Power Going Out- Need Generator Help

[Capnbob]

I'm sorry, I know this is slightly off topic but I am really in need of help here or my reef tank will be full of dead critters.

My electric company is doing mainanance on monday and the power will be out for about 8 hours. I need to get a generator but I don't know what kind.

Does anyone know what kind of generator I would need to power the following equipment?

46 gallon bowfront:

Rena XP3 Canister Filter

Coralife Super Skimmer for up to 65 gallons

Two Maxi-Jet 1200's with Hydor Flo water deflectors.

Current USA 36" Power Compacts w/ 1 - Dual Daylight Lamp (10,000K and 6,700K) and 1 - Dual Actinic Lamp (420nm and 460nm).

200 Watt Marineland Stealth heater

Also, I'd need to power my freshwater tank which only has a filter and a few power heads and some weak lights.

Would 25 K/W be enough? Again, I'm sorry but I don't know anything about this sort of stuff.

Thanks a lot in advanced!

 

[bureau13]

I suspect it would be plenty, but it all depends on the wattage requirements of the equipment of course. You could always turn off half your lights or something, but I don't think it would be necessary.

jds

 

[mwm6]

Capnbob,

If you intend to buy a 25KW generator, you could run your entire house.

Based on the info, you should be able to get away with a unit as small as 3 KW (or 3000 watts). None of your pumps are large, so inrush current shouldn't be a factor. You may end up having to stage the start-up of your loads individually, but a 3KW should maintain service to the load you mention. However, if you ever plan to upgrade your tank, or you want some additional loads on the generator, and you have the money, get a larger unit......not 25KW though, unless you just want to have the option to power lots of stuff other than tanks.

 

[pili]

A 3000w generator would be more than enough to power your tank. I have a 3000w Honda generator that can power my 40g (250 somthing watt T-5, 6 powerheads, heater, everything) and a 90g FW with 4x65w PCs, 300w heater, and a 80w return pump. It can easily run those and i still have power for some lamps and computers and stuff.

If you do get a smaller generator, get a honda, they are the most reliable and the quietest.

 

[poppin_fresh]

25KW?? Thats a huge generator! How much are you planning on spending? I have a 5KW that cost about $700.00. It will run my well, furnace, refrigerator and some lights and stuff, way more than your tank setup. It would run 1/2 my house and my tank at the same time.

 

[jjmg]

I'd go to a WalMart in the auto section and get a power convertor. Then, if you don't already have one, get a spare auto battery. I always use the one from our extra car since I can recharge it by putting it back in the car, then just run a couple of power heads for the time the power is off. The tank doesn't need the skimmer or the lights for the 8 hours. If it's cold you could also run a heater.

The battery will last the entire time and the tank will do just fine with the powerheads and heater (if required). Following several hurricanes in the past few years I've kept my tanks alive using this method for up to 9 days. When the battery starts to go low put it back in the car and recharge it ( we always looked for ice, but that won't be a problem for you).

 

[bureau13]

Too funny...for some reason I read 25KW as half of my 5KW generator. Damned decimal points!

jds

 

[Capnbob]

Actually, I have a new question...

Will I really NEED a generator??? Could I just get a battery-powered air pump to keep some water circulating while the power's out? They said it would be out from about 7 AM to 5 PM at the LATEST. I called and they said they'd probably have it done by about 2 PM though.

So do I even need to get a generator? I'll be missing my sisters baby shower if I have to stay home to run a generator all day : (

 

[mc-cro]

My power was out from 9:30pm thursday till about 2:00pm friday-
becasuse of stroms. over 16hrs.......no power at all. no airpumps, heaters, nothing. Much to my relief, everything survived. I would not recommend it, but its possible to survive.

I think you could survive with a small battery powered air pump

 

[reefsahoy]

i live in miami fl and after the hurricanes of last year the electricity was out for 4 days. i have a 3kwatt generator and it'll definately run everything you have there and then some. i didn't turn my tank on for about 2 days and when i did i only turn it on for 3 hours a day. nothing died in my tank! the only discomfort was i was hot because of no ac

 

[twkenny]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6929416#post6929416 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Capnbob
Actually, I have a new question...

Will I really NEED a generator??? Could I just get a battery-powered air pump to keep some water circulating while the power's out? They said it would be out from about 7 AM to 5 PM at the LATEST. I called and they said they'd probably have it done by about 2 PM though.

So do I even need to get a generator? I'll be missing my sisters baby shower if I have to stay home to run a generator all day : (

There are a few options that I can think of. What kind of temps can you expect in your house that day? If it's not going to be too hot or too cold, I'd just use some type of battery (car battery, deep cycle marine, or even one of those self contained jump start devices hoked to an inverter (for the stand-alone batteries) and run a powerhead pointed up at an angle to really ripple the surface.
I went three days after a hurricane with no generator (I have one now!) and didn't lose a thing. Don't worry about your lights or any devices.
In all honesty, you'll probably be fine with nothing, but I'd want the water moving some. I'd run one of your maxi-jets and one of the powerheads in the FW tank and not think twice about it.
Enjoy the shower. Fish will be fine.

 

[Drewpy]

DC to AC inverter with a deep cycle battery or two is a good option for power outs...

But once you have a generator-- you'll wonder why u ever lived without one... Not just for the aquarium but for everything...
electric starting 5000k to 7000K will run all the necesities on most homes with little hassle. It can be hook up to a seperate circuit breaker so that it comes on with the flick of a few switches

 

[Capnbob]

Luckily, I found someone who owns a generator so I'm not so worried about it now.

The problem before was that I wouldn't be back in town before all the rental places closed so now I'm set. I'll just use the generator.

Thanks for the help everyone. :rollface:

 

[Sk8r]

If you have a UPS for your computer, in an emergency, it can keep a certain amount of equipment going, while you find another solution. Priority to heater, pumps, skimmer, and lowest wattage lights.

 

[rickh]

The UPS is useless. They are designed to run your computer for a few minutes while it shuts down. Heaters require many watts. A UPS to run a few power heads and a 200 watt heater would cost over $100 and only run the equipment a few minutes. A power inverter plugged into your RUNNING car is the best thing for the occasional power outage. My 1994 Civic idled for about 30 hours last month during an ice storm. A generator is nice, but you have to buy it before the emergency. R

 

[stainlessdonkey]

I too run an inverter, it's an old school 30 pound brick, but it ran my fridge and all my AV equipment in addition to my 55g reef a few years back when most of the northeast went black. Ran it off my blazer with a 130 amp alternator with no problems.

 

[Mike.B]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6938255#post6938255 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stainlessdonkey
I too run an inverter, it's an old school 30 pound brick, but it ran my fridge and all my AV equipment in addition to my 55g reef a few years back when most of the northeast went black. Ran it off my blazer with a 130 amp alternator with no problems.

nice alternator, mines 70, I want to get a 100

 

[Capnbob]

Well this turned out to be quite the hassle. I found a friend who had a generator. I went to pick it up sunday evening and he couldn't get it started. It was 4:15 pm and the rental place closed at 4:30. I called them and they told me they would stay open for me to drive there. I get there and they realize they're out of generators. So they called their other location (located across town) and talked one of their guys into staying late so I could pick up their generator. I drive across town to get this thing and it wouldn't find in my car.

So I woke up this morning at 5:30 AM called in to work then drove over to rent one from Home Depot. I didn't even know they rented stuff but alas they do and I'm lucky for it.

I live in an apartment complex and I'm pretty sure the neighbors didn't like the generator running at 7 AM this morning.

Anyway, the power's back on and everything's fine. Thanks for the help.