Power Outage?

[chopsuey]

I have read a few threads on RC and seen the devastation that a power outage can cause in just a short period of time. So I wanted to ask what types of measures do you take in case of power outages?

Battery Backup, Portable Generator, Extension cord to the neighbor’s house....

I know that if you’re on vacation or not home at the time there is little you can do if your power goes out; but what can you do if your home when it happens?

How soon does stuff in your tank start to die? What can you do to maintain your tank until the power is restored? Any and all suggestions please.

 

[PelagicMagic]

the most important thing is to keep water moving in the tank which provides O2. Corals can go a few days w/o lights but not very long w/o oxygen. People who keep large amounts of fish have it harder since the more fish you have the more O2 you will need, fish die and your water becomes polluted and corals will die, rtn, etc. I bought a generator in july to protect my investment. What upsets me is that we had a lot of hurricanes last season in FL and I didn’t have a generator, this year I went out and got one and we have not had one hurricane hit. We do have frequent blackouts every 5 months so it comes in handy but I did get it for hurricanes (weeks w/o power) and yet to see a wind gust.

I do travel and when I am gone my neighbor keeps an eye on the tank daily. If there is a problem he has a list of people to call to fix it. It pays to meet local hobbyists and to take turns being “on call” to help you out when you are out of town. I have seen articles where those who do not have generators use battery air pumps and cordless drills with a paint stir attachment to oxygenate the water. Being prepared is the best thing you can do. If you have a generator make sure you can set it up with the lights off and heavy rains. Have a location to place the generator so it does not get wet, yet does not fill the house with carbon monoxide. If you don’t plan this out it can take hours to set a generator up. Hours trying to get the gen to run = hours that your tank is Stagnant . Also keep enough gas on hand to keep it running.

 

[PelagicMagic]

Also if you have a generator make sure you start and run it every 4 weeks. I run mine every 2 weeks. A generator that won't start is useless

 

[RobsReefs]

also a dc- to- ac power inverter and deep cycle batt. will work for a short time.

 

[israelnajar]

How about setting up solar panels. Not only will it work when the power goes out. It is free electricity, and any excess can be sold to the power company. That is if it set up as a whole house system.

 

[Mighty Dread]

I have two battery powered air pumps. If I lose power I will at lease be able to aerate the water until power is restored.

 

[tkeracer619]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8346850#post8346850 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by israelnajar
How about setting up solar panels. Not only will it work when the power goes out. It is free electricity, and any excess can be sold to the power company. That is if it set up as a whole house system.

I was looking into this. Individual panels are now able to produce ~180w. Surely some of the smaller units would be able to charge a system that could run your tank for a while. In a few years when panels are reaching higher wattages it might even become practical or standard practice on newer homes. You never know. I think it would be easy to make a version to airate your tank in case of faliure with hobby parts and panels available.

Drop $3000 on an electrical system that pays for itself in 5 years. Then produces Free energy and maybe a paycheck for the next 10 years or longer. Sounds good to me. Can I attach a windmill also, can be quite windy in colorado.

My parents house has water heated by solor panels. Hey thats been free for about 8 years now.

 

[macawdad2003]

I bought a generator in july to protect my investment. What upsets me is that we had a lot of hurricanes last season in FL and I didn’t have a generator, this year I went out and got one and we have not had one hurricane hit. We do have frequent blackouts every 5 months so it comes in handy but I did get it for hurricanes (weeks w/o power) and yet to see a wind gust.

We lost our tank in the 2004 Hurricane season. Didn't have a generator at that time. Lost everything . Went almost a month total w/o power. We have a generator now and moved off the coast. I finally have the nerve to take up the hobby again.

And I agree about making sure you check your generator every 4-6 weeks to make sure it will run when you need it.

 

[samtheman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8346850#post8346850 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by israelnajar
How about setting up solar panels. Not only will it work when the power goes out. It is free electricity, and any excess can be sold to the power company. That is if it set up as a whole house system.

Just the meter for reversing will cost thousands of dollars. Unless you install batteries, there is no power when the sun is down. The batteries and inverter will cost several more thousand. An automatic generator is much less.