What kind of battery back up is best?

[mochaclownlover]

I am trying to decide on a good battery back up unit for my tank and I am thinking about getting a ecotech battery backup, but I would have to buy an MP10 as well, which would make it quite expensive(~$400). Are there any better cheaper options or would it be best to just bite the bullet and buy the ecotech battery and pump?

 

[FredsNJReef]

was just going to post a similar thread. I don't want to hijack you, so please tell me to move along if necessary

What backups work with all pumps and powerheads? If you buy the Ecotech, do you need their brand of equipment?
If you buy the Ice cap, do you need their brand etc.

 

[mochaclownlover]

As far as I know, unless there is some way around it, ecotech batteries only work with ecotech pumps, and the same goes for the ice cap pumps.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

If you just buy a battery, an inverter and a charger, you could probably get away with around $120. What kind of equipment are you trying to run with this backup?

 

[mochaclownlover]

I would just run a small hydor pump or possibly a small return pump to keep the water in the sump and tank moving. I read through your thread on the DIY battery backup, but I'd be nervous about the exposed clamps on the battery( and I'm not very good with wiring). The reason I was looking at the ecotech was because it says the battery can run the MP10 for over 72 hours. How long would a larger car battery last like the one in your thread?

 

[Jeepguy242]

Tunze has a pump and battery connector for them that automatically switches when the power goes out.

Still expensive but cheaper than the echotec

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

I would just run a small hydor pump or possibly a small return pump to keep the water in the sump and tank moving. I read through your thread on the DIY battery backup, but I'd be nervous about the exposed clamps on the battery( and I'm not very good with wiring). The reason I was looking at the ecotech was because it says the battery can run the MP10 for over 72 hours. How long would a larger car battery last like the one in your thread?

It depends what you're powering, as well as several factors that are hard to quantify (inverter inefficiency, pump inefficiency on modified sine wave, etc). I power a Hydor Koralia 425 in my sump and a Jebao PP-4 in my display. Each uses about 7w so the total would be around 14w. I add a 10% surplus to account for inverter inefficiency and assume an 75% depth of discharge to keep the batteries in good shape. So in my case this works out to be around 20w. A 35Ah battery costs around $65 and would last around 21 hours. A 50Ah battery costs about $100 and would last about 30 hours. A 100Ah battery costs about $165 and would last about 60 hours. Obviously, if I cut my load in half and only ran one of those pumps, the run time would be double. If I found an even more efficient pump, this could potentially be even more, although these two pumps are already pretty efficient.

Also, something to consider.. a total run time of 72 hours sounds pretty good for an MP10, but that's likely a best case scenario.

I would personally not be concerned with the exposed terminals. Unless you have the battery in a messy area or out in the open, a short is not particularly likely. If it's your chief concern, however, you can buy a battery box to hold the battery. Depending on the size of the box, they cost around $10.

 

[mochaclownlover]

So if I got the tunze nano stream which has a 3.5 watt energy consumption rate, the Tunze safety connector, and a 100Ah battery, it would be about as as good as an ecotech?

 

[Jeepguy242]

So if I got the tunze nano stream which has a 3.5 watt energy consumption rate, the Tunze safety connector, and a 100Ah battery, it would be about as as good as an ecotech?

I watched a YouTube vid that the guy said he ran a 6055 off a car battery for 4 days.

I haven’t tried it myself but I am planning on getting the connector and battery soon

 

[FredsNJReef]

I like the formula from @chipmunkofdoom2
My only concern is the set up has to be near my tank, out in the open, and near the tank. I have plenty of splashes from maintenance etc. Maybe the battery box would help.
Excellent idea though!

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

So if I got the tunze nano stream which has a 3.5 watt energy consumption rate, the Tunze safety connector, and a 100Ah battery, it would be about as as good as an ecotech?

As good as in terms of run time? If we assume that the pump uses exactly 3.5w, with our added wattage for overhead that's about 4.8w (3.5 * 1.1 / 0.8). A 100Ah battery would likely run this load for around 250 hours, or around 10.5 days (+/- one day depending on inefficiency, which becomes more of a problem with these longer run times). It's worth noting that the Koralia Nano 425 is only supposed to use 4 watts, but when I measured the draw with a Kill-A-Watt, it actually drew a bit over 7W. So that 3.5W might be overly optimistic. Still, if we assume that the pump uses 100% more than the stated specs, you'll still get over 5 days out of a 100Ah battery.

It's worth noting that the Ecotech batteries will fail over automatically in the event of an outage. This system won't. You'll need to be there to switch it over, which can be problematic. If you want this setup to fail over automatically you'll need to do some DIY. You'll either need to wire up a commercial transfer switch, or you can make one yourself. If this is too much DIY, then you might want to consider a more plug-and-play system like the Ecotech.

It's possible to DIY a battery backup for an Ecotech for a lot cheaper than they're charging. Basically all you need is a battery charger, a battery, and a 3.5mm x 1.3mm plug like this one. Wire the positive of the battery to the center pin and the negative of the battery to the outside pin. Then, plug it into the battery backup plug on the Ecotech controller. The battery inside an Ecotech backup is only about 18Ah. So, if you get a 35Ah battery and charger I linked to above, as well as some plugs for $5, you would have an Ecotech battery backup clone with twice the capacity for half the cost.

EDIT: Before attempting the above, verify that the battery backup is indeed center pin positive. I don't know that for sure, and reversing the two could fry your Ecotech controller.

 

[Jeepguy242]

I like the formula from @chipmunkofdoom2
My only concern is the set up has to be near my tank, out in the open, and near the tank. I have plenty of splashes from maintenance etc. Maybe the battery box would help.
Excellent idea though!

I wouldn’t worry too much about splashes hurting a batter. My boat had 2 batteries that were in the bilge that got splashed all the time. Also look under the hood of your car after a driving in a good thunderstorm. The battery in my truck is always wet after it rains.

I would however want to protect a charger if you have one

 

[FredsNJReef]

touche! Well put.

We do need a switch however to make this an automatic set up. I saw what Chipmonk put a link to, but that has to be spliced in. It would be nice if there was a switch kit that just plugged in or clipped onto something.

 

[Mark Gray]

No but I will add a generator that will run on natural gas soon

 

[Chrishvacman]

I run a ups that for short term power to a dc return pump and A during hurricanes / long term power i run an inverter with a batt charger and 2 marine batteries until i can run a gen.

 

[scott11106]

I run a ups that for short term power to a dc return pump and A during hurricanes / long term power i run an inverter with a batt charger and 2 marine batteries until i can run a gen.

I just setup a larger ups to stop power switch when power goes off and I hAve a house generator the kicks on after 2 min. Bread new but I hope this covers everything

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

touche! Well put.

We do need a switch however to make this an automatic set up. I saw what Chipmonk put a link to, but that has to be spliced in. It would be nice if there was a switch kit that just plugged in or clipped onto something.

If you can find one, let me know. I looked far and wide for one for my guide on battery backups, but I couldn't find one.

 

[4FordFamily]

I’ve had one for three years and haven’t hooked it up. Even after a power outage killed my fish (it was several days while I was gone on vacation it shouldn’t have mattered but it’s still stupid of me)

 

[mtraylor]

I use the ecotech battery with my Tunzes

 

[FredsNJReef]

If you can find one, let me know. I looked far and wide for one for my guide on battery backups, but I couldn't find one.

Will do!!