"I'm not too worried about it. Only has a two year warranty anyway."
Unfortunately us silly contractor types have to worry about warranties and liability so it can certainly slant our perspective.
That said, I think the best way to utilize generator waste heat would be in a DHW buffer tank much like a DSH.
Oce preset temp achieved circ pump goes off and radiator fan comes on.

"My buddy thinks it's a great idea."
Does this not harken the joke of a "red-necks" last words?

Posted By joe.ami on 30 Nov 2012 10:50 AM
"My buddy thinks it's a great idea."
Does this not harken the joke of a "red-necks" last words?

and - "Watch this!"

Richg635,

We apologize for our delay in response. ChrisJ is correct. The IntelliStart is a single phase soft starter, which is designed to reduce the LRA by approximately 70%. If you would like to provide your contact information via private message, we will be more than happy to send you a copy of the Envision Specification manual, which includes all of the electrical data for your unit. We would suggest contacting your local electrician to discuss the electrical requirements, as they will be most familiar with the codes in your area. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us.

WaterFurnace International, Inc.

and - "Watch this!"

My buddy is the insurance agent you were worried about.

That said, I think the best way to utilize generator waste heat would be in a DHW buffer tank much like a DSH.

Yup. Two coils in that 160 gal tank. One is for solar. The other is for external heat sources. If I had a fuel cell, I could use that.

I don't think I seen it n your post or not, is this a closed loop or open loop?

I will be sending you my info in private messaging, as long as I am able to do it correctly

Link to WF literature

http://www.waterfurnace.com/literature/

Yes I know this is a really old thread....but am doing this for the benefit of others in the future, much like myself when searching the 'net for some "answers"....

In my 2008 home have a 4-ton NDV049 WF unit (previously no Intellistart, wasn't aware of it until now) with desuperheater, and this fall I had been searching the 'net to see if/how I could power it with something less than a whole-house XXkw standby generator in the event of a winter power-outage... From the learnings in this thread and others of similar nature, I just recently purchased and installed an Intellistart module..... This past weekend I trialed it with my Generac GP6500 portable generator (my version GP6500 is 8000w peak / 6500w continuous). My theoretical calcs said it was going to be close, expecting the Geo w/ Intellistart to need about 7800-8000w which is/was right on the limit of my portable-generator's peak/spike output.

The Generac had no issues at all starting the Geo unit in heat-mode, both first and second stages. Note I did not even bother to try the emergency strip heat (10kw), because obviously there's not enough juice to power that.... BUT, aside from that very minor issue whcih I knew upfront, I am very glad that my GP6500 8000w-peak genny showed no signs at all of a struggle when I fired the Geo. Just kept on purring....

So to those in the cyberfuture -- NDV049 works just fine Stage-1 and Stage-2 with just a "little" GP6500 and an Intellistart module....

And a big thank-you to those that contributed in threads such as this one.

I would add that rather than wiring in selected devices to run, a transfer switch at the main meter is a good option. That way you can toggle on and off things you need dependent on amp pull, and most likely would be able to get away with a smaller generator. Three things pull a lot of power: GSHP or air-to-air heat pump, well pump, and stove. Toggling off and on as needed is very handy.