What are some suggetions for battery back up for power outages?

[Rp8]

Just had a power outage today. Luckily my work allows me to leave when I need to. Got home plugged into my truck via pwr inverter and kept the water moving. Unfortunately, sometimes work takes me away for a couple weeks. So looking for suggestions for tried and true battery back ups or generators that are simple enough for a teenager to start when i'm away. Thanks in advance!

 

[Rudzbrewski]

Following, trying to answer the same question. Looking at a few different UPS battery backups. BRS did do an investigates, but not as conclusive on what one to specifically buy unless you have vortech pumps.

 

[Rp8]

Following, trying to answer the same question. Looking at a few different UPS battery backups. BRS did do an investigates, but not as conclusive on what one to specifically buy unless you have vortech pumps.

I reached out for a DIY recipe for one, if its a good set up and worth ill forward it to you

 

[Rudzbrewski]

I reached out for a DIY recipe for one, if its a good set up and worth ill forward it to you

Definitely keep me posted. I was talking with my LFS today and since I will be running a Vectra return pump the Ecotech battery backup for that would be enough until I can get a generator started they said. Most likely going to go that route depending on what you find.

 

[Bruce60]

How about this? Comes with 9600W of Li batteries and solar panels...

 

[Homebrewer]

IMO, a generator is a good option, but that only works if you’re #1 home, and #2 have it ready. I don’t have a battery backup but threads like this make me re-think my choices. If you’re interested, this video shows a comparison of some available batteries. The results are obvious:

 

[KStatefan]

DIY Universal Battery Backup For Your Reef

A few days ago (3/2/2018) I lost power in the recent Nor'easter. I had a battery backup system in place, and thankfully it functioned fairly well. However, I had upgraded my aquarium since I had originally planned out the battery backup and the system did not last nearly as long as I wanted it...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[xxkenny90xx]

I have a large deep cycle marine battery that I use for my trolling boat motor and during power outages it comes inside and I have a power inverter I hook to it. Very simple, a teenager could definately get it hooked up.

 

[JaykS]

Icecap battery back up is cheaper then ecotech and works with a lot of pumps

 

[DaddyFish]

The two terms; UPS and Battery Backup are commonly used interchangeably, but they are NOT the same thing. True UPS systems are much more expensive than the much simpler battery backups.

UPS - Uninterruptible Power Supply is a power system that is constantly "online" and monitoring the incoming power. When a power failure or brownout occurs, it switches to battery power within milliseconds.

Battery Backup - more-or-less self explanatory, when incoming power fails it converts power from a charged/standby battery until incoming power is restored or the battery goes dead.

Most commonly available and relatively affordable Battery Backups are intended to supply power for 30-60 minutes at roughly half/50% or their rated maximum load. The idea is to give you enough time to shutdown equipment in an orderly fashion and/or make other arrangements with a generator.

What we truly need in this hobby is not so much Maximum Load Capacity but bigger batteries for a longer runtime. With a little wiring you can/could expand the runtime of affordable units by adding external batteries in parallel. There again, batteries are expensive, don't last forever (especially when wired in parallel charge/load situations), and must be tested periodically for both reliability and capacity.

If you are looking for a Plug-N-Play solution that has long runtime and sufficient Maximum Load Capacity to also run tank heaters, well... you really need an inverter generator, heavy extension cord and full gas can. I'm thinking a teenager can handle that setup better than just about any other.

 

[DaddyFish]

This Battery Backup unit has sufficient capacity to run most pump systems and one(1) 300-watt heater. It uses the typical 12v Gel Cell battery that's replaceable, and can be "hotwired" in parallel with one or more external batteries for added runtime if you are electrically inclined (and willing to void the warranty).

 

[stiffljp]

I progressed from an inverter to a portable generator to a whole house generator. All were pretty easy to manage and were progressively easier and more expensive. A Tesla powerwall was always an option that interested me.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

I believe that Ice Cap is 20% right now, so check out the battery.
I went the way of tunze, so DC pump+ safety connector 46 dollars ASM battery 60 to 90 dollars, Battery tender 40 dollars. It goes on automatically.

 

[Difrano]

I made one for my MP10 using this battery:



It last longer than the vortech ones.

 

[Rp8]

OMGoodness! thanks for all the input, price isn't the issue, its the set up. im new and not the greatest. ESP Some Pics and maybe connecting parts. I do have a multimeter, but unsure of amp and amps/dc

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

https://www.googleadservices.com/pa...ioj9vC25TrAhVL1VkKHfRwCuAQ9aACegQIDhBQ&adurl= Tunze safety connector
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/tunze-turbelle-safety-connector.html?utm_term=&utm_campaign=Shopping>Tunze>Brand&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=7373341438&hsa_cam=870727178&hsa_grp=46585366231&hsa_ad=204187200475&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=pla-474219056563&hsa_kw=&hsa_mt=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gclid=Cj0KCQjwg8n5BRCdARIsALxKb94ZKwg6tSuHfWFUUQccdi0C2zW-7I-pR7LsasAYcsKE6KiiY617qtEaAthWEALw_wcB

Duracell Ultra 12V SLA Sealed Lead Acid 35AH Deep Cycle AGM Battery - SLADC12-35J at Batteries Plus Bulbs

SLADC12-35J Duracell Ultra 12V SLA Sealed Lead Acid 35AH Deep Cycle AGM Battery

www.batteriesplus.com

https://www.googleadservices.com/pa...ioj9vC25TrAhVL1VkKHfRwCuAQ9aACegQIDhBQ&adurl=

 

[infinite0180]

I made one for my MP10 using this battery:



It last longer than the vortech ones.

Oh wow this looks awesome. Do you leave this plugged into the 12v spot on the vortech so it kicks on automatically when power goes out?

 

[Neetsama]

I use cyberpower 1500 pure sine UPS. Only have my vortech connected. When there is an outage. I get a good 2+ hours. Also have pure sine generator honda 2000i for chiller and heaters. A good alternative would a solar generator or a cheap sealed lead acid or some kind of 12v battery with a pure sine wave inverter

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

https://www.batteriesplus.com/productdetails/charger/motorcycle/battery-tender/dbt021=0123
and a DC tunze pump 6040,6055,6095, 6105 etc Costly

 

[Difrano]

Oh wow this looks awesome. Do you leave this plugged into the 12v spot on the vortech so it kicks on automatically when power goes out?

Yes I have the 12VDC out always plugged to the vortech aux power, so the MP10 doesn't stop in case of power outage, based on my calculations it should last about 48 hours.