Power Outage backup ideas? How long (usually) are outages in Arlington?

[cdw79]

I've lived in the area for about a year and a half now, and I can't say I have a great plan for what happens if the power goes out. So far this thankfully hasn't happened in Arlington, and I do have a bubbler that comes on whenever power is cut, but that feels like tempting fate.

 

One thing I'm trying to get a sense of is how often power cuts tend to happen in the area, and generally for how long. I'm from down near the Gulf where hurricanes can knock out power for days or weeks, but I'm trying to get a sense of what my backup is realistically going to need to handle. What should I expect for outage frequency / length?

 

As a balcony-less apartment dweller, any kind of gas dweller generators are out of the question, and because I use NERO 5's and not MP40s, from what I can tell all the reef-specific battery backups aren't an option either. Would also really appreciate any recommendations for UPS systems or something equivalent, especially if anyone has experience hooking them up to an Apex. Thanks so much!

 

[ReefdUp]

EF ECOFLOW RIVER Pro Portable Power Station 720Wh, Power Multiple Devices, Recharge 0-80% Within 1 Hour, for Camping, RV, Outdoors, Off-Grid https://a.co/d/5pFzQbz

 

We got rid of our giant gas generator for it, and we even take it camping and to the backyard for random fans and other accessories.

 

There are various sizes, and we sized ours for camping. 

 

We've only had minor power outages here (knock on wood).

[YHSublime]

I lost power all the time in Arlington once I crossed over Glebe Road. Sometimes during the hurricane weather I've lost power for 5 days. Most recently, was about 3 years ago and it was knocked out for 2 days. Really though, it's all arbitrary, you should be ready no matter what. I have one of these inverters, and a marine deep cell cycle battery hooked up to a trickle charger, but I need to be here to set everything up.

 

It saved my hide in Arlington many times, and was enough to also power a box fan so we could sleep. 

[wildcrazyjoker81]

Lookup telegraham on Instagram/YouTube. He has great talks and videos on this exact topic. Lots of great options depending on how far you are wanting to go. He just even was talking about the power loss from the plane that landed in the power wires and how the rare exception shouldn't mean you don't have a plan. 

@telegraham

[cdw79]

27 minutes ago, YHSublime said:

I lost power all the time in Arlington once I crossed over Glebe Road. Sometimes during the hurricane weather I've lost power for 5 days. Most recently, was about 3 years ago and it was knocked out for 2 days. Really though, it's all arbitrary, you should be ready no matter what. I have one of these inverters, and a marine deep cell cycle battery hooked up to a trickle charger, but I need to be here to set everything up.

 

It saved my hide in Arlington many times, and was enough to also power a box fan so we could sleep. 

 

Luckily for me, I hope, I'm just inside Glebe in Ballston, in an apartment building at that. So hopefully that might lean in my favor. But regardless, that does not negate the necessity of having a proper plan in place for a significant power outage. 

 

While it would be nice to have the backup come on automatically, I suppose I'm not completely married to that idea. Ultimately I just want something I can depend on to get me through a ;power outage- whether a few hours or a few days. How exactly do you go about choosing what kind of backup to get? I looked at UPS united and "power banks" that I saw mentioned in some other threads but I don't really know how to size one or how long I could expect a Nero 5 to run on one. I've attached my Apex's readout for power consumption, for what it's worth 

[cdw79]

28 minutes ago, wildcrazyjoker81 said:

Lookup telegraham on Instagram/YouTube. He has great talks and videos on this exact topic. Lots of great options depending on how far you are wanting to go. He just even was talking about the power loss from the plane that landed in the power wires and how the rare exception shouldn't mean you don't have a plan. 

@telegraham

 

I took a look, found him on YouTube but the only related video I saw was one where he compared lead acid batteries to lithium iron phosphate batteries. Any idea where you may have seen other discussions of the topic?

[DarStar301]

I have been testing a 12 volt LiPePO4 40amp battery connected to a Reef Boxx from Puddle to my Gyre pump so keep the water moving incase of a power outage. It will switch over from full power to the battery backup in-case of a power outage.

[wildcrazyjoker81]

2 hours ago, cdw79 said:

 

I took a look, found him on YouTube but the only related video I saw was one where he compared lead acid batteries to lithium iron phosphate batteries. Any idea where you may have seen other discussions of the topic?

https://youtu.be/DFo_1FXhLY4 was the latest video talk.

 

This one is great too.

https://youtu.be/6ZN3VnVuaGU

Edited December 4, 2022 by wildcrazyjoker81
Added another link

[telegraham]

On 12/3/2022 at 8:07 PM, cdw79 said:

I took a look, found him on YouTube but the only related video I saw was one where he compared lead acid batteries to lithium iron phosphate batteries. Any idea where you may have seen other discussions of the topic?

This was was the most complete. It's also on my channel. 

 

[tpallas]

I've also lived in apartments/condos in Ballston for 10+ years (along the metro line with buried utilities). We lose power maybe once or twice a year for a few hours, as far as tanks go it's a non-event.