STORMS: Do you have a generator for your reef tank?
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Yes, a Honda EBX5000 portable. Bought it for running 2/3 of the house before I got a reef tank, now glad I have it for emergency life support. I often do not loose power, but when it does I will be happy.
I start it up every month and use gas stabilizer. I also do routine maintenance on it so it always pulls over on one pull. Honda's make really good generators. I'm leery of the harbor freight units.
I should also note that my house is natural gas, so I can still have heat in the winter even under a 5KW generator. Its very hard to do that with an electric heat pump.
I start it up every month and use gas stabilizer. I also do routine maintenance on it so it always pulls over on one pull. Honda's make really good generators. I'm leery of the harbor freight units.
I should also note that my house is natural gas, so I can still have heat in the winter even under a 5KW generator. Its very hard to do that with an electric heat pump.
We call our storms PSPS (Public Safety Power Shut-offs). I don't want to get started on the ridiculousness of them, but we've been down 40 hours straight during one and they are not fun.
1. Do you have a generator for your reef tank for emergency situations?
Yes. When I got wind our first PSPS might happen, I ran down to Home Depot and got the last one they had. It kept the tank going and we swapped it between refrigerators till it was over. After the season ended and we could relax, I sold that one and got a much nicer one.
2. Which generator do you have and how many watts is it?
Champion 3400 watt electric start dual fuel inverter generator. I run it on 30 lb propane tanks and keep several ready to go. The propane stores indefinitely and by running propane I don't have to worry about bad fuel fouling the engine. I also have two 25' and two 50' 10 gauge extension cords I use with it so it can run far away from my doors/windows. I also have a bluetooth propane tank scale so I can monitor the tank remaining time from inside the house. We can run everything on the tank as well as both refrigerators, laptops, charging phones, etc.
3. Do you regularly start and service your generator to keep it ready to go?
There isn't much to do with propane. I charge up the battery for the electric start every other month and at the start of each PSPS season I check the oil. I have a hours meter on it so I know when further service is needed like an oil change.
1. Do you have a generator for your reef tank for emergency situations?
Yes. When I got wind our first PSPS might happen, I ran down to Home Depot and got the last one they had. It kept the tank going and we swapped it between refrigerators till it was over. After the season ended and we could relax, I sold that one and got a much nicer one.
2. Which generator do you have and how many watts is it?
Champion 3400 watt electric start dual fuel inverter generator. I run it on 30 lb propane tanks and keep several ready to go. The propane stores indefinitely and by running propane I don't have to worry about bad fuel fouling the engine. I also have two 25' and two 50' 10 gauge extension cords I use with it so it can run far away from my doors/windows. I also have a bluetooth propane tank scale so I can monitor the tank remaining time from inside the house. We can run everything on the tank as well as both refrigerators, laptops, charging phones, etc.
3. Do you regularly start and service your generator to keep it ready to go?
There isn't much to do with propane. I charge up the battery for the electric start every other month and at the start of each PSPS season I check the oil. I have a hours meter on it so I know when further service is needed like an oil change.
yes and heck yes ....
nothing like the sight and smell of a 5year reef in Mesa AZ mid summer, no power and outside temps over 112F
nothing like the sight and smell of a 5year reef in Mesa AZ mid summer, no power and outside temps over 112F
I do not own stock in Generac, but I probably should. We have a whole house generator that ran for 15.5 hours yesterday in Spring, Texas where temperatures have been below freezing for almost a week now. During that time we had freezing rain, snow and high winds. My 225 gallon reef tank has a battery backup that will run everything, including the heater, for ~2 minutes. The Generac takes less than 30 seconds to bring the house back online. So from the fishes standpoint, they had no idea anything was wrong. From my standpoint, a huge relief knowing that my tank inhabitants were safe.
i know nothing about all those specs etc. i lost power for 12 hours a couple of weeks ago and i freaked out. But they did fine with a battery powered air pump! But i want to be more prepared and have looked a generator and i was overwhelmed with the amount of info! I wanted Propane as i dont want to deal with fuel go bad and testing. BUT i realized propane is illegal to place indoors. Unsafe regardless i guess. want to place the generator to power up the tank not the whole house. I am leaning to the natural gas option but well cost is a big concern including installation etc. Is there anything small enough to put near tank that can provide continuous power for days but do not require manual checks and automatically kicks in during power outage (i sometimes out of town for a month etc.). i do not have to wire to the whole house as long as it is covering apex and a few other low watt devices.
Gas generator placed outside the home with an extension cord rated for the distance it will need to be to reach your aquarium.
thanks! is it ok to place the generator and tank outdoor for a long time without worrying about weather condition etc? do i need to place the generator under something to protect or anything that i have to do with the propane tank being unused for months or possibly years? i was looking at 3500ish dual fuel inverter one but would it be sufficient to cover the tank electricity need? maybe 2500w?
how much does it cost to have Generac unit installed? i mean installation cost not the generator.
Adamantium
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I had no idea keeping propane inside was illegal anywhere. What a strange, but I guess understandable, law.
It's pretty easy to maintain a gas generator, honestly. Just swap out the gas every six months, or so (I use a stabilizer to be on the safe side), and run it bimonthly for a half hour with a load. Oil change every 100 hours.
Hands down, the most important (and potentially expensive) thing is a transfer switch. I can't stress enough how important that is to have. Without one, you'll be running extension cords out doors/windows, and it's just a headache. Just make sure to get a generator with a large enough wattage capacity.
