach impacted areas,
  and also made it impossible for us to leave our home.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  My house is heated by a natural gas forced air
  furnace.&nbsp;However, the fan which blows hot air throughout the
  house, and the electronics which control everything from telling
  the furnace to turn on to igniting the gas, all require
  electricity. For anyone unfamiliar with how a forced air furnace
  works, I am including a link to a helpful YouTube video by The DIY
  HVAC Guy <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE5CHjQNSi0"
    rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">
    Link</a>
  &nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  So, with the loss of electrical power, came a loss of heat. We
  experienced a full day of being huddled under blankets and
  drinking warm beverages.&nbsp;These I could heat up on my gas
  stove, when I used a match or lighter to ignite the
  burner.&nbsp;Thankfully, the next day our power was restored, and
  our home warmed up again.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  But that got me thinking, and searching for solutions.&nbsp;I
  needed to provide an alternative electrical power option for my
  gas furnace so that it would continue to work when the electricity
  was interrupted.&nbsp;I found a really interesting video, also by
  The DIY HVAC Guy (<a
    href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y07w1hiKIrI "
    rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">
    Link</a>
  ), explaining an option for retrofitting the electrical
  connections to the furnace, but I never got around to doing
  it.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  That changed, a couple months ago, when I found a real deal on a
  brand new portable solar generator.&nbsp;It is effectively a large
  lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery, an inverter, and a
  charging system, all bundled together in an easy to carry
  case.&nbsp;It provides over 1,000 watt hours of power.&nbsp;It can
  be charged using portable solar panels (which I purchased at the
  same time), or supported using external power sources from 12v to
  48v DC.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  The retrofit of the of the electrical feed line into my furnace
  was easily accomplished by doing something very similar to what
  was done in the video linked above.&nbsp;I turned off the circuit
  breaker for the furnace in the house's main electrical panel, and
  then located the switch box mounted on the side of my
  furnace.&nbsp;I removed the switch plate cover and tested the
  wires inside using a non-contact voltage tester, which would light
  up and scream at me if there was still any power to any of the
  wires.&nbsp;No screaming.&nbsp;No power.&nbsp;Good.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  Next, I&nbsp;removed the switch from the box, disconnected the
  black power source "hot" wire from the switch.&nbsp;This would
  carry 120v AC&nbsp;directly to the switch and allow a user to turn
  the furnace on and off.&nbsp;The wires going into the furnace
  included a black "hot" wire, connected to the other side of the
  switch, and a white "neutral" wire which was connected using a
  wire nut to the white "Neutral" wire from the house wiring. I
  disconnected all of these wires, and also the ground wire from the
  house wiring.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  I removed the front service panel from the furnace so that I could
  perform the next steps safely.&nbsp;I removed the "single gang"
  electrical box (which had housed the on/off switch) from the side
  of the furnace, where it had been attached using a single sheet
  metal screw.&nbsp;The term "single gang" describes a box which is
  only wide enough to accommodate a single standard sized switch or
  a single duplex outlet.&nbsp;A "double gang" box is wide enough
  for two such devices, and a "triple gang" is wide enough for
  three.&nbsp;Use the provided <a
href="https://www.kyleswitchplates.com/identify-your-wall-plate-opening/"
    rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">
    link</a> for a more complete description of this naming.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  I chose to replace the single gang box, which only held a switch,
  with a double gang box&nbsp;to accommodate both a switch and a
  duplex outlet.&nbsp;I could have used the existing box and used a
  single gang outlet/switch combination (Like the one at the
  provided <a
href="https://www.acehardware.com/departments/lighting-and-electrical/switches-outlets-and-plugs/outlets/3809670"
    rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">
    link</a> ), but I wanted to use a heavier duty switch and
  outlet.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  I mounted a new double gang box to the side of the furnace using
  multiple sheet metal screws.&nbsp;Then I passed the Romex house
  wiring through a knockout hole in the side of the box and a
  protective wire clamp.&nbsp;I wired the black "Hot" wire from the
  house to the brass colored screw on a commercial grade 120v 15A
  duplex outlet.&nbsp;The neutral wire from the house went to the
  silver colored screw on the outlet, and the bare ground wire from
  the house connected to the green ground screw on the
  outlet.&nbsp;This was now connected just like any other outlet in
  the house, and controlled by the breaker in the house's main
  panel.&nbsp;I wrapped this duplex outlet with electrical tape, as
  I like to do any time I am working in a metal box or a box
  containing more than one device.&nbsp;Then I secured the duplex
  outlet to the box with included screws.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  I knocked out another one of the side holes in the box, and
