Using 2013 Plug-in Hybrid for backup power

The 1000 Watt Power Bright Pure Sine Power Inverter sells for $260 and connecting it to the Prius as he did with the 2 gauge wire, 80-amp fuse, and Anderson connectors could easily add another $50 to $100. You could stop right there and run a good extension cable to your refrigerator, maybe even to a 15-amp outlet strip for lights and phone chargers. But if you want a 10-circuit switch like his, you'll be paying a few thousand dollars more for the hardware and an electrician. Some people might safely put a disconnect on their gas furnace or oil furnace so they can unplug from the fuse box and then power off the car with a good extension cord - but probably not while the refrigerator is running, too.

 

That video showed some interesting techniques for MacGyvering the terminations onto the heavy-gauge inverter input cables (the Amazon punch crimper and sledge hammer, and pipe cutter for wire stripping).

It's probably ok, but I'll mention my favorite way to make cables like that is to walk into my friendly local independent auto-electric shop and say "Mark, could you make me a cable in this gauge, this long, with these style terminals on the ends" and about two minutes later he hands me it, beautifully made up with the heat-shrink still warm on the ends and the exact terminals I needed, crimped in the exact matching crimp die.

A little bit of money changes hands, but it's fair, and for as often as I do such things, it just makes the most sense. He has all that inventory and all those tools right at hand and it's just easy for him.

 

well said

 

Here is a safe, easy way to manually switch a furnace over to generator power.

1. Before starting work, turn off the furnace power at the fuse box and at the red-cover furnace switch.

2. Disconnect the furnace power line from the furnace switch. (In this case, it's a goose-neck conduit).

3. Attach a regular household outlet to the side of the furnace using a metal surface mount box and cover plate.

4. Move the furnace power line to power the new outlet box.

5. Install a grounded plug onto a short piece of Romex cable. 14/2 with a ground is fine.

6. Connect the other end to the furnace switch box where you previously removed the power cable.

7. Plug the short piece of wire into the new box, turn the furnace switch and circuit breaker back on.

8. When there’s a power failure, pull the new plug and put it into an extension cord (orange in the photo) powered by the generator. This gas-powered forced-air furnace requires 475 watts of electricity; any generator can supply that much, so can many automotive inverters.