Total tank wipe out :/

[treefly]

So I was recently hit with a winter storm while I was out of town and got stuck away from my tank. All power was lost for a couple of days while I was gone. Needless to say everything got wiped out. Lesson learned on a small generator plan for that. I am devastated that I am having to start over, but it is what it is. My question is, what can I do to beef up my 32 gallon biocube? Like as in upgrade wise. I have an idea on removing the canopy and upgrading lights and skimmer. Any suggestions all on what I should go with? Thankyou!

 

[Tahoe61]

Wow did this thread get hijacked!!

Did I miss something, I thought the premise was upgrades for a Biocube after a tank crash.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Solar has been around for almost 3,000 years. If it was efficient and affordable, we would all have it.

Strange analogy. lol

 

[ReefNova]

Solar has been around for almost 3,000 years. If it was efficient and affordable, we would all have it.

Very true. I think it's neat, but I can't justify the price.

 

[ReefNova]

Tesla power wall = $ 15K installed for one. My friends DIY battery backup ex-china 2000 for same power.

How much battery capacity do you have though?

 

[Reeferbadness]

What do you mean no care needed? From what I know teslas use a different type of charger than other cars.

I meant car not care :).

 

[PharmrJohn]

I have both solar and an electric car. I didn’t opt for battery backup due to a somewhat unique situation (solar is on the barn that has its own electric) but I consider it both a financial benefit long term and an immediate benefit to the environment.

Yeah, I was pretty slow to accept that even the small contribution I do can make a difference. I have two hybrids and a gas truck (a hand me down). But as those cars go bad, I'll go electric. One of these days, I'll spring for solar, but that's about 10 years out. I wanna cash that out and NOT get into payments. Really, it's my wife and daughter that turned me around. LOL, they really worked me over!!!!

 

[Reeferbadness]

How much battery capacity do you have though?

We paid around $7.5 k per wall 4 years ago and each hold 13.5 KW. In the Summer, we can go days of not pulling any power from the grid and still have 20% back up capacity. It’s really the best way to use solar since selling excess capacity back to the grid gives u only penny’s on the dollar

 

[CHSUB]

I wonder if you ever tried that and if so what UPS system would carry a 140W load for 72 hours.

I believe you might be in for a surprise.

Mine. A 100 ah battery will run 140 w for 10 hours.

 

[Exotrezy]

I meant car not care :).

Oh ok

 

[FUNGI]

Anywhere between 21 to 24K.

At 24K driven, Gas average cost $4.00 (I wish), Avrg: MPG: 25 = ROI on cost would be 6.38years

 

[ReefNova]

We paid around $7.5 k per wall 4 years ago and each hold 13.5 KW. In the Summer, we can go days of not pulling any power from the grid and still have 20% back up capacity. It’s really the best way to use solar since selling excess capacity back to the grid gives u only penny’s on the dollar

Neat, I charge currently at the house and we use somewhere between 60-90kWh a day, before the EV we were using 30-40kWh a day.

 

[Subsea]

I wonder if you ever tried that and if so what UPS system would carry a 140W load for 72 hours.

I believe you might be in for a surprise.

No surprises. I built my own system:
20A battery charger and supplied two large 12VDC batteries which supplied a 500W inverter which operated two 70W 120VAC Mag 7 pumps. There were no switching devices; the inverter ran pumps 24/7. Once a month, I unplug the battery charger and observe battery drawdown as a measure of capacitance.

I use off the shelf UPS for my WiFi & TV

 

[~MD~Reefs~]

Could be I suppose. But if no one is home or avaliable to connect everything and maintain it I don't see it as an option for days away from home. I don't know of anything besides a whole home genny with an automatic transfer switch that would work for days away. I just had an 18kw unit installed to run off of my 500 gallon propane tank. They're expensive but I have more than the cost invested in the hobby and I can run the entire house if we loose power.

The EcoFlow batteries have pass through charging. You could plug in the vital things like return pump/heater into it and it’ll automatically run them in the event of a power outage

 

[oregonrain]

I've actually considered that. Have you done any research into cost? I imagine it would be a tad costly not only for the panels but for the batteries as well......

Solar, unless it’s battery backup, is useless in a power outage. The electric grid turns off the solar.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

. It’s really the best way to use solar since selling excess capacity back to the grid gives u only penny’s on the dollar

That depends on location. We get full credit for every kw we send back to the grid, at least until we zero out an entire years electric use, which we have not done due to less generation in winter.

We build up credits in summer and deplete them in winter, and end up with a few months of payable electric bills in winter.

 

[jabberwock]

Strange analogy. lol

Same with wind power, except it has been around about 10,000 years.

 

[jabberwock]

At 24K driven, Gas average cost $4.00 (I wish), Avrg: MPG: 25 = ROI on cost would be 6.38years

If it runs flawlessly at peak efficiency the whole time, and you don't have to replace the batteries...

 

[jabberwock]

The EcoFlow batteries have pass through charging. You could plug in the vital things like return pump/heater into it and it’ll automatically run them in the event of a power outage

I refuse to buy anything with ECO in the name. Green washing is just a marketing trick. For example, I bought a can of sardines the other day that touted "Sustainably harvested off the California coast". On the back in fine print it said, "Processed in Vietnam".

 

[PharmrJohn]

Solar, unless it’s battery backup, is useless in a power outage. The electric grid turns off the solar.

But you can buy batteries to store power, correct?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

But you can buy batteries to store power, correct?

The issue is if you want to “island” and generate solar power to use forever if needed when power is out a long time. It needs the battery and the charging equipment. We did not opt for that.