squiddly June 4, 2008 Share June 4, 2008 Now might be a really good time for some of our longstanding members to post about how we can keep our tanks going given that 250,000 people are out of power in VA alone. It might be really useful. I'm lucky in that our generator is running for the moment. What a mess out there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesbuf June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 The ones reading this post are the lucky ones. I was thinking about this when I was watching the news earlier. What if I were to lose power for a day or more. I remember someone building a power backup out of a car battery. Does anyone have DIY instructions for something like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnetic1 June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 The ones reading this post are the lucky ones. I was thinking about this when I was watching the news earlier. What if I were to lose power for a day or more. I remember someone building a power backup out of a car battery. Does anyone have DIY instructions for something like this? James, depending on the capacity of the battery and how many pumps you are running it should last quite a bit of time. Hook up a power inverter to it and youre good to go! If you need to charge the battery, hook to your car and run it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesbuf June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 James, depending on the capacity of the battery and how many pumps you are running it should last quite a bit of time. Hook up a power inverter to it and youre good to go! If you need to charge the battery, hook to your car and run it I have one of those converters you plug into a cigarette lighter outlet in the car. Would this work? At least I figure I could run my car for a little while and run an extension cord inside Sorry for the highjack by the way. Hopefully it'll helps everyone. A potential backup for under $100 would be nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 Geez, I'm in Roanoke and heard about all the weather you're having! I called home and, luckily, we're one of the households that still has power. That's a darn good thing as my wife wouldn't know what to do as I've not yet set up a backup power plan. I guess that I've got some work to do when I get home! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnetic1 June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 I have one of those converters you plug into a cigarette lighter outlet in the car. Would this work? At least I figure I could run my car for a little while and run an extension cord inside Sorry for the highjack by the way. Hopefully it'll helps everyone. A potential backup for under $100 would be nice. That would work, but it would be best to have one you can both attach directly to a battery. That way you dont have to run a long extension cord to your car. When the battery is almost dead, you can hook a charger up to it and charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnybv June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 My battery back up kicked in several times today, worth every penny! James the DIY battery backups that we did as a club blew up......not a good choice to depend on. the simple car battery with an inverter will work fine if you are there to set it up when the power goes out. just think of the investments you have in your tank and what it would cost to replace it all, then look at the cost of a back up system, it makes sense. Here are a few options that I know of, listed from cheapest to most expensive....anyone please feel free if you have some more experience with some of the generators (kinda flew by the seat of my pants on thoese) 1 -- simple power inverter running off the car, simple, cost less than $100 can run a few power heads, the down fall....you have to be there to hook it up. 2- computer battery back up approx $200 for a decent one, run a few power heads for a short period of time, will autoswitch when power is out. 3- battery back up from BRK -- cost about $500 set up with one battery, can link several batteries together to extend run time, auto switch when power goes out, keeps batteries charged at all times, runs several powerheads and airpumps for 24 - 48 hours ++ 4 - small gas generator -- cost 300 - $1000, will run for several hours could probably run your main return pump and a few powerheads, you have to set it up when power goes out, have to go outside to get it running, makes moise, uses gas @ $4 a gallon..... 5- Auto matic small generator, same as above, auto switches when power goes out cost $ 1500 ++ 6- whole house backup -- several thousand dollars, full auto switch, runs for days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen-gineer June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 Aldi (the grocery store) has (or had, in some areas) a 6000w generator for $400. Itd be a nice choice for keeping the house and tank running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 I hooked up my Tripplite battery backup system tonight - Wal-Mart finally got the battery I wanted in stock. It appears to be all charged up and ready - but I haven't tested it yet. