Help! Power's out & generator's not working

[SallyWho]

Like the title says, my power's out and will be for several hours (might be back on by 1600 and it's 0930 now). My portable generator did start after a few tries, but it doesn't seem to be putting out any juice. I'll continue to troubleshoot it but in the meantime, what do I do with my tank? I have a couple of battery powered air stones going already. It's a 90gal so it shouldn't get too cold too quickly but it depends on how fast my house gets cold. It's 30⁰F outside and the electricians are coming & going. Any advice on keeping it warm enough, or anything else I might be able to do to protect my tank? Thanks!

 

[TX_REEF]

airstones are probably the best move for now, as long as they don't run out of battery you should be good for a few hours to a day. You might also "stir" the tank once in a while with a large spoon or paddle type object if you have corals to ensure they are getting some degree of flow.

 

[jsmkmavity]

If you have a power inverter and a car battery you could keep the heater and power heads running for that long

 

[SallyWho]

airstones are probably the best move for now, as long as they don't run out of battery you should be good for a few hours to a day. You might also "stir" the tank once in a while with a large spoon or paddle type object if you have corals to ensure they are getting some degree of flow.

Ooh, stirring! That's a good idea!

If you have a power inverter and a car battery you could keep the heater and power heads running for that long

Sadly I have no power inverters. :/

 

[JTP424]

Regarding the generator, when you say it's not putting out any juice, are you trying to run EVERYTHING? I'd prioritize (if you're not already)
I'd probably try a heater on the genny (move it into the display section, and run the air stones on battery still.
If you're running your fridge or other appliances on the generator, you're going to overload it. I typically have to choose between my fridge or a pump and or heater. The pump/heater typically wins.

 

[SallyWho]

Regarding the generator, when you say it's not putting out any juice, are you trying to run EVERYTHING? I'd prioritize (if you're not already)
I'd probably try a heater on the genny (move it into the display section, and run the air stones on battery still.
If you're running your fridge or other appliances on the generator, you're going to overload it. I typically have to choose between my fridge or a pump and or heater. The pump/heater typically wins.

I mean it's not putting out a single solitary microwatt. I plugged a night light directly into it and got squat. But it's running fairly smooth (just loud as a lawn mower) at least. I'm wondering if the on-board battery has to be fully recharged before it starts spitting out juice? It's been sitting for several years...once power begins to flow, I'll be prioritizing heaters and powerheads.

 

[ReeferMo]

Scoop and pour tank water from a height to break the surface (not on the fish)

if you have gas heat up some water on the gas stove in a pot. pour hot water in a bottle seal it tightly and put it in your sump. replace it as it cools

 

[JTP424]

I mean it's not putting out a single solitary microwatt. I plugged a night light directly into it and got squat. But it's running fairly smooth (just loud as a lawn mower) at least. I'm wondering if the on-board battery has to be fully recharged before it starts spitting out juice? It's been sitting for several years...once power begins to flow, I'll be prioritizing heaters and powerheads.

Can you post what it is exactly? We can try to troubleshoot.... running and no power doesn't sound right....

 

[Reef Jedi]

If you loose all power including air stones. Start taking cups of water out and pour them back in to break surface tension and create air bubbles. Manually stir and repeat every 5-10 min. Oxygenation is what is crucial right now.

 

[ReeferMo]

If you loose all power including air stones. Start taking cups of water out and pour them back in to break surface tension and create air bubbles. Manually stir and repeat every 5-10 min. Oxygenation is what is crucial right now.

 

[Fish Fan]

Can you post what it is exactly? We can try to troubleshoot.... running and no power doesn't sound right....

Agreed. If it's running, you should be getting power at the outlets. I would look for a breaker switch somewhere on the unit.

 

[JTP424]

Agreed. If it's running, you should be getting power at the outlets. I would look for a breaker switch somewhere on the unit.

My thought too... similar to a GFCI button, there may be something that triggered...

 

[Reef Jedi]

I didn’t read far enough down and didn’t realize I double posted off yours. Great minds think alike! Keep those fish A&O x4

 

[SallyWho]

Can you post what it is exactly? We can try to troubleshoot.... running and no power doesn't sound right....

This hoss. Currently hooked up to propane. The little circuit breakers aren't tripped, either. The single thick cord plugged into it goes to a through-the-wall kit, where I have an extension cord plugged in and running to the tank. I though the issue could be the kit or cords, but plugging a night light directly into the generator produced

no results either, so it's not the kit or extension cords.

 

[ReeferMo]

I didn’t read far enough down and didn’t realize I double posted off yours. Great minds think alike! Keep those fish A&O x4

lol with the gif i meant to show how to break the surface
all good

 

[JTP424]

Ok, yea it looks like the battery on these guys needs to charge....
If you have a charger you could drop on the little guy it may help.
Or the brushes are toast, or the AVR is toast...

I think this is a new version, but should be similar manual

 

[Malcontent]

Post on the Generator sub-reddit. People there know their stuff and often help in emergencies.

 

[ReeferMo]

This hoss. Currently hooked up to propane. The little circuit breakers aren't tripped, either. The single thick cord plugged into it goes to a through-the-wall kit, where I have an extension cord plugged in and running to the tank. I though the issue could be the kit or cords, but plugging a night light directly into the generator produced

no results either, so it's not the kit or extension cords.

you could power the empire state building with this generator

 

[Malcontent]

Maybe something like this:

 

[SallyWho]

you could power the empire state building with this generator

The idea when I bought it was to power the reef, the fridge, and maybe at intervals a small space heater!