STORMS: Do you have a generator for your reef tank?

[210 Reef Tank]

With so many major winter storms popping up lately there has been a lot of discussion on preparing for power outages and having power back up plans! So let's talk about generators today and see who's ready and what generator your using!

1. Do you have a generator for your reef tank for emergency situations?

2. Which generator do you have and how many watts is it?

3. Do you regularly start and service your generator to keep it ready to go?

Yes I have a 4000 watt generator and I do start it at least twice a year. Works great but would like to get a newer and larger one to handle more then my fish tank if the power goes out. I was looking at the Westinghouse 10,000 watt unit. Has alot of really good features and the price point is not that bad. My wife would appreciate a bigger generator also. We have 3 refrigerators w freezers full of food. God help us we lose power and my tank is happy but we lose a bunch of food.

 

[Sajacobs]

Two Tesla Powerwalls and solar panels to recharge. When power goes out we don't even know it.

Wow how much of a hole in your bank balance did that cost? Is it worth it? And where do you live if you don't mind me asking?

 

[karlandtanya]

With so many major winter storms popping up lately there has been a lot of discussion on preparing for power outages and having power back up plans! So let's talk about generators today and see who's ready and what generator your using!

1. Do you have a generator for your reef tank for emergency situations?

Yes

2. Which generator do you have and how many watts is it?

Generac Guardian 1500KW home generator, auto transfer, propane powered with 500 gallon propane tank.
The gen and the propane tank are for the whole house (we live out in the boonies); the reef is just one circuit on it.

3. Do you regularly start and service your generator to keep it ready to go?

Yes, new oil and air filter every 2 years; new battery every 5 years. Auto exercise timer once a week is built-in.

 

[Screwgunner]

4000 watt unplug my compressor in the garage turn off the main braker pug my gen in to the plug for my air compressor 240 volt . Have a volt watt amp meter hooked up in the garage so I can see how many watt I am pulling.

 

[karlandtanya]

With so many major winter storms popping up lately there has been a lot of discussion on preparing for power outages and having power back up plans! So let's talk about generators today and see who's ready and what generator your using!

1. Do you have a generator for your reef tank for emergency situations?

Yes

2. Which generator do you have and how many watts is it?

generac guardian 1500kw, with 500 gal propane tank automatic transfer switch

3. Do you regularly start and service your generator to keep it ready to go?

auto-exercise timer built in, once a week.
Change oil & air filter every 2 years, battery every 5 years.
The gen & propane tank are for the whole house (we live in the boonies) and the tank is on one circuit.

 

[Reeferbadness]

I have solar at my house and had them put in a Tesla power wall - which stores enough power for our main appliances and 2 reef tanks (160g and 200g) to be covered for about 24 hours - in which case it would be recharged when the sun returns in the AM. The tanks were the main inspiration for installing the power wall. I definitely sleep better now during fire season and earthquakes don't really concern me

 

[mfinn]

I've had a generator for my tanks for several decades.
I currently have a 8750 watt Predator wired into it's own circuit box for use between 6 am and midnight.
Then ( after midnight) I use a 2000 watt Predator ( really quiet) for my 2 tanks so my neighbors can get some sleep.

I usually do a system check on them twice a year, along with the outages we have every year.

 

[SirRoadwolf]

I am in a part of the power grid which has real copper lines (old lines). Rarely the power goes out even in some of the worst winter storms. But it has... And when it does for extended periods, the aquarium circuit is on the same phase as my boiler. I can run both my boiler and my aquarium off of a 1kw inverter that I can hook up to my car by simply isolating those circuits in my panel and plugging into them. Yes my car has to be running, but that is usually not an issue.

 

[DED65]

I have two Honda EU2200i's to run parallel for the important stuff in the tanks. A WEN 4000 watt to power the things I need.

 

[JimFuller]

With so many major winter storms popping up lately there has been a lot of discussion on preparing for power outages and having power back up plans! So let's talk about generators today and see who's ready and what generator your using!

