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From: wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Heat without electricity
Message-ID: <7946@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 1-Feb-85 16:06:24 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.7946
Posted: Fri Feb  1 16:06:24 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 3-Feb-85 09:39:54 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: USAMC ALMSA
Lines: 61

In the light of the recent postings about automatic thermostats, I have
a question about the operation of gas-fired furnaces when there is no 
electricity due to power interruptions.

At this time of year, we often see or read news stories about this or
that area losing electrical service due to storm or ice damage, and the 
loss of heat in the homes in that area forcing people to community 
shelters or emergency relief centers. I would think that anything 
that can be done to reduce vulnerability to such failures would be
desirable.

For those with electric heat, or hot-air gas or oil heat requiring
electrically-powered blowers to distribute the warmed air, or for those
with forced hot water heat, where an electric pump is necessary,
or for oil burners that require electric oil pumps, there is no 
question that the loss of electricity destroys the capability to heat the
residence. Only a temporary generator or restoration of electricity
will help in those cases. However, for gas-fueled hot water or steam systems
which do not use a pump, the ONLY function of electricity is to run the
thermostat. This is a trivial usage, yet the system will not work if
there is no electricity. I would think that there should be a method
of "working around" the loss of electricity for these heating systems.

My first thought is to simply attach a car battery in place of the transformer
connections that link the heating system to the electrical mains.
This would only be a temporary expedient, though. That battery would have
to be recharged somehow, not an easy task when there is no power.

What I would think would be a better backup system would be a completely
mechanical one. It would not have any thermostat, but operate on a time
basis. For example, an air-delay dash-pot unit would allow gas to flow for 15
or 30 minutes after manual setting. If the residence has warmed enough by then,
you simply don't re-set it until some time passes and the house begins
to cool again. If it hasn't warmed up enough, you re-set it and
get another 15-30 minutes of heat. Yes, this requires constant manual
attention, but that is also a safety feature. The idea is for it not to
run unchecked and get too hot. It's no different in principle from having
to stoke the coal furnace (which I recall doing as a child).

Does anyone know if such a non-electrical system is available, either
as a stocked item, or could be assembled from  stock parts? Could
such a backup system be installed for swich-over use without violating
building codes? It would require parallel gas connections to the
furnace, one going through the electrically-controlled normal
path, and one going through this separate manual-control system (since
the elctrically-run path shut-off valve would be closed by the lack
of power to hold it open).

If this is infeasible, how about a method of bypassing the electrically-
controlled portion of the heating system in emergencies? Is there a way
to force open an electrically-controlled valve without damaging it,
in the abscence of electricity?

This hasn't happened to me yet, but it might. I'd like to be prepared,
and it is galling to think that such a trivial thing as a control
circuit being unpowered would render the entire heating plant useless.

Regards,
Will Martin

USENET: seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin     or   ARPA/MILNET: wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA