Battery backup

[BZOFIQ]

... I will consider the batteries you linked though, I have seen this brand somewhere so it has to be good? I still have no idea how to pick good quality battery without breaking the bank.

As for the relay, is there any difference beside plastic cover? relay1 and relay2
Is this charger good enough? link to charger
And as for the safety, is this fine? 10A circuit breaker
What cable gauge to connect 2 batteries in series?

I use this particular brand of SLAs for all my stuff and to replace APC batteries. I usually order on ebay from 'ecommerce' as they ship from NJ and I get them in day or two.

As to Wire Gauge, that depends on the load and size of breaker you use.

This should help.

 

[Shon]

I purchased it but I got V3 which is 12V - that's why I know Jebao won't work :)

Why not just get a 12v x 24v dc step up / boost?

 

[lost66]

Why not just get a 12v x 24v dc step up / boost?

A booster to transform 12V to 24V something like this ?

 

[ZombieEngineer]

A booster to transform 12V to 24V something like this ?

Won't look clean, but would make the backup you bought work.

 

[Shon]

A booster to transform 12V to 24V something like this ?

Yes.

I am cheap

Compared to buying more parts and batteries, 20$ to complete what you already got is about as cheap as you can go with this diy.

The ice cap you listed is good for 48h with a 10W load at 50% duty cycle. This means that it has a total of 48h * 10W * 0.5 = 240Wh

With your 15W pump that would last 240Wh / 15W = 16 hours.

As ZombieEngineer pointed out, not your desired 24-48hr run time if you go this route using the icecap + booster.

The icecap backup says it can be daisy chained, so you can upgrade your run time later.

 

[desertrat505]

Battery backup in a pinch

 

[lost66]

Compared to buying more parts and batteries, 20$ to complete what you already got is about as cheap as you can go with this diy.

Well because I ordered something different and since I don't know if I want that battery I am investigating other options. As @ZombieEngineer said IceCap is 2.5ah. By building my own setup with SLA batteries I can have 20ah for the same price.
Boosting to 24V comes with some penalty right? Because if not, what would be the difference and pros/const using 2 12V batteries in series and charge by 24V charger vs connecting them in parallel, boost to 24V and charge by 12 charger?

 

[EricR]

Well because I ordered something different and since I don't know if I want that battery I am investigating other options. As @ZombieEngineer said IceCap is 2.5ah. By building my own setup with SLA batteries I can have 20ah for the same price.
Boosting to 24V comes with some penalty right? Because if not, what would be the difference and pros/const using 2 12V batteries in series and charge by 24V charger vs connecting them in parallel, boost to 24V and charge by 12 charger?

That booster you linked to earlier is interesting.
It's advertised as ≥95% efficiency so, "if" that's true, that seems like a reasonable option.

*I was considering 2x 12v SLA batteries wired in series (w/24v charger) and hadn't even thought of a booster as an option (((for single 12v battery/charger to output 24v))).

 

[Shon]

I'm not sure on pros/cons. It would work though, so just throwing the option out there.

I'd go for the 24v system and sell the icecap for some money back.

 

[lost66]

I'd go for the 24v system and sell the icecap for some money back.

I am returning that battery. They sent me something different what I ordered. I already ordered fuse, charger, relay. Now I have to figure out which battery.

 

[lost66]

Today morning the power went out... Some road accident and I am 6 hours without power. Today I used my generator for the first time :) Good enough for return pump and 2 power heads. I don't feel comfortable to connect other, sensitive electronics.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

Deep Cycle Marine Batteries don’t put out that much acid, even when charging. The Battery should be in a Battery Box. If you are that concerned about, use a Dacron Media Bag with Charcoal in it. We had UPS Rooms with a hundred batteries in it. Two or three exhaust fans, with sealed motors that looked like something you’d have in a small bathroom. One of the fans would be redundant, in case of a failure. Always though it was odd on the small exhaust fans, but never had a problem working on the Batteries and topping them off. Concern was the 480 Vdc, which will reach out and touch you, if your grounded, and get too close to it.

 

[Gatorpa]

in a pinich i’ve used a marine bilge pump connected to a car or marine battery. it works great to circulate a 500gph will run for a day or more without a recharge.

 

[lost66]

All components have arrived.

The next step is to assemble it all together. Does this diagram makes sense? Is the fuse in the correct place or should I move it after power switch?

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

@lost66 since you have Jebao pumps did you look into this back up battery for Jebao pumps?

Coral Box Backup Battery V2

Coral Box Backup Battery V2 Available @ Fish Tanks Direct.

fishtanksdirect.com

I’m thinking of getting one and was wondering if you any thoughts on them?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

@lost66 since you have Jebao pumps did you look into this back up battery for Jebao pumps?

Coral Box Backup Battery V2

Coral Box Backup Battery V2 Available @ Fish Tanks Direct.

fishtanksdirect.com

I’m thinking of getting one and was wondering if you any thoughts on them?

@Paleozoic_reefer Can you find these anywhere? I've been looking for the v2.0 but no one has them anymore.

 

[Jekyl]

For around 4 or 500 you can get a portable generator from harbor freight that will power most houses indefinitely. If spending money you might as well save everything in your fridge while you're at it.

 

[lost66]

@lost66 since you have Jebao pumps did you look into this back up battery for Jebao pumps?

Yeah, amazon has version 2 but they sent me version 3 which is 12V, not 24v. Version 2 (24V) is discontinued. And after thinking it through I think this battery is just too small. V3 is only 2.5ah. For the same price you can build a setup with 26ah - this is what I am building.

For around 4 or 500 you can get a portable generator from harbor freight that will power most houses indefinitely

I do have a generator. The problem with such device is you have to be at home to start it up. Also, I heard those cheaper ones are not good for sensitive electronics because of spikes. As most of us, I just need a true life support so something which will trigger automatically and can last couple of days just in case I am not at home and won't be able to start generator.

 

[Ratherbeflyen]

With that 10 amp 24v smart charger, you really don't need the relay switch or separate power supply. Just connect the batteries to the fuse/breaker and the pump controller. Then connect the charger to the batteries.

IF the charger is any good, 10 amps will provide more power than the pump draws and it will automatically keep the batteries fully charged all the time. If the power goes out, it will function the same from the batteries without battery charging until the power comes back.

Easy enough to do a simple test. Fully charge the batteries and check the battery voltage. Then connect the pumps and battery charger. Let it run for a day, then see if the batteries have the same voltage.

 

[ZombieEngineer]

With that 10 amp 24v smart charger, you really don't need the relay switch or separate power supply. Just connect the batteries to the fuse/breaker and the pump controller. Then connect the charger to the batteries.

IF the charger is any good, 10 amps will provide more power than the pump draws and it will automatically keep the batteries fully charged all the time. If the power goes out, it will function the same from the batteries without battery charging until the power comes back.

Easy enough to do a simple test. Fully charge the batteries and check the battery voltage. Then connect the pumps and battery charger. Let it run for a day, then see if the batteries have the same voltage.

A 24V battery charger charges to 27V. While the pumps may be okay at that value, they also may be expecting a more regulated voltage and could potentially be damaged at float charge voltage.

If OP wants to play it safe with overvoltage and also maximize battery life, the method he proposed is better from that perspective.

What you propose is much simpler though and there is definitely something to be gained by having fewer parts than can fail.