Power Failure Ideas

Tswifty

Tswifty

New member
Hey guys, since I'm getting ready to set up my new tank, and more and more $$$ seems to be getting sucked into it. I figure it would be smart to install some type of backup system.

I'm not looking for the battery powered air pump or anything like that. I'm looking for full scale life support.

I've seen some systems that use car batteries, and was wondering... outside of a generator... what options are there?

Thanks.
 
a generator is the best way to go. if your entire house is without power, you can use a gen. to power lot of things besides your tank. :confused:

cold showers are not fun!
 
Yeah I can deal with being stinky for a few days... losing my tank... no way.

Oddly enough there is a thread in the reef discussion forum discussing this that I jumped into. I used to have a ton of links saved regarding power failure solutions, but lost them all.

Tripplite was the manufacturer of the product I was thinking about using, but was wondering if anyone had tried it.
 
I've tried those. They don't last more than a couple hours. One of my friends works on backup power supply systems for major computer centers and setup the system I use.
It consists of a deep cycle 12v car battery, an inverter, and battery charger that is designed to continuously run with a load. So it charges the battery and runs the load at same time. I run my main pump and heater from the inverter.

I've had it run my system for at least 48 hours when the power was out. I hope to get whole house backup generator some day. But this does the trick for now.

I posted the details in our club forum a couple months ago. Let me know if you want more info.
 
After looking at your link in more detail, it looks like it is similar to what I use....but with charger/inverter packaged together. For what it's worth - the charger and inverter I use were about half the cost of that unit.
 
I was also looking for the kind of setup you described rbd0331. Could you post a thread in this section with details and pics if possible. Or, if you have a link to something you already have posted.


Thanks,

Paul
 
I think this is the post from rbd0331-
"I've tried using various UPS, but they never lasted more than couple hrs at best. My buddy works on backup power supplies for big computer rooms and suggested the system I'm now using.

I'm running my main circulation pump with a deep cycle 12V battery, continuous battery charger that can handle running with a load (Samlex SEC-1215A), and an Inverter. So my pump is always running that way. When power goes off, the battery takes over.

Before I moved to my current tank, I had that same backup system take over and run the main pump of my 90-gal more than 24 hrs back when we had that big power outage in August a few years ago. My pump at that time was a Poseidon PS4 and was only drawing about 150 watts. I wasn't running anything else on the backup....just the pump. My tank was in basement, so I wasn't concerned about needing heat or cooling.

Now I'm running that same system on my 180-gal with a Reeflo Barracuda. We've lost power for maybe an hour or two...and it ran that pump with no issues. Probably not the best solution for long term power outages, but works great for the short ones."

Phil
 
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We had power out for almost one week and we used a portable generator to power the fish tank, few lights, heater, and few other small items. If I ever build a house or major remo, I will have a generator installed to power the whole house.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14114354#post14114354 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pgolnick
I think this is the post from rbd0331-
"I've tried using various UPS, but they never lasted more than couple hrs at best. My buddy works on backup power supplies for big computer rooms and suggested the system I'm now using.

I'm running my main circulation pump with a deep cycle 12V battery, continuous battery charger that can handle running with a load (Samlex SEC-1215A), and an Inverter. So my pump is always running that way. When power goes off, the battery takes over.

Before I moved to my current tank, I had that same backup system take over and run the main pump of my 90-gal more than 24 hrs back when we had that big power outage in August a few years ago. My pump at that time was a Poseidon PS4 and was only drawing about 150 watts. I wasn't running anything else on the backup....just the pump. My tank was in basement, so I wasn't concerned about needing heat or cooling.

Now I'm running that same system on my 180-gal with a Reeflo Barracuda. We've lost power for maybe an hour or two...and it ran that pump with no issues. Probably not the best solution for long term power outages, but works great for the short ones."

Phil
Click to expand...

I'm just looking to run the pumps for a few hours and not days. I agree if you are considering days then you should probably just get a generator. rbd0331 says he got 48 hours out of his system. That is more than I am looking for. If I could run return pump two powerheads and skimmer for 24 hours or under I would be happy as HeII.
 
TJ,

A simple inverter that you can pick up at any truck stop is an inexpensive way to go.. That plus a 100' extention cord and you can run your pumps and heater. Total investment is about $50.00. These plug into your car, and you power the inverter off of your car battery. You can run your car periodically to keep the battery charged.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14114845#post14114845 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by USAquatics
TJ,

A simple inverter that you can pick up at any truck stop is an inexpensive way to go.. That plus a 100' extention cord and you can run your pumps and heater. Total investment is about $50.00. These plug into your car, and you power the inverter off of your car battery. You can run your car periodically to keep the battery charged.
Click to expand...

Can you post a link to one so I know what I'm looking for?
 
thats what i was thinking about USAquatics. why sink alot of money into something like that when you can hook this to your car battery. my car/truck is in the garage so it would at the most be 50 ft. i have never had power out for more than a couple of hours out with my tank though. im sure the east siders would be more into the whole house generators.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14114845#post14114845 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by USAquatics
TJ,

A simple inverter that you can pick up at any truck stop is an inexpensive way to go.. That plus a 100' extention cord and you can run your pumps and heater. Total investment is about $50.00. These plug into your car, and you power the inverter off of your car battery. You can run your car periodically to keep the battery charged.
Click to expand...
Agreed.... there's actually a DIY thread somewhere regarding how to build a unit similar to the one I posted.

However, I'm looking for something that I wouldn't need to be home in order to turn on. Like someone else said... maybe something that would get me by for 24hrs - 48hrs. I think any extended period would require a generator.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14115241#post14115241 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 1628mna
thats what i was thinking about USAquatics. why sink alot of money into something like that when you can hook this to your car battery. my car/truck is in the garage so it would at the most be 50 ft. i have never had power out for more than a couple of hours out with my tank though. im sure the east siders would be more into the whole house generators.
Click to expand...
There's a few different models I remembered seeing... I believe they ran anywhere between $250 - $500 depending on the model. I also believe you can connect more than one battery to them.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14114373#post14114373 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JohnnyBassMan
We had power out for almost one week and we used a portable generator to power the fish tank, few lights, heater, and few other small items. If I ever build a house or major remo, I will have a generator installed to power the whole house.
Click to expand...
Agreed... a generator would be needed for an extended outage. I have an ACIII... so that would be able to alert me that power had failed, but if I'm out of town, or can't get back to my tank in a reasonable amount of time... I would like to have a system in place that would give me some time before I either need to get home, power is restored, or I need to rent a generator.

The main goal is not to go into crisis mode as soon as the power goes out. A few hours shouldn't be a big deal... even with no backup system.. I'm concerned about an outage that would last a day or longer.

One of my next purchase will be a battery backup for my Vortech. That will power the MP40 for 30hrs once the power goes out.

So those are basically the type of systems I'm looking for... 24hrs or longer.
 
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