Help with power outage

[Titans]

Hey everyone,
This Friday from 8am to an estimated 12pm my power company will be shutting off the power in my area to do some maintenance.
Can anyone lend/rent me a back up power supply that can last more than 4 hours just incase they blow right past the estimated times? Or maybe some battery operated pumps? I have a 34 gallon and 10 gallon tank running. If not, any recommendations on both? I've never used a power back up and not sure which battery pumps to get. Thanks...

 

[Bebo77]

i would rent a generator from HD for the day.. better safe then sorry...

 

[Titans]

I'll have to look into that. Do they run off gasoline or something? Can you run them indoors? I live in an apartment. Do you happen to know the rates they charge?

BTW your new tank looks pretty sweet!

 

[Bebo77]

you would only need a tiny one for your 34g.. most of them are gas.. but they do make natural gas generators, but i dont know if HD rents those..

Thanks.. tank is always a work in progress.... lol

 

[Titans]

Can my fish and coral survive without anything running for 4 hours if temp remains same? My power company might reschedule the power outage if it rains tomorrow and I won't know until tomorrow morning after I had already spent $50 on renting a generator. I was thinking of just getting a backup power source that can run the heaters during these times so temps won't drop.

 

[JenDub]

BTW-don't run a gen. indoors unless you are sick of this life =)

You can get a UPS battery backup from Circuit City then return it when you are done with it, get at least a 1500 which will run $200. You'll probably end up keeping it for safety.

If you keep you home a constant temp (windows & doors closed) you tank will go no lower than room temp. You really only need to run a maxijet 1200 or 900 to keep the surface of the water moving. If you have a sump be sure to keep that mixing as well.

Alternatively you can get battery powered air pumps in the fishing department of walmart or LFS for $10-$20

Don't bank on them getting the power back on in short order, plan for the worst! If it comes down to it you can stir the water with a wooden spoon or repeated pour cupfuls of tank water into the top to keep it moving...

 

[sharkdude]

where in OC are you?
I could lend you my generator, but its loud and you'd have to run it on an outside patio.

but as Jendub said, you can take other measures to get by for half a day.

 

[Titans]

That would be great! I'm in tustin and can meet you up after work.

 

[GTR]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11307838#post11307838 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Titans
Can you run them indoors?

You can do it once, but no Mulligans allowed.

:lol:

SteveU

 

[NVTE]

I have some Battery Operated Air Pump. LMK if you need it bro.

 

[JenDub]

In an Apt complex they'll probably make you turn off the gen....

 

[savethereef]

if you have a spare car battery you can go to pepboys and get those things that convert the power not to sure on that but maybe someone can asnwer that

 

[roxy25]

well not saying you should take this chance but LOL my first nano which was 10 gallons has ran with no power for more than 8 hours and this happened more than once. Not because of power outages but because my cats are stupid HHAHHAHH

 

[Titans]

How long will a UPS rated at 865 watts w/ 1500VA capacity last me if i'm running 170 watts worth of stuff?

The site says back up time at full load is 3.1 minutes and half load is about 13 minutes. Then another description says it will last 110 minutes.

 

[jjirsa78]

UPS's aren't really made to handle loads like pumps, but they'll work in a pinch. The key is: don't run 170W worth of stuff, run one pump, and MAYBE a heater if you need it. Don't even try to run lights, you'll just waste your battery.

 

[JenDub]

You just need some battery powered air pumps for that size of system.

As stated above, if you decide to go with an UPS only run a maxijet to keep the water moving & keep you house closed up so the warm air stays in; no need for a heater/lights etc.

 

[Titans]

Just picked up a 1500va capacity on sale for 159.99 just incase($40 off) ran a pump and heater (heater did not switch on during test) and with just the pump it stated 210 minutes of run time.

 

[sharkdude]

where did you find the UPS on sale?

my old one no longer keeps a charge.

SaveTheReef: its called an inverter.

 

[All Delight]

I have a UPS backup 1500VA on my nano. One Saturday I unplugged it from the wall to see how long my tank could run on just the stock pump. I think its a 4 watt powerhead to keep the filtration running.

No light, no chiller, no extra pumps and it ran for 8 hrs and I had enough of listen to that beeping noise.

 

[sharkdude]

I just spoke with Mike, and his power is out and the UPS is working ok thus far. Time will tell.
I emphasized that water movement and dissolved oxygen are key.