1. Do you have a generator for your reef tank for emergency situations?

2. Which generator do you have and how many watts is it?

3. Do you regularly start and service your generator to keep it ready to go?

Yes, I have three portable Generators
I have two Honda 2000 inverter units and one Honda 3000 inverter unit.
All generators are run twice per year if not needed otherwise. They are serviced once each year.

 

[MARK M. DAVIS]

Bought a Generac 16k natural gas generator that self tests every Thursday. (Transfer switch, too).

 

[ReefLab]

Tesla power wall is a great option. Probably the best option

 

[Reefinny]

Yes - I had a Generac - and with the last storm nothing but issues with my Apex. I upgraded to the Westinghouse WGen 12000 and this one due to a few points -

1. 100 Amp
2. <5% THD
3. Has a 30AMP and 50AMP outlet - I built a panel just for "emergency Reef" so I can plug the 30amp to that panel and the 50amp for the rest of the house.

WGen12000 Generator

For your toughest power needs, the Westinghouse WGen12000 Portable Generator is an ultra duty generator engineered for strength. With 15,000 peak watts and 12,000 running watts, the WGen12000 is built with a brawny 713cc V-Twin OHV Westinghouse Engine to yield up to 11 hours of run time on a heft...

westinghouseoutdoorpower.com

 

[cvysochin]

Main backup: 20kw Briggs and Stratton with 400 amp auto transfer switch. Replace battery every 2 years or sooner. Also added a cold weather kit.

Backup for the backup: Firman Tri Fuel 7500w from Costco. 2 large Propane bottles ready to go. Natural gas quick connect installed and ready to go, by gas meter. Will never run gas through this.

One hint for others with standby generators.. keep an eye on replacing your battery. When it's cold, dark, and wet outside, and your standby generator doesn't start, and you can't get a vehicle near it to jump start it, life sucks at that particular moment.

 

[zalick]

We lose power multiple times a year. Generally it's hours not days. I had a gas generator I would use to power the pumps and heaters. I finally said screw this and bought a Generac

I have an 11kw Generac NG whole house with automatic transfer switch. It runs once a week automatically.

I started out getting a quote for a unit just to power the tank circuit but then decided to just spend a little extra for the whole house.

Spendy, but well worth the $$$. When everyone in the neighborhood is without power, we are cooking dinner and watching movies.

 

[oneyedmason]

With so many major winter storms popping up lately there has been a lot of discussion on preparing for power outages and having power back up plans! So let's talk about generators today and see who's ready and what generator your using!

1. Do you have a generator for your reef tank for emergency situations?

2. Which generator do you have and how many watts is it?

3. Do you regularly start and service your generator to keep 8

 

[oneyedmason]

Well ever since hurricane Maria wrecked the island and I lost all my aquariums, I have the following:

Generac 8.5 kw w/ auto transfer switch.
25 solar panels w/ Tesla battery also connected directly to transfer switch.
Champion dual fuel 9 kw back up generator (will sell soon, over kill)
Finally a 2.5 kw inverter generator if all else fails.

 

[Oceandogs]

We had our electrical panel rewired and a second box installed so when we lose power we plug in our portable generator to the second panel which powers the fish tank FIRST and then the oil burner, refrigerators, freezers, microwave, kitchen lights and family room outlets for TV, lights and charging station.

 

[thermoJoe]

Kind of mandatory in the northeast where we are, as we lose power almost every year, and when we do, it's often out for ~3 days. I've been using a small Yamaha-EF2000iS for almost 10 years now. It's was expensive, but it runs super quite, has an economy mode that saves gas, which is critical when gas stations are also w/o power, and it has a fuel cutoff valve that allows you to run the carburetor bowl dry making it less likely to fail when you next need it.

 

[nickm]

Two Tesla Powerwalls and solar panels to recharge. When power goes out we don't even know it.

Who did you go with for the walls? I went to their website and got a quote for 6 power walls and solar panels.