Backup Generator Heaters

[fishsuse29]

I have been without power for the past 12 hours. I do have the mp40 battery backup and air stone battery powered going for circulation.

However the temp has now dropped to 70 degrees. Unfortunately all of the stores by me are sold out of inverter generators. So I bought a small 1,000 watt generator from harbor freight but it is just the regular kind.

From what I read that will cause issues with sensitive equipment like led or controllable pumps but would it be ok to run my heaters off of that generator and maybe a small power head if I run out of battery backup?

 

[mcgyvr]

It shouldn't cause a problem with your electronics at all..
Certainly not the heater and I doubt it will cause any problems with the pump either..

 

[jayball]

I would not hesitate to use it with a regular powerhead, AC pump (return/skimmer) or fluorescent/halide lighting. I would not use it with LED or pumps with controllers (you would probably be fine but unless the life of the aquarium is at stake not worth the risk).

 

[sde1500]

I'm in the same boat as you man. Had no backup beyond manual aeration. Tank appears to have made it 6.5 hrs with nothing. All I could find was a 100watt converter I hook into my car. Running a powerhead and heater now. Would a powerhead or air stone be better to oxygenate the tank?

 

[fishsuse29]

Plugged the heaters and a HOB filter into the generator and so far so good seems to be running them no problem

 

[sde1500]

Nice! Harbor freight does come in handy sometimes.

 

[fishsuse29]

Yes and for 90 bucks it's cheap insurance. To me the battery airstone looks like it's providing more oxygen then the mp40 but it's hard to tell

 

[fishsuse29]

As a follow up power back on. So far doesn't seem to be any losses besides maybe a couple snails after 36 hours of no power.

Highly recommend the mp40 backup and the generator is a cheap solution for power/heat and is easy store and move

 

[homer1475]

I don't have a fancy inverter generator, just a run of the mill no name harbor freight brand that has a honda motor.

I've run everything from my tank to my TV/home theater system to my pellet stove to my desktop and laptop PC's with it and have not had a single issue. In the course of 3 years, I've used it hundreds of times(yes we frequently loose power in the winter for hours at a time, several times a week sometimes) and have never had an issue. I honestly think the whole not running sensitive equipment on a non inverter one is just a way to up sell people into a more expensive model.

 

[sde1500]

As a follow up power back on. So far doesn't seem to be any losses besides maybe a couple snails after 36 hours of no power.

Highly recommend the mp40 backup and the generator is a cheap solution for power/heat and is easy store and move

Nice! Hopefully I'll be getting power back today.

I don't have a fancy inverter generator, just a run of the mill no name harbor freight brand that has a honda motor.

I've run everything from my tank to my TV/home theater system to my pellet stove to my desktop and laptop PC's with it and have not had a single issue. In the course of 3 years, I've used it hundreds of times(yes we frequently loose power in the winter for hours at a time, several times a week sometimes) and have never had an issue. I honestly think the whole not running sensitive equipment on a non inverter one is just a way to up sell people into a more expensive model.

I get why you hook a pellet stove up to it, but for some reason it just seems funny, using a generator to run something that is a fire.

 

[FoxFace Fish]

I don't have a fancy inverter generator, just a run of the mill no name harbor freight brand that has a honda motor.

I've run everything from my tank to my TV/home theater system to my pellet stove to my desktop and laptop PC's with it and have not had a single issue. In the course of 3 years, I've used it hundreds of times(yes we frequently loose power in the winter for hours at a time, several times a week sometimes) and have never had an issue. I honestly think the whole not running sensitive equipment on a non inverter one is just a way to up sell people into a more expensive model.

all I can say is relatable :lmao::lmao::lmao:

I love Indiana in the winter (in the middle of no mans land)

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Inverter generators are nice because they produce a clean sine wave output that's similar to the power you already have in your home. Cheaper switching generators produce lumpy waves. This can cause some issues with some types of equipment.

Heaters are a straight resistive load. It's about the most basic and most tolerant load imaginable, in terms of compatibility with "dirty" power.

Someone above mentioned LEDs and controllable pumps. Those are actually fairly tolerant of dirty power too - anything that's converting to DC and changing voltage won't care about wave shape, since it's totally changed by the time it gets to the actual load, anyways.

Fluorescent and MH lighting should be totally fine, too. The ballasts/drivers are going to act like a buffer.

Issues are typically with "dumb" inductive loads. The most common for aquariums are simple AC motors - like a pump or powerhead. The dirty power likely won't damage these devices, but sometimes, for some loads, you just won't get what you are expecting. I've seen small AC pumps that just sit and hum and don't actually move water, for instance. I wouldn't say this is common, but it does happen sometimes with some motors on some generators.

The good news is that you pretty much can figure this out for yourself. Buy or borrow a generator and plug your load in and see what happens. If your pump doesn't work, get a different generator or a different pump.

