Anyone using car battery to power house ?

[siteguru]

All the caveats apply ... the installer seemingly connected the supply that way for convenience. It's not normal (to my knowledge).

 

[Bam Bam]

Ah. Mine is plugged into a 13A socket. Does that mean it's OK for V2L, or do all the same caveats apply?

Oh, I see, then your question makes more sense.

I have never seen this and used to rent so have lived in quite a few places. Only ever seen them connected directly to a fused switch in the wall and thus assumed this was a regulation.

I think the recommendations about plugging in boilers will still be much involve much higher safety standards than plugging in other things. For instance, should you run a boiler off an extension lead?

 

[TimothyN]

When you talk about running a boiler off an extension lead, bear in mind that this is a gas boiler, so its only use of electricity will be for things like timers, control circuits, igniters, possibly pumps, we are not talking about a high power consumption unit.

 

[wattmatters]

When you talk about running a boiler off an extension lead, bear in mind that this is a gas boiler, so its only use of electricity will be for things like timers, control circuits, igniters, possibly pumps, we are not talking about a high power consumption unit.

In which case the likelihood that the electrical stuff is doubly isolated is higher but frankly I do not know. I would read the specification / user / installation manual for the unit to see if it suitable for use without residual current protection.

Here in Oz regulations require small electrical water boilers (e.g. 25-50 litre) with the option to have a plug to connect to a regular power outlet be used on a circuit with an RCD. Indoor gas water heating with electrical ignition/control is uncommon other than in utility rooms of apartment blocks for common supply.

we are not talking about a high power consumption unit

The potential for exposure to mains voltage is independent of the rated power draw of the appliance.

 

[TimothyN]

The potential for exposure to mains voltage is independent of the rated power draw of the appliance.

Of course; I was just wondering what was the rationale for questioning the extension lead and thinking that it might have been related to perceived current draw...

 

[Gomev]

It's a question I had thought about several years ago running the boiler with the aid of a battery power station, one of the EcoFlow type etc. It may have the same problem with a V2L supply, maybe ??
Researching discovered that often the boiler simply wouldn't work. The answer was because of the earthing. Apparently as was mentioned earlier in this thread it had to do with floating earths.
This was a solution I discovered and I quote it, it is not mine as it was a theoretical exercise for me. I am also not an electrician so provide this with no authority or knowledge whatsoever, and have no idea about it's legality or safeness.

'The reason they will not power the ignition on many combi`s is because the inverters and generators have whats called "floating earths" Even if their bodies are earthed with a rod they often will not power the ignition system properly.

I had a three pin plug fitted to my boiler instead of it being directly wired to the mains .

You need to use a short extention lead from the boiler to the power source , ( inverter or generator) but the Neutral and Earth of the lead need to be bonded (connected) .This then fools the clever ingition electronics into recognising a true earth and will fire up properly.

This is legal and proper as long as it is only used for the intended purpose .

Remember never to use this modified extention lead connected to the mains circuit. Label it in someway . N&E BONDED

I wanted mine done properly so I had a registered electrician supply the short bonded lead . He said he had not come across a request like it but thought it a cool idea and totally safe .'

 

[TimothyN]

I think I’ll wait for one of the tame gurus before doing that!

 

[mg4mc]

I tested our boiler (which is on a regular plug/socket) on V2L and it ran fine (self contained pump).

I also think all the piping may be connected via a plastic manifold block, though I'll double check when I get home next week. I had to replace it once as the original has been made out of some water soluble plastic!

 

[EvTek23]

I came across this YouTube article that goes some way to explain V2L, V2G, and V2H although it is with respect to Zaptec go 2 EVSE. Safety aspects and the necessity to have a separate earth are also discussed.

 

[wattmatters]

The MG4's V2L already has an E-N bond. That's why you can't use it to power a home because there must only be one spot where the E-N bond is made and homes will already have that in their main circuit board.

Backup generators without the E-N link are designed for use in powering homes which already have the Main EN link. Connect up a generator with an E-N link to a home and it will likely shut down with a fault, just like the MG4 will.

You could use the MG4's V2L to power a home but as the video mentions it will require not only full isolation but breaking the MEN link and a means to correctly earth the isolated system in the absence of the MEN.

It's not a cheap thing to do.