I have a question?

gasman059 said:
STANBY GENERATOR 16KW ac/fridge/tank/hot water/ livestock saved u can always use the hot water and food excuse.

It will set u back some 10-20k but great investment. I can run my house for 2-3 weeks and then refill 500 gallons of propane asa I go.
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many we took one of these out of a house a lady was walking away from she spent 25k putting it in and sold it to a friend of mine and myself for 1k we sold it for 10 the thing was the size of mitches 540 gallon DT the generator that is ....it took a back hoe to put it on a trailer.... I almost kept it but my friend needed the cash and I didnt feel like spending the cash at the time now im kicking myself lol...... even though I have one now and I got a good deal on it this one would have been the perfect setup

anyone looking for a good deal on them check out the swap shop on Sundays in broward there is a guy in the back that always has new ones in the box usually around 25% of what they cost new in the store
 
To Rogger- The problem with what you said is that this is a solution for 3 days power outage. What about a 10 days one? You gonna need some lighting at some point...
 
Zoliyis, I don't see were do you come up with 3 days, if you prepare for the storm and understand the minimum requirements that your livestock needs to survive then you can keep then alive for a relative long period.
 
ok back in 2005 when we were without power for a month in Boca Raton. We had a hurricane hit us directly from the west coast that passed over to the east coast. I forget the name, but I do remember looking at boca airport and the hangars were just twisted pieces of metal. It was a strong cat II or maybe a cat III according to the damage it caused. After 2 days I said screw it and covered the top of my tank with tinfoil to contain the smell of all my dieing fish / corals / algae as they said it would be weeks to restore power. After clearing the road infront of my house with suv's dragging oak trees, palm trees, and HUGE banyan trees out of the streets and chainsaws / axes for the rest of the cleanup we left and went to a friends house with power. I have to add its pretty cool to see 2 cadillac escalades trying to move a banyan tree with chain. I came back 2 weeks later, and out of curiosity checked my tank. Sure enough there was my favorite fish (percula clown) that had survived the ordeal and was at the surface gasping, barely allive. btw I had a 50 gallon breeder at this time and a 25 gallon acrylic flat back hex. I figured everything had been wiped out and seriously considered getting out of the hobby when the hurricane came. But when I saw that one little guy still alive, I ran and started getting decholrinator / ammonia neutralizer, multiple buckets of seawater from my canal and saved the little guy. ran a pump off my neighbors generator from his yacht and 3 150ft extension cords ran together to provide the little guy with some air, as i had an old hob filter on a bin set up for him. I can't believe it but I still have him today...errr... her today. Now she's laying eggs in a 92 corner tank after introducing another "friend" :)

long story short, we got a generator for the entire house, 35kw runs on natural gas that is ran underground. And we haven't had a hurricane since... sweet....

moral of the story - if its a large reef tank, a generator is worth the investment as restocking it can be a huge hit and the generator can make a hurricane a minor inconvenience. I suggest powerheads for circulation and surface gas exchange or running the entire filtration system. Screw the lights for a few days. In some instances like my situation (4 weeks no electricity) sometimes there is nothing you can do, and you start planning on a rebuild while sitting alone in the dark, lol.
 
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Generator Research...

Generator Research...

I recently saved some money and am spending most of it on misc. items but need to save enough to make sure my tank survives.
I also need to get on this asap because i keep going to the hard rock...

I've been doing research on small honda generators but all seem pretty expensive but then again it is a generator...

if anybody knows a website or a model of generator that i can purchase in the stores that wont be 3-500 $$$ let me know because this is turning into a mission locating the right one.

The only little honda ones i found were online and going to cost a lot to ship, i just rather go and pick one up but lowes and home depot only carry the ones your neighborhood hospital would use.

if anyone knows a good spot or a decent website let me know...

thanks.
 
Reefer_Addict87 said:
I recently saved some money and am spending most of it on misc. items but need to save enough to make sure my tank survives.
I also need to get on this asap because i keep going to the hard rock...

I've been doing research on small honda generators but all seem pretty expensive but then again it is a generator...

if anybody knows a website or a model of generator that i can purchase in the stores that wont be 3-500 $$$ let me know because this is turning into a mission locating the right one.

The only little honda ones i found were online and going to cost a lot to ship, i just rather go and pick one up but lowes and home depot only carry the ones your neighborhood hospital would use.

if anyone knows a good spot or a decent website let me know...

thanks.
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Check ebay, or craigslist I guess. Oh and quit going to hardrock, lol. I used to go play at hardrock and seminole for black jack and I finally figured out the casino always wins. Oddly enough I was broke before when I went to the casino and am still broke after I stopped going. Only difference is I don't have as much stress now as I did back then (then again I used to have more fun :rollface:).

300-500 seems like a decent amount for a generator. Try perhaps harbor freight? Home depot / lowes tends to have the 3000 watt + generators so I dunno where else to look. Try www.bocasmallengines.com - they are close to where I live and specialize in this type of stuff.
 
I asked this question once and an electrician gave me some good advice. Buy 2 or 3 big UPS's and have them charged when the storm comes. power up your pump only one large $100 ups will give you 600 watts. So a Hydor Koralia Evolution Pumps uses from 4.5 to 6 watts an hour depending on size Maxi-Jet Submersible Utility Pump 3000 uses 58 watts. So if you calculate the wattage you have from 9 to 10 hours per UPS. So every time one runs out. go and buy a car adapter that converts your lighter to a 120v outlet and recharge your UPS yes it might be $300 to really use this but you won't be breaking the law and the air conditioner in the car will be great when you have no power. take a ride and recharge with confidence.
 
This may be a stupid question but have you checked with your condo association? After the... I think 2005 hurricane season where we were without power in many parts of south fl for almost a month and a half, most condos installed emergency generators. I'm just curious if u have checked yet :spin2:
 
rage1199 said:
I asked this question once and an electrician gave me some good advice. Buy 2 or 3 big UPS's and have them charged when the storm comes. power up your pump only one large $100 ups will give you 600 watts. So a Hydor Koralia Evolution Pumps uses from 4.5 to 6 watts an hour depending on size Maxi-Jet Submersible Utility Pump 3000 uses 58 watts. So if you calculate the wattage you have from 9 to 10 hours per UPS. So every time one runs out. go and buy a car adapter that converts your lighter to a 120v outlet and recharge your UPS yes it might be $300 to really use this but you won't be breaking the law and the air conditioner in the car will be great when you have no power. take a ride and recharge with confidence.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately a 600 VA UPS will typically only run for about 20 to 30 minutes irrespective of load due to internal power consumption. The number on a UPS is the Maximum Load -- and it is unrelated to run time.
 
Paco said:
Unfortunately a 600 VA UPS will typically only run for about 20 to 30 minutes irrespective of load due to internal power consumption. The number on a UPS is the Maximum Load -- and it is unrelated to run time.
Click to expand...

that's what I was thinking as well. More of a "hurry up and save what u were working on before it craps out" then a alternative power source.

Other then a generator, or a ups... get a large deepcycle marine battery or 2, and an inverter. Charge them up prior to a hurricane so u can run some pumps from it. I would think with some koralias which draw very little power, you ought to get at least 24-36 hrs out of each fully charged battery. It's more of a temporary solution then a long term problem solver.

I think a generator is still the best choice considering those batteries cost at least $100 each, unless u have spare marine batteries on hand like I do. On a unrelated note, while aquariums are bad, boats are an even worse money pit :debi:

Any update though on if your condo has backup power? or is in a hospital / public utilities grid? that way u would only be down 2-3 days max as those are the first things they try to get back online asap.
 
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