At 05:43 PM 2/26/2009, Tony B wrote: >Let's not confuse the issue. Gas heaters use pilot lights, and the >thermocouple in the flame generates enough micro voltage to run the >thermostat. Again, an outside source of electricity would only be >required to run any fans. But the units will heat a house with no >electricity at all.
Interesting. I had always assumed that the thermocouple was just a safety device to shut off the gas to the pilot light if the pilot light became extinguished. I hope the next time that I need a new water heater, they still make them that run without any connection to household electricity, i.e., you still have hot water for a shower even if the electricity has gone off in a storm (or some idiot hitting a pole). Fred Holmes ************************************************************************* ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *************************************************************************