I wouldn't get hung up on HAVING to have a high end generator as long as it's one you know how to use, and you know it will run your loads, and you trust that it is reliable.

 

[sde1500]

Inverter generators are nice because they produce a clean sine wave output that's similar to the power you already have in your home. Cheaper switching generators produce lumpy waves. This can cause some issues with some types of equipment.

Heaters are a straight resistive load. It's about the most basic and most tolerant load imaginable, in terms of compatibility with "dirty" power.

Someone above mentioned LEDs and controllable pumps. Those are actually fairly tolerant of dirty power too - anything that's converting to DC and changing voltage won't care about wave shape, since it's totally changed by the time it gets to the actual load, anyways.

Fluorescent and MH lighting should be totally fine, too. The ballasts/drivers are going to act like a buffer.

Issues are typically with "dumb" inductive loads. The most common for aquariums are simple AC motors - like a pump or powerhead. The dirty power likely won't damage these devices, but sometimes, for some loads, you just won't get what you are expecting. I've seen small AC pumps that just sit and hum and don't actually move water, for instance. I wouldn't say this is common, but it does happen sometimes with some motors on some generators.

The good news is that you pretty much can figure this out for yourself. Buy or borrow a generator and plug your load in and see what happens. If your pump doesn't work, get a different generator or a different pump.

I wouldn't get hung up on HAVING to have a high end generator as long as it's one you know how to use, and you know it will run your loads, and you trust that it is reliable.

So, I sort of understood some of this haha. This is more an issue with plugging things directly to the generator right? I'm now looking to get one in the coming weeks, but having it wired directly to a transition switch on my breaker. Is these waves things you're talking still applicable?

 

[d0ughb0y]

with equipment being more power efficient nowadays, a small 1000watt generator is sufficient to keep a tank going. Figure to run half the rating and it will be fine. make sure to operate it outdoors. I bought a small 1000watt generator from costco many years ago and have used it maybe 3 times. The first time, I still use MH light and even if my total power was way less than 1000 watt, the generator is not able to handle the (startup) load when MH is powered on. So I just kept the light off. With LED lights, this would not be a problem, but still, I just keep the light off during power outage. When the 300 watt heater kicks in, the generator will sputter, and sounds like it will die, but will eventually continue running. This is where the AC output of the generator can fluctuate widely. I think this might be due to the generator being a two cycle engine but not sure. This happened when I had more power hungry AC pumps for return and skimmer. It is not a problem anymore with lower total power with my current equipment. I'd say the harbor freight generator should be fine if it starts when you need it. might be a good idea to test it again maybe 6 months later. use a small amount of gas when you test and let it run till it goes out of gas. otherwise, you need to drain the gas out before storage. a small generator is a better solution for emergency power needs than a bank of batteries.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

So, I sort of understood some of this haha. This is more an issue with plugging things directly to the generator right? I'm now looking to get one in the coming weeks, but having it wired directly to a transition switch on my breaker. Is these waves things you're talking still applicable?

The shape of the power curve will be the same regardless of the switch or if you plug something directly in to the generator. Really though it is not often an issue, but when people talk about poor waveforms from a cheap generator this is what they're talking about. All you really need to know is that you should test your generator with your equipment and change the generator or equipment if something doesn't work right. If you buy an expensive inverter generator, you will almost certainly have no issues. If you buy a cheap generator, you may see some issues with some pumps or motors, but things like DC pumps, LEDs, etc should be fine on either. And heaters will basically work no matter what you plug them in to.

 

[sde1500]

The shape of the power curve will be the same regardless of the switch or if you plug something directly in to the generator. Really though it is not often an issue, but when people talk about poor waveforms from a cheap generator this is what they're talking about. All you really need to know is that you should test your generator with your equipment and change the generator or equipment if something doesn't work right. If you buy an expensive inverter generator, you will almost certainly have no issues. If you buy a cheap generator, you may see some issues with some pumps or motors, but things like DC pumps, LEDs, etc should be fine on either. And heaters will basically work no matter what you plug them in to.

Excellent, thanks! Though anything would work better than my current "strategy" of tank wrapped in blankets and rushing home from work and plugging an extension cord into my car for hours every night and morning haha.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

a small generator is a better solution for emergency power needs than a bank of batteries.

This brings up a good point. IMHO battery backups and generators usually serve different purposes.

Most battery backup solutions (ie UPS units or vortech backups, etc) have a small capacity but are automatic. They are great for keeping minimal equipment running immediately after the power goes out, especially if you are at work or asleep. Most generators don't have auto starting or auto transfer capabilities so they can't fill this function.

On the other hand, most batteries have a small capacity while most generators will run forever as long as they're gassed. So, a generator is clearly better in the long term, assuming you are able to get home and start it when the power goes out.

Unless you are never gone from home, you probably need both, or spend big coin on a whole house unit with an auto start function and an auto transfer switch.