I'm not a generator expert, so I would consult the manual to see what type of protection it would need from the weather. Before the Generac, mine was under coverage in our front porch foyer.
I would think either one of those sizes would be sufficient, but I'm not sure how much power you are drawing. You should confirm that first so you can size it appropriately.
The install cost of the Generac will vary. Mine was close to $5K because my gas and electrical box were on opposite ends of the house. So they had to run a long gas line to supply it fuel.
ReeferBud
Active Member
I went without power for 31 hrs in Houston this week.
Tried to start my 4000w Ryobi at 3am and it wouldn’t start because it was so cold the oil basically turned to syrup. Luckily, I was able to start it in the morning and it ran continuously for over 28 hrs! This thing was a champ.
I only ran my return pump, heaters and power heads and everything survived! I am so lucky and grateful. I’ve had power outages before but never anything this significant. Having had reef tanks for 30 years, I was sure this was the time it was my turn to have a crash.
a few learnings:
- don’t leave the generator outside in the cold before using (I had positioned it outside anticipating a potential outage), or get the right oil for low temp, which I didn’t have living in Texas
- have plenty of gas on hand. I had 10 gallons but it wasn’t enough. I was lucky to be able to find a gas station with power and could refuel
- have a plan to connect your apex directly to your laptop via an Ethernet cable. I had done this a million times but could somehow not get the right IP address
- have extra heaters. Without the lights and other equipment adding heat, and the temp in the house in the 40s, I needed the 2 old heaters that have been stashed in a box somewhere for years.
After this ordeal, I’m considering getting a generac, or a larger generator that I can hook up directly to my natural gas line to not have to worry about getting gas in the middle of a major weather event.
this is the tank right now, enjoying it today more than ever.
now I have just 3.5 months until hurricane season arrives...
Tried to start my 4000w Ryobi at 3am and it wouldn’t start because it was so cold the oil basically turned to syrup. Luckily, I was able to start it in the morning and it ran continuously for over 28 hrs! This thing was a champ.
I only ran my return pump, heaters and power heads and everything survived! I am so lucky and grateful. I’ve had power outages before but never anything this significant. Having had reef tanks for 30 years, I was sure this was the time it was my turn to have a crash.
a few learnings:
- don’t leave the generator outside in the cold before using (I had positioned it outside anticipating a potential outage), or get the right oil for low temp, which I didn’t have living in Texas
- have plenty of gas on hand. I had 10 gallons but it wasn’t enough. I was lucky to be able to find a gas station with power and could refuel
- have a plan to connect your apex directly to your laptop via an Ethernet cable. I had done this a million times but could somehow not get the right IP address
- have extra heaters. Without the lights and other equipment adding heat, and the temp in the house in the 40s, I needed the 2 old heaters that have been stashed in a box somewhere for years.
After this ordeal, I’m considering getting a generac, or a larger generator that I can hook up directly to my natural gas line to not have to worry about getting gas in the middle of a major weather event.
this is the tank right now, enjoying it today more than ever.
now I have just 3.5 months until hurricane season arrives...
Mical
2500 Club Member
Awesome tankI went without power for 31 hrs in Houston this week.
Tried to start my 4000w Ryobi at 3am and it wouldn’t start because it was so cold the oil basically turned to syrup. Luckily, I was able to start it in the morning and it ran continuously for over 28 hrs! This thing was a champ.
I only ran my return pump, heaters and power heads and everything survived! I am so lucky and grateful. I’ve had power outages before but never anything this significant. Having had reef tanks for 30 years, I was sure this was the time it was my turn to have a crash.
a few learnings:
- don’t leave the generator outside in the cold before using (I had positioned it outside anticipating a potential outage), or get the right oil for low temp, which I didn’t have living in Texas
- have plenty of gas on hand. I had 10 gallons but it wasn’t enough. I was lucky to be able to find a gas station with power and could refuel
- have a plan to connect your apex directly to your laptop via an Ethernet cable. I had done this a million times but could somehow not get the right IP address
- have extra heaters. Without the lights and other equipment adding heat, and the temp in the house in the 40s, I needed the 2 old heaters that have been stashed in a box somewhere for years.
After this ordeal, I’m considering getting a generac, or a larger generator that I can hook up directly to my natural gas line to not have to worry about getting gas in the middle of a major weather event.
this is the tank right now, enjoying it today more than ever.
now I have just 3.5 months until hurricane season arrives...
kpoj9
Reefin’ Ain’t Eazy
Never owned a generator before. With all the freezing rain/ice we’ve been having how do run your generator w/o it getting wet. I’ve seen different types of covers / shelters but I’m not sure which one is better. Or if a cover is just too dangerous and you need to wait for the rain to stop before using.
Adamantium
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I have a GenTent. It does the trick as long as it isn’t raining sideways.
Mical
2500 Club Member
If you're considering something like a Generac whole house unit, the housing is waterproof and insulated. In our part of the country (Minnesota) they have a cold weather package which is a battery heater and oil heater.
ReeferBud
Active Member
Is anyone using a portable generator on natural gas? They don’t seem to be that common.
I would like to get one to run off my grill natural gas line and not have to worry about getting fuel.
I would like to get one to run off my grill natural gas line and not have to worry about getting fuel.
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