Power outage?

[KingRicky]

Speaking of Power Outages, mine just went out. We are having gusty winds here, 20-25 mph.

I use a UPS and a buddy and I went in on a generator. We shuttle it back and forth every six hours or so. I let it run my tank and charge my UPS so that when he takes it, my UPS is fully charged and will last a few hours.

 

[phi delt reefer]

deep cycle battery + 600watt power inverter

you can add a relay box to have it automatically switch over to back up power. You should only plug in a powerhead thats pointed to the surface. No lights and hook up a secondary heater that only kicks in at 76 degrees. If the battery is hooked up to a float charger you can keep that bad boy constantly charged :)

relay box is availabe pre built on the auto topoff site.

 

[RadReef]

Another thing to keep in mind is the BRAND of the generator. I've read horror stories about people buying a cheap generator from unheard of companies and having them fail right out of the box!! I bought a Briggs and Stratton which makes great products, just look at what most people use on construction sites B and S! Another great company is Honda. They are more expensive but not as $$ as replacing your livestock.

 

[btkrausen]

Another thing to keep in mind is the BRAND of the generator. I've read horror stories about people buying a cheap generator from unheard of companies and having them fail right out of the box!! I bought a Briggs and Stratton which makes great products, just look at what most people use on construction sites B and S! Another great company is Honda. They are more expensive but not as $$ as replacing your livestock.

Have to agree with this. When I was looking for a generator, I was specifically looking for a B & S or one with a Honda motor. I've heard parts for them are much easier to come by if needed than the no name ones.

 

[Mr.Firemouth]

I recommend a bigger generator. I have a 8000 watt Honda in the garage. I can run the fridge, fishroom, and the TV! LOL. I also have a 3,000w inwall heater for the fishroom.

 

[seafansar]

For poweroutages due to hurricanes, I have two computer battery back ups (one for each tank), a small generator, and battery powered air pumps. When the power went out a couple of years ago, I didn't have the generator so I really had to conserve energy. I found that the return pump used a ton of power, so if your power is out just run a powerhead or two and put the heaters in the tank instead of the sump.

 

[swannyson7]

deep cycle battery + 600watt power inverter

you can add a relay box to have it automatically switch over to back up power. You should only plug in a powerhead thats pointed to the surface. No lights and hook up a secondary heater that only kicks in at 76 degrees. If the battery is hooked up to a float charger you can keep that bad boy constantly charged :)

relay box is availabe pre built on the auto topoff site.

I've seen someone do soemthing similar to this with a few cables from Radio Shack to make a battery backup for their Vortechs. They put it in one of those plastic marine cases with a trickle charger and made a battery backup that would power their 4 Vortechs at half speed (12v instead of 24v) for something in the neighborhood of 5 days. How would you power a heater off of the battery? An inverter? I think the two 300 watt heaters to sustain my tank would drain the battery way too quickly to be practical. :sad:

 

[pickupman66]

I ahve three deep cycle batteries in the boat and a 1000wt inverter in case of power outage for me, im putting the 500wt heater in the tank and run one or two of the Koralia's. the sump will just have to get cold. be sure if you do this, you need to warm the sump water prior to turning your main pumps back on....

 

[GeoHawk]

I just thought of something.......What about using an ac converter from a car cigarette lighter, and running an extension cord into the house from the car, keep the car running so that battery doesn't die. In a way, using the car as the generator

 

[m and m]

I just thought of something.......What about using an ac converter from a car cigarette lighter, and running an extension cord into the house from the car, keep the car running so that battery doesn't die. In a way, using the car as the generator

This donw work it doesnt supply enough power, even though it advertices it. I tryed it with a Maxi jet and it didnt work.....

Also there is a thread lingering around with some one who hooked there vortech up to a car battery.

 

[Michael7979]

A generator is by far the best way to go!
I would only worry about running the heater and pumps to move the water. Your tank would be ok if the lights were not on for one day. Heck I have even read that people have wrapped blankets around their tanks to use as insulation. Not sure how effective that is though.

Then there is an extra car/deep cycle battery and an inverter. But you can even stir or dump water back in the tank every now and then if it came down to it. It would still allow oxygen and movement and use only human power.

Good luck!

 

[phi delt reefer]

you can also take that rigid pink insulation and build a box that would go around your display tank and sump. Keep them in your basement and when you have a power out just slip them over the tanks.



Tanks lose a lot of heat through the top as well so maybe hooking up an airstone and a small powerhead then putting some sort of cover over the tank to keep the heat in? Airstone would oxygenate the water so covering a tank shouldnt be an issue should it?

ALSO - what about those heat packs they use to ship corals in? I believe they need air to work so if you take a ziploc bag and place it in there then have it so the bag is secured to the top of the tank (so air can still get to the heat pack) you might be able to maintain your tank temp. Might need a lot of them though, lol

 

[johnanddawn]

we are in an area that has a lot of power outages. i've had three in the last 9 months one of which was three days. a generator is kinda like standard reef equipment here and couldn't go without one
mine is a 4000W so i can run the tank, tv, fridge and furnace if i have to