Ecotech Battery Back Up

[VitoD]

My power recently went out. The ecotech battery back up did not keep my L1 pump running. The light on the controller was flashing red, that’s all that happened. Any idea if it’s the battery or the battery back up booster? I reached out to Ecotech support, they said to clean the pump which makes no sense at all because the pump runs fine under regular power.

 

[Ironwill723]

Battery is probably dead.

 

[TheHarold]

Lead acid batteries stink and need replacing almost every 3 years.

You can replace the internal battery for around $40 instead of buying a whole new unit for $200. Guides on R2R.

 

[apb03]

Did you get the 24v booster cable?

Battery Backup Booster (Vectra only)

Used to increase the voltage output by the battery backup. This is required to power the Vectra pump in battery backup mode.

store2.ecotechmarine.com

 

[Lavey29]

My power recently went out. The ecotech battery back up did not keep my L1 pump running. The light on the controller was flashing red, that’s all that happened. Any idea if it’s the battery or the battery back up booster? I reached out to Ecotech support, they said to clean the pump which makes no sense at all because the pump runs fine under regular power.

Not sure why it failed but note that when mine went out the ecotech battery only allowed the Vectra M2 pump to operate at like 10% speed. It also ran one MP40 at low speed only.

 

[apb03]

Not sure why it failed but note that when mine went out the ecotech battery only allowed the Vectra M2 pump to operate at like 10% speed. It also ran one MP40 at low speed only.

You can change it in the settings. I have my Vectra to run at the max 25% and my vortechs at max 50%.

Apparently you can override the limit of 25% but their documentation seems outdated because the steps didn't work on mine.

Hopefully when the Hydros Kraken comes out, it will be a non issue.

 

[Lavey29]

You can change it in the settings. I have my Vectra to run at the max 25% and my vortechs at max 50%.

Apparently you can override the limit of 25% but their documentation seems outdated because the steps didn't work on mine.

Hopefully when the Hydros Kraken comes out, it will be a non issue.

So it's a default setting that you can change just by adjusting the speed control on the units?

 

[apb03]

So it's a default setting that you can change just by adjusting the speed control on the units?

Yep, if you click on settings you can change it. Here's a screenshot

 

[Lavey29]

Yep, if you click on settings you can change it. Here's a screenshot

Thank you, very helpful info.

 

[reefsUP2]

Lead acid batteries stink and need replacing almost every 3 years.

You can replace the internal battery for around $40 instead of buying a whole new unit for $200. Guides on R2R.

Awesome thanks that’s a big plus for me.

 

[VitoD]

Lead acid batteries stink and need replacing almost every 3 years.

You can replace the internal battery for around $40 instead of buying a whole new unit for $200. Guides on R2R.

Thank you. This battery is 3 years old. I'll start there since its only $40.

 

[VitoD]

Did you get the 24v booster cable?

Battery Backup Booster (Vectra only)

Used to increase the voltage output by the battery backup. This is required to power the Vectra pump in battery backup mode.

store2.ecotechmarine.com

Not sure. I bought many of the items that went along with this tank through my LFS about 3 years ago. Is there a way to tell my looking at it?

 

[apb03]

Not sure. I bought many of the items that went along with this tank through my LFS about 3 years ago. Is there a way to tell my looking at it?

Trace the cable from the Vectra's controller down to the battery, do you see a black module in-line? It will have an LED on it showing that it's powered on. That module bumps the voltage from 12v to 24v which is necessary for the Vectra to operate on a battery. The Vortechs can run on 12v so they won't need a dongle if you have those. The battery backup Vortech sells doesn't include this cable.

If you have a multimeter you can check the voltage of your cable as, well. You can also use that to check your battery voltage. There's a good chance your battery is fine.

 

[apb03]

Here's a photo of what it looks like.

 

[VitoD]

Here's a photo of what it looks like.

Thank you, Yes, I have that battery back up booster. The light on the booster is green with a slow/steady pulse.

 

[apb03]

Thank you, Yes, I have that battery back up booster. The light on the booster is green with a slow/steady pulse.

Mine does not pulse, which could indicate an issue with the battery. Next, I would check the voltage coming from the battery using a multimeter. If you read 12.7 volts, that would mean it's 100% capacity and working fine. If the voltage drops below 12 volts you probably have a dead battery and should replace it.

Let me know what your voltage is.

 

[paragrouper]

Mine does not pulse, which could indicate an issue with the battery. Next, I would check the voltage coming from the battery using a multimeter. If you read 12.7 volts, that would mean it's 100% capacity and working fine. If the voltage drops below 12 volts you probably have a dead battery and should replace it.

Let me know what your voltage is.

Checking voltage alone will not verify the capacity of a sealed lead acid battery. a Bad battery, after charging will often show full voltage. I would recommend a load tester.