Ultimate battery back up is?

[ToLearn]

Lots of threads on this forum under search, but not seeing what I am looking for. I want to know what is the ultimate, best battery back up option for two large Tunze stream pumps and return pump. Not trying to penny pinch here, but do what is best for the animals and keep things safe in the house.

Please do not recommend that I go to a battery site and search through their selection for certain types. I am looking for a specific item I can find and buy. I am also not concerned with finding something today locally or paying for shipping.

I also would like to find a charger for the battery that will tell me how much life is left on the battery.

I have seen some threads that state if you use a battery the pump will not run at full power? Is this always the case with any battery?

What are the safety risks for keeping these batteries indoor?

Also plan to hook up a solar panel, but will need to purchase a significant length of wire and I am not sure what type of solar panel would be best.

Obviously the ultimate ultimate would be a whole house generator or whole house solar panels, just looking at batteries in this thread please.

 

[raidendex]

I'm thinking about buying this
http://www.amazon.com/CyberPower-CP...UTF8&colid=M6HPCYWWZOZ5&coliid=I2YA3L2W2ZAR9L

There are few versions with less or more watts as well as another version that does not produce a true sine wave for a bit cheaper.

I'm not sure how long it would be able to run different things exactly, but mainly want it for the moments when lights flicker and everything restarts, so it should be able to at least keep whole tank running for a few minutes. Pumps only it probably can do for quite a bit longer.

To back them up
http://www.amazon.com/WEN-56352-Pow...UTF8&colid=M6HPCYWWZOZ5&coliid=I1O2K76M8KJQAN

Both items are on my wish list for now, so I don't actually have it. Although I do have 800w versions of the UPS and they work just fine for my computers. One nice feature is that they show how many watts are being used atm.

 

[rvitko]

First, the pumps are 24V, so in a typical 12V back up, yes, the pumps will not be at full power, roughly half, but you are only concerned with having enough flow to keep things alive and really 2 days of backup is the practical limit, very little is likely to live after 2 days of no light, no temperature control (assuming your AC will be out) and no filtration.

One option will be an off the shelf UPS, the pros are it is self contained and complete and because it puts out 115V AC you would have full power. You do not need a true sin wave type for the DC pumps, the pump gets DC power and the electronics generate their own frequency. I have no advice on brand, etc. The major con in this is that it is inefficient, you are converting DC from a charged SLA battery in the unit to AC with and inverter and back to DC with a switching power supply, as a result the battery lasts less time than a straight 12V DC connection.

The other option would be a 6105.500 safety connector for each pump. They could share a large battery, I could recommend a battery size but I would need to know the pump model to calculate the aH needed for a certain run time. You would also need a charger to maintain the battery and their are more advanced trickle charges that indicate battery charge. For safety you would use a SLA battery, these do not vent gasses, however, electricity and salt water is inherently hazardous, if the battery were to get wet and bridge the terminals, it would likely catch fire, but this risk is present in any case, this same battery type is what is in an off the shelf UPS, though some smaller models might use lithium batteries, but as you can see from stories of exploding laptops and cell phones, it isn't a necessarily safer option. This is essentially a DIY option so you have to do the wiring. The pros are the batteries are easily swapped, in an emergency you could use your car battery or even lantern batteries. You can also use the charger of your choice, including solar so they recharge during the day and extend the run time. It is also far more efficient. Keep in mind though that the 6105.500 will not necesarily work with a non Tunze controller as most other brands of controller need a source of power as well so unless you disconnect the controller the pumps will not run. Our controllers are powered by the pumps so everything continues uninterrupted at lower power.

 

[ToLearn]

"I could recommend a battery size but I would need to know the pump model to calculate the aH needed for a certain run time. "

Wouldn't the ultimate best option be the same regardless of the pump? Bigger pump obviously less run time then a smaller pump. Or is it the case you would not want to use a same battery for the smallest Tunze that you would use for the largest pump?

If a hurricane hits in the summer when the temperatures outside are between 75-82*F then the temperature of the tanks are likely to be fine. As far as lighting I would disagree about 2 days. A lot of stony corals will come back after being buried in rock work for a significant amount of time.

 

[rvitko]

It is the cumulative stress I was referring to, not the light itself. No filter, no temp control, no light, it will take a toll. As a general rule any living thing can tolerate and adjust for one parameter being out of whack, but as you increase the number of parameters that are amiss, you reduce the likelihood of survival exponentially. I am in TX and grew up in south texas and typically after a hurricane it is unbearably hot and humid 95+, so I may not be familiar with your location and hurricane season but at least around here, I can't see anything living past a couple days. If your weather is mild and with some luck, it could be possible.

In general it is the same set up, it is the size of battery that is different, besides the size and space required, their is no functional difference. You could just get the biggest SLA you can find but it will take up more space and they usually use heavy duty lugs like a car battery so the wiring is also more difficult. A smaller battery will just use slide on terminals and the wiring is far easier, just crimp connections and it is more compact. To me the ultimate would be 10 aH per pump (6055-6105) and a solar charger mounted outside a nearby window. This way you would have roughly 10-12 hrs of runtime and charging during the day to extend it which would vary with solar panel size and sunlight from running all day and battery draining down overnight. It would also be a compact package and it will cover the majority of emergencies.

 

[jjk_reef00]

If I had the cash I'd want a natural gass powered generator which would protect me against any normal power outage I'd see in Tucson. If you are dealing with hurricanes and natural disaster than things get much more difficult and a gas generator may be worth the money.

Right now I have neither, and I have have a large car sized SLA battery, a 6105.500 safety connector, and I'm using a Tunze controller because, as Roger mentions, the fancy controllers turn the pumps off when the controller is not powered. I got mine at batteries plus. I took in the safty conector told them what I was trying to do and they showed me a number of different battery sizes, a trickly charger, and some connector pieces.