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> If you get a nasty February ice storm that cuts a power line, you can be without electric power in 0F weather for up to 5 days. I guess people can install nat

> If you get a nasty February ice storm that cuts a power line, you can be without electric power in 0F weather for up to 5 days. I guess people can install natural gas generators for that occurrence Why would they? They already have one. They don't have to rip it out just because they get a heat pump. Heat pumps don't go where the furnace is. > I am not sure if heat pumps can work off regular gas powered portable generators that people usually use for emergency power. Depends on the generator, although some heat pumps run on 120 V. More often they're like central air conditioners, washing machines, and stoves, and run on split-phase 240 [1]. 240 V generators are not as common as 120 V, but they are still very easy to find: https://www.homedepot.com/p/318061554 https://www.homedepot.com/p/318061554 [1]: your house gets 2 "hot" (one positive voltage, one negative) wires and 1 neutral, with most things connected between neutral and a hot wire, with a ground to check for shorts. High power (anything over 1.4 kW) appliances get a NEMA connector between the two hot wires, and a ground to check for shorts.

thinkcontext 4y ago
> Heat pumps don't go where the furnace is. They certainly can. Are you thinking heat pumps only come as mini-splits? Drop-in replacement of the furnace is likely the cheaper option when replacing an existing gas furnace over a multi-head system.
- hwillis 4y ago
  Okay? They virtually always are outside, because it's far more difficult to put a unit in a basement. Heat pumps need outside air and a furnace typically has a single 2" PVC pipe to the outside. That's very far from sufficient. If you have a furnace it's trivial to have it left in place.
  - thinkcontext 4y ago
    I don't think you understand what a heat pump is or how they work. Its an air conditioner that can run in reverse. So in the centralized case like we are discussing, the outside part is the compressor, the inside part does a heat exchange between the refrigerant and the air handling system and then on to the duct work. Air is not moved from outside to inside via PVC or other method. Refrigerant (freon in older systems, more obscure names now) moves from outside to inside via a small copper pipe.
    - hwillis 4y ago
      Air handlers are not heat pumps. An air handler can be put in place of a furnace, but it certainly does not have to. If you have a furnace, it's trivial to have it left in place.
      - thinkcontext 4y ago
        I didn't say air handlers are heat pumps, I said the product of the heat pump are passed off to the air handler. But again you seem confused about basic terminology about the subject you are talking about. > An air handler can be put in place of a furnace, but it certainly does not have to. An air handler just moves air around, it doesn't replace a furnace. Its an essential part of a central heating / cooling system regardless of whether its attached to a heat pump, gas furnace or anything else. I'm not sure why you keep doubling down on speaking authoritatively about something you don't understand. Why don't you read a basic intro and then you'll understand?
        hwillis 4y ago
        > > Heat pumps don't go where the furnace is. > They certainly can. I am responding to what you said.
- falcolas 4y ago
  Heat pumps can also replace the AC heat exchanger in a home HVAC setup. It’s what we did. We’ll have gas backup for when winter sucks, but otherwise we’ll use the heat exchanger.

thinkcontext 4y ago

> Heat pumps don't go where the furnace is. They certainly can. Are you thinking heat pumps only come as mini-splits? Drop-in replacement of the furnace is likely the cheaper option when replacing an existing gas furnace over a multi-head system.

hwillis 4y ago
Okay? They virtually always are outside, because it's far more difficult to put a unit in a basement. Heat pumps need outside air and a furnace typically has a single 2" PVC pipe to the outside. That's very far from sufficient. If you have a furnace it's trivial to have it left in place.
- thinkcontext 4y ago
  I don't think you understand what a heat pump is or how they work. Its an air conditioner that can run in reverse. So in the centralized case like we are discussing, the outside part is the compressor, the inside part does a heat exchange between the refrigerant and the air handling system and then on to the duct work. Air is not moved from outside to inside via PVC or other method. Refrigerant (freon in older systems, more obscure names now) moves from outside to inside via a small copper pipe.
  - hwillis 4y ago
    Air handlers are not heat pumps. An air handler can be put in place of a furnace, but it certainly does not have to. If you have a furnace, it's trivial to have it left in place.
    - thinkcontext 4y ago
      I didn't say air handlers are heat pumps, I said the product of the heat pump are passed off to the air handler. But again you seem confused about basic terminology about the subject you are talking about. > An air handler can be put in place of a furnace, but it certainly does not have to. An air handler just moves air around, it doesn't replace a furnace. Its an essential part of a central heating / cooling system regardless of whether its attached to a heat pump, gas furnace or anything else. I'm not sure why you keep doubling down on speaking authoritatively about something you don't understand. Why don't you read a basic intro and then you'll understand?
      - hwillis 4y ago
        > > Heat pumps don't go where the furnace is. > They certainly can. I am responding to what you said.
falcolas 4y ago
Heat pumps can also replace the AC heat exchanger in a home HVAC setup. It’s what we did. We’ll have gas backup for when winter sucks, but otherwise we’ll use the heat exchanger.