Power Outage

[Paul28]

Kinda wondering what is everyone doing when the power goes out on your tank it could happen one day some sort of battery back up ? generator ?

[Ms_Big_Pun]

We have a battery back up on the vortechs. They kicked in yesterday when the power went out for a little bit.

[Paul28]

i ran past this online has anyone tryed useing something like this for maybe a circulation pump and return pump i wonder how long it would last http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BR1500G

[Fracture]

We will be setting up a ups backup the cheaper ones will run the tank a couple of hrs

[Fracture]

That is until we get a generator

[Paul28]

We will be setting up a ups backup the cheaper ones will run the tank a couple of hrs

for a mag9.5 and a mp40 what type do you think would be good to get for few if not more hours ?

[Fracture]

Your best bet is a small generator but ill ask Justin what ups would be good

[Fracture]

http://m.bestbuy.com/m/e/product/detail.jsp?skuId=9646228&pid=1218136407035

This one has great review and even says it can run a flat screen tv

[Paul28]

o i like that one even has the lcd screen on it to show the power nice

[Fracture]

And cheaper lol

[Paul28]

yeh by alot hehe

[rrasco]

I still need to get a UPS. If you get one though, make sure it's a true sine wave since most of our pumps are small AC motors. Simulated or square waves can damage the motor, and that's the last thing you need when the power is out, to kill your return pump. It's also worthwhile to have a controller delay the start up of your skimmer, otherwise the water level in the sump will likely be too high and cause the skimmer to overflow.


For those applications that require true sine wave power, UPS systems are also available with the true sine wave output, also known as Pure Sine wave. These UPS systems are designed for electronics which have PFC power supplies, small AC motors, or require true sine wave power to function properly.

http://www.cyberpowersystems.com/support/faqs/topologysinewave.html

[Troy Valentine]

I just purchased a generator last month able to run 1400watts without a problem, and it can go 9hrs on a little over a gallon of gas.
http://www.amazon.com/All-Power-America-APG3014-Generator/dp/B00265M9TM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361985303&sr=8-1&keywords=2000+watt+generator

Only problem is its a little noisey, might tick off the neighbors it we loss power late at night......

Last year I lost power for several hours on a cold night and my tank temp dipped into the 60s. I needed something big enough to handle the heaters. With the added ability of running my home heater as well. Not a bad deal for under $200......

[Fracture]

We go to the Renissance fairs and camp and a lot if people use loud generators and they have successfully built boxes to incase them safely to block the noise. Or you can by a noise blocking muffler that helps a lot as well

[Paul28]

I just purchased a generator last month able to run 1400watts without a problem, and it can go 9hrs on a little over a gallon of gas.
http://www.amazon.com/All-Power-America-APG3014-Generator/dp/B00265M9TM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361985303&sr=8-1&keywords=2000+watt+generator

Only problem is its a little noisey, might tick off the neighbors it we loss power late at night......

Last year I lost power for several hours on a cold night and my tank temp dipped into the 60s. I needed something big enough to handle the heaters. With the added ability of running my home heater as well. Not a bad deal for under $200......


now thats what i need if it saves my tanks life i could care less about the people next door :)

[Paul28]

what i could to is run the ups if im not home and gets me time to get to my generator

[Troy Valentine]

We go to the Renissance fairs and camp and a lot if people use loud generators and they have successfully built boxes to incase them safely to block the noise. Or you can by a noise blocking muffler that helps a lot as well
Thank you I will look into this....

now thats what i need if it saves my tanks life i could care less about the people next door :)

My neighbors are so cool they will probably come over looking for a cold beer, because I will be advertising that I am awake with a working fridge...

[Paul28]

haha

[Bill S]

We have a small generator I bought a few years ago.

When I redo the big tank, we will have built in UPS and powerheads hooked to them.

[glarior]

I did not read the whole thread but here is my 2 cents....

A good battery backup that would have the bare minimum items plugged into it... IE, pump, heater. If the power outage is longer than that a generator is your best bet. I have bought 2 from harbor freight and they work great.

[rrasco]

I was only going to keep my return pump running on the UPS. Should give me several hours to hold over the tank.

[Paul28]

i was also thinking a car converter to plug into a cord and run throgh my window haha just keep the car running

[Fracture]

Hey I've done that before lol

[Sherita]

Generator here. Big enough to run pumps and heaters. They can do without lights for a while.

[Big_Pun]

also have generator as back up besides battery for vortechs....

[Paul28]

yeh seems best bet to spend the 200 and get a generator

[ramsey]

I'd be careful with UPS's because I don't think they'd give you very much run time. I recently was looking into this and it seems that a generator or a DIY car battery system would work best. Just food for thought.