Using the Apex on a UPS

cordell

New member
I'm thinking about buying a UPS to plug my EB8 into to keep a small pump and maybe air bubbler running in case of a power outage while we are gone for a week on vacation this summer. Last summer, as expected, the power went out while we were gone for a week, and I had to burden somebody to help keep my tank alive until the power resumed. Trying to avoid that this summer..

So my question: I see most people plug the EB8 into the UPS, and have added programming to each outlet to determine which outlets should stay on or off during a power outage. By plugging the entire EB8 into the UPS, the entire load running on the EB8 is drawn through one outlet on the UPS. I'm trying to locate some numbers on the APC site about the maximum amperage draw on each UPS protected outlet, but am having no luck. I have found that the max amp draw for the whole UPS is 12A, but nothing per-outlet specific.

I normally draw under 5A on my EB8, so I just want to make sure that there is no problem with the UPS delivering 5A on a single outlet. This of course isn't during a power outage, as the draw will be minimal, probably around 15 watts for a powerhead, but while the power is on, everything will be running at a max of 5A. I haven't seen any posts about this, so am I being too cautious here?

Also, is it possible to have a pump turn on and off intermittently during a power outage to help preserve battery life of the UPS? Say, have a powerhead run for 5 minutes, then off for 10 minutes, while on battery power. This should preserve the UPS battery and keep the Apex monitoring alive longer. What do you guys think? I'm thinking about getting a couple APC BE550G's, one for Apex, other for router/DSL.
 
Also, is it possible to have a pump turn on and off intermittently during a power outage to help preserve battery life of the UPS?

Just use the Oscillate statement. To keep from cycling all other times, follow the oscillate with the 'if power' statement. So for example, in your power head outlet:

osc 0:00/5:00/10:00 then ON
If Power EB8_3 ON 000 then ON

If power is ON then the power head is ON 100% of the time. If power is OFF then the oscillate takes over and cycles power on/off.

* as with any code, please test in your environment before relying on in your tank.
 
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