  installed another wire clamp, through which I passed some heavy
  duty 12ga (About 2mm conductor diameter)&nbsp;3 conductor flexible
  cable.&nbsp;The black wire from this went to one screw connector
  on the switch, and the black wire from the furnace connected to
  the other screw connector on the switch.&nbsp;I connected the
  white wires (from the flexible cable and from the furnace)
  together using a wire nut, and connected the ground wire from the
  flexible cable to the green screw on the box.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  The final installation steps were to connect a quality, 120v 15A
  plug to the other end of the flexible cable.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  Now for the first test.&nbsp;I turned the breaker back on, and
  used an outlet tester to verify the newly installed outlet on the
  side of the furnace was working and wired correctly.&nbsp;I use
  one which displays voltage along with any wiring faults, and which
  also has a button which can be used to test ground fault circuit
  interrupts (GFCI) like the one found at the provided <a
    href="https://www.amazon.com/Receptacle-Electrical-Klein-Tools-RT250/dp/B08QW7K1JJ
    " rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">
    link</a> .&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  Everything checked out properly, so I plugged the furnace into the
  outlet, using the flexible cord.&nbsp;Nothing happened, so I
  flipped the switch to the "On Position".&nbsp;I&nbsp;immediately
  saw blinking lights on the furnace controller board.&nbsp;Next, I
  adjusted the thermostat for heat, and within a minute, the furnace
  had ignited the burners and was blowing hot air.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  Good.&nbsp;All my connections were verified, so I turned off the
  furnace, unplugged it, and installed the faceplate on the
  box.&nbsp;Yes, I know I&nbsp;could have done this before I plugged
  in the furnace.&nbsp;However, with over 40 years of experience
  building, repairing, and modifying electrical and electronic
  devices.&nbsp;I have learned to never put back together more than
  you must for a specific test.&nbsp;Otherwise, you will just need
  to go back and take it apart again when your test
  fails.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<a href="hpr4282_image_1.jpeg"><img moz-do-not-send="true"
    src="hpr4282_image_1_tn.jpeg" alt="A dual US power socket with a
    yellow socket plugged in, next to a sticker that says
    EnergyGuide" height="494" border="0" width="400"></a>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  What was next?&nbsp;More testing, of course.&nbsp;I needed to
  figure out how much power the furnace used when generating
  heat.&nbsp;Because of the way the furnace was now wired, it was
  simple to connect an inline power meter between the outlet and the
  furnace plug.&nbsp;I plugged one in and turned everything back on
  again.&nbsp;The measured peak power use was 375 watts.&nbsp;The
  solar generator can easily handle this for a couple hours and I
  can charge it from various sources during gaps in operation.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  So, I connected the solar generator and... Nothing.&nbsp;The
  furnace would not even complete its self-test
  sequence.&nbsp;Great... Did I break something?&nbsp;I plugged the
  furnace back in directly to the power outlet, and everything
  worked properly. Well, that's a plus, at least.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  So, I spent the next several hours troubleshooting two different
  blinking light error codes on the furnace controller board. One
  referenced "Hot &amp; Neutral Reversed" while the other referenced
  "Open Ground".&nbsp;That was odd.&nbsp;Well, I had never actually
  tested the output of this brand new solar generator, so I plugged
  my outlet tester into the solar generator, and it verified "Open
  Ground".&nbsp;Time for a technical support call.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>
      THIS</em>
  </strong> is when I learned something important.&nbsp;Apparently,
  this is a common issue with solar generators, and is part of their
  design.&nbsp;To resolve the issue, I need to simply connect a
  bonding plug into any 120v outlet on the generator.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  You can purchase a Generator Bonding Plug, also called a
  Ground-Neutral Shunt, and I have included several links as
  reference. ( <a
    href="https://www.microair.net/products/generator-bonding-plug"
    rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">
    Bonding Plug</a> or&nbsp;<a
href="https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Inverter-Generator-Floating-Motorhome/dp/B0BLZ8QKLV?th=1"
    rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">
    Ground Neutral Shunt</a>
  &nbsp;).&nbsp;I found them selling for anywhere between $10 - $35
  USD.&nbsp;But all they are is a $1 - $2 USD plug with a wire
  connecting the ground terminal to the neutral terminal.&nbsp;So,
  naturally, I built one using a spare plug I had.&nbsp;I connected
  it to the solar generator, and the outlet tester was very
  happy.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  With fingers crossed I connected the furnace back to the solar
  generator, with the shunt installed.&nbsp;This is very difficult
  to do, by the way, when your fingers are crossed.&nbsp;Everything
  started up properly, and I ran the furnace for 2 hours using just
  the generator.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  Hopefully, I will not need it, but If I do, I have options.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
  <br>
</p>
<p>
  I would love to hear your episode about what you do to prepare for
  situations like this.&nbsp;</p>