Backup power?

[BZOFIQ]

Depends on what you have hooked up to the upc. If you just have a circulation pump hooked up it would last a while. I had my return pump and circulation pumps and the heater hooked to it. Would last about an hour for me. 100 gallon display.

heaters will drain an UPS fairly quickly. I dedicate my 2 APC units to powerheads and APEX AUX P/S only.

 

[BZOFIQ]

I had so many concurrent outtages during a storm it blew my upc. :eek:
All the money I've spent in coral figured it was time to get a whole house generator...

Couldnt get a whole house gen becaue of permits and other bs constraints in NY, so I went witha a quality Honda Inverter Gen, VERY HAPPY SO FAR!

 

[Instigate]

Yea, but all these UPS only last like 30 seconds? Or am I reading that wrong.... I'd ideally like something that would last 24 hours... As I mentioned I generally know if there's a power outage in my neighborhood within a few hours, I'd say 5 hours max. So that's the longest it would have to wait.... Though that may be too long?

No no, like robinc said, it depends on what you have hooked up to it. If you just hook up your return pump to it it should last at least a few hours I would assume. But you would have to test to be sure. Get it on amazon and return it if it's not sufficient. I also like the inverter/battery/charger option but again you would have to be home to hook it up unless you also wired in the automatic switch I linked in my first reply to this thread.

 

[Instigate]

But that seems like a bit much for your small 5g setup. I think the UPS would be the best option for you.

 

[I<3Reefer]

Right on, well I really appreciate all the info! I guess my current biggest concern is my wife and I are going to Hawaii in February for 12 days... We did the same thing last year for 12 days and our power went out due to a down line during our trip. I didn't have saltwater at the time, just my to freshwater tanks, and they were fine.... even with the temp drop.

My sister lives just a few miles from us and takes care of our pets while we're gone. But there could be a scenario where the power is out for nearly 24 hours before anyone would notice... So I'm trying to figure that out best... I'm honestly just not going to stock my tank anymore than it is before then (I just have a favit, the candy cane colony, some green star polyps, 2 snails, and 2 clown fish.... But I guess there's just no preperance for the absolute worst case scenario, which would be an easy automatic backup for up to 24 hours. But it sounds like your ideas have been sufficient for the majority of outages where I'm around, or my sister is.

 

[Lifer]

For 24 hours, you'd need a small quality inverter and a large deep cycle car battery on trickle charger on standby.

Can you please recommend which ones

 

[MnFish1]

I just ordered a generator - there are lots of levels out there - and options. Decided after losing thousands of dollars last year - it like an insurance policy - there are small ones as well. JMHO. It all depends on how long you 'think' power is likely to be off - and the problems that might happen...;0

 

[Forsaken77]

Right on, well I really appreciate all the info! I guess my current biggest concern is my wife and I are going to Hawaii in February for 12 days... We did the same thing last year for 12 days and our power went out due to a down line during our trip. I didn't have saltwater at the time, just my to freshwater tanks, and they were fine.... even with the temp drop.

My sister lives just a few miles from us and takes care of our pets while we're gone. But there could be a scenario where the power is out for nearly 24 hours before anyone would notice... So I'm trying to figure that out best... I'm honestly just not going to stock my tank anymore than it is before then (I just have a favit, the candy cane colony, some green star polyps, 2 snails, and 2 clown fish.... But I guess there's just no preperance for the absolute worst case scenario, which would be an easy automatic backup for up to 24 hours. But it sounds like your ideas have been sufficient for the majority of outages where I'm around, or my sister is.

What the best, easiest, and cheapest option, for your 5 gallon tank, that would last a while is to use one of those car jumper batteries that have plugs in them.

Some have regular sockets for portable power, some only have the DC lighter-port type socket where you need the inverter and then you can plug your power strip right into it.

Plus you also have a car jumper battery with tire inflator, which has paid for itself instead of spending a $1 for air at the gas station ;).

For short power outages, they sell battery operated air pumps for a few bucks that come with the tubing and air stone and will circulate/aerate your 5 gallon tank. Only thing is they're noisy as hell.

 

[ChrisOFL]

The only way any battery backup can last for an extended period is with a large battery bank behind it. If your looking for 24+ hours of runtime you need to get a UPS (I recommend the brand APC) and modify it to be attached to a car battery (or multiple). Even running at the 20-30W the OP tank requires, a top of the line home UPS will give you a max of 6-8hours at best.

