The Best Features:
- Easy-tran transfer switch is designed for the control of a single circuit, such as a forced-air furnace, in the event of a power failure
- Single-circuit 15 ampere furnace transfer switch for use with 15-ampere generator
- Connects forced-air furnace to portable generator with any standard grounded extension cord
- 18-inches aluminum conduit allows easy connection
- 5-year limited warranty; UL listed
Excellent device for winter power outages By shep
This is the simplest and cheapest device to easily enable connection of a generator to your house (short of just disconnecting the wires and attaching them directly to your generator--not really recommended in the panic of the moment in a power outage). It is used on one circuit only--a 15 amp one. The obvious circuit to use it on is for your furnace (forced air or, like me, hot-water radiators). If you have a long power outage in the winter, you can run your furnace from time to time to prevent the house from freezing.
I plan to use as a "generator" a 12 volt power inverter. This generates 120 volts from my car battery. If you get a big enough one (maybe 300 or 1000 watts max) it will sustain the brief initial "transient" surge of power needed to get an electric motor going. The actual power needed after than initial surge is pretty low. It is probably best to run the car's engine while doing this, at least for that initial transient, so as to be sure to have full power. This method worked on my old furnace. On my new one (a fancy one with electronic controls) there was a twist: I found I had to use a "Pure Sine Wave" inverter, not a standard (and cheaper) one, to make it start.
With a power inverter one can avoid the hassle, expense, smell, gasoline-storage hazard, and pollution of a gasoline generator that one almost never needs to use.
The instructions assume you will be connecting this switch to your main fuse box. But I found that it's more convenient to connect it on the line leading to your furnace--a method shown in illustration on the box but not detailed in the instructions. Use great care to be sure to wire it up correctly.Use it to Make My Furnance Run during an Outage By ZenReader
I was looking for an easy way to power up my furnace during many winter outages. I bought this unit to do the job. Its made of heavy gauge metal with a heavy gauge conduit connector coming out of the bottom. Installation was pretty straight forward. You first need to find the circuit connecting your furnace to your main home circuit box. Mark it and remove the cover to the box. (Its recommended that you shut off the main to your house -single large breaker usually at the top of the box marked main.) You may have to open your Reliance and install the plug shown on the front picture. This is done by removing the 3 screws in the cover plate. Install the plug with three wires inside. Pull the wires from the conduit into the main box. Disconnect the wire leading into your furnace circuit breaker and connect to the marked wire from the Reliance with a wire connector. Connect the other wire from the Reliance to the wire that was originally in the house circuit breaker with a wire connector. Pull the white to the house ground and connect to the grounding bar. Close up the box. Your done.
To use this connector you use a heavy gauge orange extension cord. Plug it into your generator. Plug the other female end on to the reverse plug on the Reliance. By moving the switch from line to generator you change the electrical input to your furnace. The switch simply bypasses the circuit from the house. There is a no power position as well.A red light showing generator power input. And a 15amp built in circuit breaker.
I have added a more robust transfer switch over the years which covers 8 of my circuits (see other review). I moved this unit to my swimming pool for those times when summer storms knock us off line. Also, you can place this unit directly on your furnace at the junction box coming in --takes a little more thinking--or as my neighbour did-- moved it to his garage and ran wiring out to it.. again these installs require bit more electrical knowledge.Reliance Controls TF151W Easy/Tran Single-Circuit 15 Amp Furnace Generator Transfer Switch By James Noel
We have lost power for more than a day in the past and I learned that being without heat quickly becomes the first priority to fix in the winter. My furnace runs on propane, heating water that runs through radiators. An electrician tested it and we found that it draws a maximum of three amps, so this single circuit 15 amp switch is the perfect answer. The electrician installed it in about half an hour to my old electrical (screw in fuses) panel. I immediately tried running my furnace with a deep cycle battery - that I recharge with a few solar panels - through an inverter, and it worked great. I tested it with my 2300 watt generator and it ran perfectly. The generator hardly notices the load and since the furnace goes on and off to maintain the heat, it is even less of a strain and the generator runs longer. With no power and this small 110v generator, I don't have any water pump (220V) so I don't know how long this would work without a water supply for the furnace but I'm looking into that soon. I have a shallow well and might be able to run a little sump pump to the furnace if we lost power for a long time. The Best-Selling Reliance Controls TF151W Easy/Tran Single-Circuit 15 Amp Furnace Generator Transfer Switch For Up To 1875 Watt Generators then to sell out very fast, if this is a must have product, be sure to order now to avoid disappointment.
