Heaters on UPS

Han · Dec 18, 2019

I have two 75g aquariums, each aquarium has 2 150w heaters and a UPS battery backup. On each UPS I have one heater and the return pump. With this setup, I’m lucky if I get half an hour out of it.

My question is- is it safe to only have one heater on the UPS? I know maintaining flow is very important so in the event of a power outage I would like to get more time out of my UPS. Would just one 150w heater has on the UPS be sufficient to keep livestock alive in a 75g short term? This is mostly for outages when I’m not home, I do have a generator I can use in the event of an emergency. Thanks

Roosterjack · Dec 18, 2019

The heaters will almost certainly drain the UPS very quickly, if it can even supply sufficient current

Han · Dec 18, 2019

Roosterjack said:
The heaters will almost certainly drain the UPS very quickly, if it can even supply sufficient current

With one heater and the return pump the UPS lasts about 30 minutes.

SuncrestReef · Dec 18, 2019

Heaters will definitely drain a battery very quickly (my UPS can keep a powerhead running for hours, but if the heater is on that could reduce the battery life to 15 minutes).

What is the typical room temperature where you keep your tank? Most livestock can survive for many hours without a heater unless the tank is in a very cold environment.

Roosterjack · Dec 18, 2019

Han said:
With both heaters and the return pump the UPS lasts about 30 minutes.

What UPS is it? Curious as the one I tested on my 90g would click off as soon as heater came on.

Han · Dec 18, 2019

SuncrestReef said:
Heaters will definitely drain a battery very quickly (my UPS can keep a powerhead running for hours, but if the heater is on that could reduce the battery life to 15 minutes).

What is the typical room temperature where you keep your tank? Most livestock can survive for many hours without a heater unless the tank is in a very cold environment.

The room is usually about 68F year round.