Icecap Battery Backup V3 Not Working When No Power

[TinkL]

So I hooked up my 2 AI nero 3's to this icecap battery backup v3 and the pumps are powered up via the battery just fine and running normal... but I just decided to test it when the power goes out and turned the power brick off... but with power turned off, the nero's wont turn on with the battery backup. I checked the fuse and I'm pretty sure its seated properly, and considering its powering the pumps normally I don't understand what's wrong here. WHY?

 

[VintageReefer]

How old is the battery backup?
Has ir always been stored charged or uncharged ?

 

[VintageReefer]

Oh I figured it out. I had to look the device up. Not compatible with ai Nero

Regardless. Device is overpriced for outdated battery tech

I wouldn’t use for backup purposes

 

[TinkL]

Oh I figured it out. I had to look the device up. Not compatible with ai Nero

Regardless. Device is overpriced for outdated battery tech

I wouldn’t use for backup purposes

dang.... It's brand new out of the box, my LFS traded it to me for some frags I wanted to get rid of so this is unfortunate.

 

[VintageReefer]

List for sale on eBay or forum ?

What % do you run the nero 3’s at?

 

[VintageReefer]

This device is a lead acid 2.5amp hour battery operating internally at 24v

Their runtime estimate spec is based on a single battery unit, and a single 50w pump running at 30%. Meaning 15w of power draw. If you connect two power heads the time gets cut in half obviously

They are working with 60 watt hours

This is ridiculously low for a 180$ device but doesn’t surprise me as nobody in reef world is using the latest in lifepo4 batteries, they still use lead acid batteries designed to start a lawn tractor

The true runtime formula from watt hours is

(Watt hours x .85) / watt load

Your two Nero pumps are 30W max each.
Let’s say you run them at 75%

60w x .75 = 45 w combined load

Your pumps consume 45 watts per hour. And the device has storage for 60 watt hours. You’re looking at a less than two hours for 180$

Compared to this which has 300watt hours + ups functionality and auto cutover to battery in an outage for the same price

https://a.co/d/gQ6okpe
I know you got the device for free but I would suggest you sell it and buy something like what I linked to

 

[TinkL]

This device is a lead acid 2.5amp hour battery operating internally at 24v

Their runtime estimate spec is based on a single battery unit, and a single 50w pump running at 30%. Meaning 15w of power draw. If you connect two power heads the time gets cut in half obviously

They are working with 60 watt hours

This is ridiculously low for a 180$ device but doesn’t surprise me as nobody in reef world is using the latest in lifepo4 batteries, they still use lead acid batteries designed to start a lawn tractor

The true runtime formula from watt hours is

(Watt hours x .85) / watt load

Your two Nero pumps are 30W max each.
Let’s say you run them at 75%

60w x .75 = 45 w combined load

Your pumps consume 45 watts per hour. And the device has storage for 60 watt hours. You’re looking at a less than two hours for 180$

Compared to this which has 300watt hours + ups functionality and auto cutover to battery in an outage for the same price

https://a.co/d/gQ6okpe
I know you got the device for free but I would suggest you sell it and buy something like what I linked to

I run them at 35-45% variance because its just a small 33g, but yeah wow that thing is kind of junk isn't it lol. I have a vortech backup for my vectra in my 65 that I like a lot, whether its worth the price tag of 220 idk, but it supposedly should run the pump on backup for 20+ hours. I live in AZ so we don't get any severe power outages but with monsoons in the summer we can see our power go out for a few hours to all night sometimes, which that vortech backup covers pretty perfectly. I've already been looking at ways to get rid of this thing but the issue is I threw the box out the other day and it got rained on, so that might make it tougher to get rid of. At least it was free and a small loss if I have to take it, but at least I've learned

 

[VintageReefer]

You can sell as new with no box. Maybe you can get 100$ for it and some financially struggling reefer (aren’t we all) can get a great deal and some tank protection

The ecotech backups are better but there are also better alternatives. Fortunately the time they offer is decent and the product is actually usable. But the battery needs to be replaced every few years

 

[TinkL]

You can sell as new with no box. Maybe you can get 100$ for it and some financially struggling reefer (aren’t we all) can get a great deal and some tank protection

The ecotech backups are better but there are also better alternatives. Fortunately the time they offer is decent and the product is actually usable. But the battery needs to be replaced every few years

For sure! Thanks for all the info :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes: