Power Outage! Generator Questions

[Hef]

My power has been out for a couple hours now. The generator has been running. I've got the Sump running and I would think that would be enough, but my Wrasse is not looking good, all other fish are looking fine. The sump is running around 900 GPH it's a mag 12 pump.

I tried running the Closed Loop, but the Dolphin pump is not getting enough power I think. It doesnt sound right.

Anyway, I can add other small pumps I guess, as you can see I've got my network up

Also, what is the general rule with generators, is there anything that says how long it should run without shutting it off.

 

[eaglewonj]

That would seriously depend on the genny. The one we have hear is natural gas powered and comes on automatically. It is designed to power to entire 100 amp service to the house. Are you using a little hand carry one or one of the wheeled ones from sears and HD? What is the output rating and how much is on it now? If you are too close to the output the pump and everything else won't run right.

 

[Hef]

It's a big Coleman 5500 Watt. I would think I would be fine right now.
My Wrasse is known for sleeping and hiding during lights out. He takes a while to come out in the morning. I just saw him lying there, didnt look good, but all other fish look fine.
Just fed the tank, and the other fish ate.

 

[eaglewonj]

Ok basically 45 amps, which should handle a lot. As long as everything isn't on it. Just give the little guy some more time.

 

[Bax]

Maybe add a PH to stir the top of the water and keep the O2 up?

That what I have done in the past when running generators to keep the tank up.

Keep the generator outside, and I would think you could literally run that generator for days only shutting it off to fuel it. And please, please, please shut it off to fuel it.

... sounds like basic common sence, but, you'd be suprised

 

[ken6217]

No way the wrasse would be affected by no power for a couple of hours.
Ken

 

[the tiler]

You can keep the Generator running all day and night if you want.
I Have
Just keep checking the oil
I use mine to run a few lights the fridge and the pump for the tank
I would not run the tank lights on it

Jason

 

[Hef]

Generator is running pretty rough right now, Sure seems to use a lot of gas. I'll probably have to go get more gas before tonight.
I've had this generator for about 5 years, this is the first time I've really used it.
I'm actually gonna go read the manual.

 

[Hef]

Seems like it's using at least 2 gallons/hour. Gonna be a long night.

 

[Phyl]

Hopefully it doesn't take them all night to get power back to you, Hef! My wrasses "sleep" during low light periods also. They're such funny fish. They don't care if you're feeding the tank when they're sleeping. They don't "wake up" for anything.

If it is going through that much gas, check on the oil for sure.

 

[Hef]

Just went and got 5 more gallons. I did check the oil, looks fine. My biggest concern right now is keeping the Temp. Up in the tank. It has dropped down to 75 deg. When I crank up the Gen. I can bring it back only to about 77, and it continues to drop. I even added a 3rd, Heater and I'm still not getting the temp up. I'm going to let the Gen run for a few hours straight right now to see what happens.

Phyl, it is funny the way those Wrasses do that. You've probably worried about them the way I do. I've tried to feed the tank also, and they never come out until they are good and ready.

I would imagine there are a few others without power right now, and do not have the means to check in like I am. Hope everyone is ok.

Hef

 

[the tiler]

Hef
When I use my Generator at work it runs all day and I never shut it off .
I would not shut it off
There is really no reason to
Is it getting cold because of no heat in the house??
I know it is a pretty big outage because someone I know has no power in Howell

Jason

 

[Hef]

Yea, there is No Heat in the house. House is down to about 60 right now, a good fire going in the living room keeping it kind of warm.
I cant believe how long it takes to raise the temp of the tank. Gen has been running for 2 1/2 hours straight, with 3 heaters on and the temp has only risen 1 degree.


I will leave the gen on, but as I said it seems to be using a lot of gas. I cant find the exact specs on mine, but others seem to say 10 to 12 hours on a full tank. That would be great, but I'm not getting that.

 

[Phyl]

Have you wrapped the tank in blankets? That should help it hold the heat. You're probably losing some through the glass.


And YES! We got a new wrasse the other day. Two days later when we were feeding the tank he was no where to be found. We looked on the floor, the overflows, sump, etc. Couldn't find it anywhere. Assumed that the eel had eaten the remains (!? what else could result in it being completely gone!?)

The next day he was swimming around like nothing. Funny fish.

 

[Bax]

Two gallons an hour is an awful lot for a 5500 watt gen!

This may sound silly, but do you still have the choke on?

Does it have a throttle adjustment or is it automatic?

You don;t have all the heat from your pumps either, def throw another heater in there it could be a long night.

 

[Hef]

Temp continues to rise. Gas usage has dropped a lot. I guess the generator broke in a little as the day went on.

The JCP&L trucks were just in front of my house, a good sign, but they just cut down a few trees.
I need Power.

 

[revclyburn]

I hope all goes well for you Hef,

we sometimes have power outages here in my complex and it takes all day for them to restore power. I saw them working on rt. 9 on my way to work and all I could think about was my family and tank at home without power and it's cold outside. They can pave a million roads, and eat millions of dollars up in the process, but when it comes to electricity, it's a all day process, go figure.

rev

 

[Hef]

Power is back up! They teased us for a while around 10:00pm. Turned it up for about 10 minutes then shut us down again. I took a quick ride around town, you've never seen so many power trucks in one little town. With all the downed trees everywhere I was surprised to see the power come back on when it did.
It's been on for close to an hour now, the house is warming up.
Just for future reference -
It takes 2 1/2 hours to raise a tank 1 degree, and less than an hour to drop it that same one degree when the power goes out.

When your power goes out in winter, pay attention to the temp.

Thanks for everything. Been a long day, sure is quiet around here without that generator running. I'm sure the neighbors are happy.

Hef