 

[Lifer]

The only way any battery backup can last for an extended period is with a large battery bank behind it. If your looking for 24+ hours of runtime you need to get a UPS (I recommend the brand APC) and modify it to be attached to a car battery (or multiple). Even running at the 20-30W the OP tank requires, a top of the line home UPS will give you a max of 6-8hours at best.

Just connect the car battery to a power inverter then to the ups correct?

 

[ChrisOFL]

Just connect the car battery to a power inverter then to the ups correct?

I'm not sure on the process because the one I have uses 12V sealed batteries so I can just connect extra batteries in series without any issues. Youtube is a great resource for how to depending on what type of UPS you get.

 

[I<3Reefer]

What the best, easiest, and cheapest option, for your 5 gallon tank, that would last a while is to use one of those car jumper batteries that have plugs in them.

Some have regular sockets for portable power, some only have the DC lighter-port type socket where you need the inverter and then you can plug your power strip right into it.

Plus you also have a car jumper battery with tire inflator, which has paid for itself instead of spending a $1 for air at the gas station ;).

For short power outages, they sell battery operated air pumps for a few bucks that come with the tubing and air stone and will circulate/aerate your 5 gallon tank. Only thing is they're noisy as hell.

I actually have one of these and that's what I'm leaning towards!

 

[Instigate]

I actually have one of these and that's what I'm leaning towards!

What good is that if you're on vacation?

 

[Tarlon]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...OT56S&linkId=411bee5c16f020ca5672269cccde6932

 

[I<3Reefer]

What good is that if you're on vacation?

I mean, the reality of us losing power the exact same week we did last year for a prolonged period of time, at the perfect time of day where my nearby family members I mentioned wouldn't know about it until they came to feed the pets the next day are sooooo slim. I think I'm willing to take that calculated risk. The car battery charger will work if me or my wife are home during an outage (1 of us is home almost constantly) and if I'm out of town and my family comes by to feed our pets (which would generally be in the later morning early afternoon) the power would have to go out at the right time for them not to notice and for it to do any real damage.

 

[Instigate]

I mean, the reality of us losing power the exact same week we did last year for a prolonged period of time, at the perfect time of day where my nearby family members I mentioned wouldn't know about it until they came to feed the pets the next day are sooooo slim. I think I'm willing to take that calculated risk. The car battery charger will work if me or my wife are home during an outage (1 of us is home almost constantly) and if I'm out of town and my family comes by to feed our pets (which would generally be in the later morning early afternoon) the power would have to go out at the right time for them not to notice and for it to do any real damage.

Right on. Hope it works out.

 

[I<3Reefer]

I have text alerts for outages too so that helps.

 

[Instigate]

I have text alerts for outages too so that helps.

Good good. I've got a UPS hooked up to my router so when the power goes out my home's security system is able to send an email out and notify me that power was lost. Security system is on it's own battery backup of course.

 

[Flatlandreefer]

Eco tech backup works well for my 25 gallon nano. If power will be out for more than a few hours and I'm not home I can con somebody into hooking up a generator to power the tank. If I ever get a bigger tank I will get a generator that will be wired directly into the house and can be turned on automatically or have a neighbor run over to turn it on, I can't imagine investing money in a large tank without having a generator as a backup insurance policy. That being said there are areas with a lot better power grids than where I live.

 

[BlennyKravitz]

The only way you are going to have any full sense of security on your investment if you are away is a generator that runs off grid and has a digital, automatic transfer switch. I had a 12kW generator installed after someone hit a telephone pole down the street and knocked power out for two days. I drove all over LA trying to find a portable generator. The fact is, you need to be home to hook up and start a portable and batteries can’t run heaters and lights. No power also means no internet to tell you your system is crashing while you’re away.

This is connected to my natural gas line before the seismic safety valve. Recently the power went out for 8 hours here (2nd time in 8 years) and it fired up 3 seconds after the grid died. The water didn’t even stop moving in the tank. I even kept my central air running and got some ice cream from the freezer.

It’s not cheap, but is any of this nonsense we do?

If I was building a new home, I’d incorporate solar panels and a Tesla battery wall with an extra one dedicated to the reef.

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