Hi,
I am building a place in Colorado. I will have a propane furnace. At some point I will have a backup generator but will still need some sort of emergency heat that would come on if either the furnace broke down, or backup generator didn’t come on. I want to make sure the Mechanical Room doesn’t get below freezing.
The propane company will keep the tank filled so the backup heater can run on propane. All I can think of it installing a vent free propane heater like this. http://www.clearanceac.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=103
It has a millivolt thermostat so AC power isn’t required.
I would just have to leave the pilot light on and set the thermostat on 50 (would probably have to add an external Honeywell mV thermostat).
Then if the propane furnace or power (and genny) fail this would turn on and save my plumbing.
Any other options? Thanks
Replies
Look into a wood burning furnace. They work in conjunction with a standard furnace and they utilize the existing ductwork. I’ve installed a few in the past on projects that I acted as the general. A lot of the owners that have them use the wood burning as their primary heat source and only use standard furnace when they run out of wood or out of town and unable to load the furnace.
I will have a fireplace. What I need is a heat source that comes on when I am gone for the winter. It needs to come on automatically if my primary goes down
What you propose sounds reasonable. Just be extra careful with fire precautions. The area behind and above it should be fireproofed to a reasonable degree (eg, cement sheathing). And a fire alarm, of course.
If you are planning on being gone for long periods of time I would not bother paying for heat or heat backup. I would simply turn off the water supply and drain water out of the supply. Will need to drain the sewer lines as well. It’s easier than it sounds. All you need is a valve at lowest point of plumbing supply line that will allow you to drain all water out. You’ll open all faucets on plumbing fixtures to allow air to enter lines to help drain. You will need to install an isolation valve in the main waste line up pipe from sewer (or septic) before the first floor drain or fixture. The isolation valve will keep sewer gases from entering into home as you will need to empty all p traps as well, so they will not freeze. To empty p traps etc. install the p traps with the built in plug on bottom to drain with a bucket easily. For toilets, and inaccessible drains simply vac water out with a wet vac to dry the p trap. If you have a tank water heater you will need to drain that as well. You’ll need to turn water heater off as well. Be aware that the drain valve on water heaters are usually not the best for turning on and off multiple times, so you may find that you need to repair or replace those over time. Or can go with a tankless heater and no need to worry about it at all. I have a cabin and have installed water system this way. In my cabin there are two baths, kitchen and laundry. I can do all the work described in 45 min or less. A plumber can advise a lot better than I can.
If you need to keep heat on at all times you should be able to install a secondary furnace that will turn on if primary fails. An HVAC person can advise on that. I’m not familiar with how your home is laid out, but if you only heat the utility room the plumbing in rest of the home still has potential to freeze (especially in CO). Also, running an portable type of heat source is a fire hazard when unattended, so I’m not a fan of that.
How do you winterize a water softener? If I can't winterize it I need to keep the Mech room warm.
For water softener best to consult with an installer. It depends on the region in which you live. Usually the softener is installed so you can bypass it from the rest of the piping. Most installers where I’m from say that you don’t need to worry about draining the softener b/c the salt will prevent freezing. In CO it can get quite cold, so it may need to be drained. Softener people can advise.
Builder is checking on it now with the plumber. I know the brine tank won't freeze but the control head and media tank sure would as they just have water in them
vent free can kill people
I’m not suggesting blocking any vent. The vent will stay open. Just isolating the sewer main before it hits drains in the home. Basically like a backflow prevention valve for sewer pipe.
I would think that keeping the propane filled and having a backup generator would be sufficient. If possible, I would install a wireless security system with a temperature sensor and enable a notification when the temperature in your mechanical room reaches a certain point.
Then you could call and have someone look at the problem.
Not sure how internet access would play into that depending on how remote you are.