Testing the Rivian as a ‘backup’ power source

[jjswan33]

Considering the same setup.

Could I ask what type of furnace you have and if it worked properly? The flame sensor worked no problem with that transfer switch?

I have a Carrier inifinity furnace with an ECM motor and there is contradicting info online as to what a non pure sine wave inverter like the rivian’s would do to it.

I wish they offered the option for a beefier inverter…

I couldn't tell you which furnace I have I just know the power it needs is only a 15A 120V circuit which I can easily power with either the Rivian or my intermediate Goal Zero 1500X battery system (which does have a slightly beefier inverter).

Do you know the power requirements of your furnace?

Also not sure what info you have about the Rivian's inverter but I think the electricity is clean just the issue is it only outputs 1.5kW max.

Sponsored

 

[PostMinivanDad]

Most better air handlers are 240V in the U.S.

Not sure that is correct. HVAC equipment in the USA and Canada is pretty much the same and I dont know anyone here who's gas furnace with integrated air handler is 240v... Heat pump sure, but not the furnace. I am only looking to power the furnace in an emergency.

I couldn't tell you which furnace I have I just know the power it needs is only a 15A 120V circuit which I can easily power with either the Rivian or my intermediate Goal Zero 1500X battery system (which does have a slightly beefier inverter).

Do you know the power requirements of your furnace?

Also not sure what info you have about the Rivian's inverter but I think the electricity is clean just the issue is it only outputs 1.5kW max.

Thanks. Mine is a Carrier: https://www.dcne.com/product/carrier-80000-btu-96-2-afue-gas-furnace-59tn6a080v17-14 . 15A and 120V too. Would you know if yours is builder grade or something fancier ie Carrier Infinity/Lennox Signature?

I was under the impression the 1500W inverter on R1's wasnt pure sine wave and that it could be a problem for some appliances. Plenty of videos on line of guys powering their furnaces with inverters... but them always seem to be older models without as many electronics.

 

[jjswan33]

Not sure that is correct. HVAC equipment in the USA and Canada is pretty much the same and I dont know anyone here who's gas furnace with integrated air handler is 240v... Heat pump sure, but not the furnace. I am only looking to power the furnace in an emergency.



Thanks. Mine is a Carrier: https://www.dcne.com/product/carrier-80000-btu-96-2-afue-gas-furnace-59tn6a080v17-14 . 15A and 120V too. Would you know if yours is builder grade or something fancier ie Carrier Infinity/Lennox Signature?

I was under the impression the 1500W inverter on R1's wasnt pure sine wave and that it could be a problem for some appliances. Plenty of videos on line of guys powering their furnaces with inverters... but them always seem to be older models without as many electronics.

Nothing fancy but it is made by Lennox and relatively new as my house was built in 2020.

For what its worth I have not had any problems running electronics on my Rivian's inverter, including an induction cooktop, microwave and more.

 

[Mojave]

My use case is to power just the gas furnace when electricity is out. I am less concerned about losing the fridge content than I am about not being able to heat for a few days in the winter.

The problem is that the furnace is hard wired, so I can't just plug it into the Rivian. As it is using gas, it uses 110V for the fan, and the electronics (including powering the Nest thermostat). It uses about 25W constantly just being connected, and it uses up to 700W peak when the fan is running.

I just installed an EZ Generator Switch https://ezgeneratorswitch.com/

That generator switch can be configured in two ways: for floating and bonded generators. For bonded generators, you switch the neutral to the generator's neutral, and for floating generators, you share the neutral of the house.

They tell you to configure it for floating when you charge from a battery, which is what I did. And it works with a small Eco Flow battery (until the fan kicks in, and the battery shuts down because it cannot do 700W)

The problem with the Rivian is that the moment I connect the Rivian 110V outlets in the back to the transfer switch with a three pronged cable, the Rivian shuts down the outlet. Before the fan turns on, just the 23W the furnace wants to pull trigger something in the Rivian.

With a two prong extension cord (or a 3 prong with the ground removed in an adapter plug) the furnace works well (that's how I measured the Wattage).

So is this a satisfying status?

The Rivian does the right thing for mobile generators, bound the neutral to the ground.

The house does the right thing for floating generators (or batteries) that not bounded

Is using two prongs a problem? The house neutral should be bounded in the house panel, and be at 0V house ground, and that would also ground the car through the house panel.

Or should I configure the transfer switch to switch the neutral, too? Then the furnace is the only thing hanging off the the generator switch, but who knows if the furnace is grounded elsewhere, with pipes all over the house. Ground of the car could then be different from ground of the house, and that seems not optimal.

Sponsored