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highland Reefer June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 After the last hurricane came through, I lost power for a week. I went out and bought a gas generator to keep everything running, which worked ok. I have not had to use it for electrical backup for the house since. I have used it on jobs, which keeps the gas & oil up to date. It's nice having it in case I need it. If you get a 10K generator, it should keep your refrig., freezer & aquarium and minor appliances working. You should figure about 1 K per refrig, freezer & chiller. appliances can add up quick. I have had my electric go out for several hours and never worried about it & never had problems. I do have a wood burning stove for heat and do not have to worry about the winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLazar June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 Power is finally back on as of 1:30am. We lost power for over 5 hours yesterday and spent some time in the basement as the storm raged outside. Pretty scary stuff. Not sure of damage in our area, but last hurricane took out 26 homes less than 3 miles from us. Jon's talked about wanting to get a generator for years to keep the tank going (I usually think about fridge/freezer loss and house needs first) but it wasn't until last night that I thought we really have to make it a priority to look into a power source. This post is timing at its best. We weathered the storm okay, it was an interesting experience for my folks who are on their 2nd day here on vacation and my oldest son who came over to have dinner with everyone. Once the storm passed and we were out of the basement we pulled out extra candles and played some games for a couple of hours, sharing laughs and family memories, so it wasn't all bad....... and I think the tanks will be fine too because Jon put battery-operated air pumps in them. I hope everyone else is okay too. Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onux20 June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 Looks like the power was out from 3pm until 1am. I went down and put the main and fuge lights back on the right sked. Tank temp was down to 71 and the ph 7.8. Havent seen my chromis but the pygmy angel and clown SEEM to look okay as with most of the coral. Xenia looks a little stressed. We'll see how everyone looks when I get home from work tomorrow...or umm today. As for back up, I think my budget can support an UPS. The question is do I put the return pump on the UPS or a power head? I figure the power head, koralia nano, will draw less juice and last longer but the return would probably oxygenate better but may draw more power and therefore not last as long. Thoughts? Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnetic1 June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 Looks like the power was out from 3pm until 1am. I went down and put the main and fuge lights back on the right sked. Tank temp was down to 71 and the ph 7.8. Havent seen my chromis but the pygmy angel and clown SEEM to look okay as with most of the coral. Xenia looks a little stressed. We'll see how everyone looks when I get home from work tomorrow...or umm today. As for back up, I think my budget can support an UPS. The question is do I put the return pump on the UPS or a power head? I figure the power head, koralia nano, will draw less juice and last longer but the return would probably oxygenate better but may draw more power and therefore not last as long. Thoughts? Ron Ron, you probably dont need to run a return pump. Forget the skimmer and all that jazz during the power outage. Make sure you have water flow from powerheads and for oxygenation, maybe use a battery powered air pump or hook that up to the UPS. The less stuff you hookup to the UPS, the longer it will run! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extreme_tooth_decay June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 That would work, but it would be best to have one you can both attach directly to a battery. That way you dont have to run a long extension cord to your car. When the battery is almost dead, you can hook a charger up to it and charge. That's hard to do when you don't have power! I think an inverter connected to a running car with extension cord is a great idea. That's what I do. tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnetic1 June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 That's hard to do when you don't have power! I think an inverter connected to a running car with extension cord is a great idea. That's what I do. tim I meant once power is back, you charge the battery for next time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidm June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 (edited) I have automatic battery operated air pumps, a car battery inverter and gas generator. I must admit I almost never fire up the generator expect when the outage lasts more than a day. I think my wife and neighbors (but not my corals) appreciate this. What always gets me is the drop in the tank's water level. Nomally no matter how many holes I bore in the return to the main tank near the water line the return line always manages to suck some water back. Also, the drain lines manage to lower the water more than I would want - it probably wouldn't be a problem except some corals are hitting the water surface when it's at the normal level - I guess I should trim those back. What I'd like to find on the market is a RECHARGEABLE battery air pump. Finding batteries in the dark for those air powered pumps can be a pain. Anyone know of any? David update: if I get one of these, does anyone know how can I modify it, or put in an additional 'circuit' so it stays off until the 120V power goes out? http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...cfm?pcatid=8120 also has anyone considered having a gas cylinder (like those for Ca reactors) except filled with either 100% oxygen or room air with a value that turns on when the power goes out. I expect a 5# cylinder would last a long time, and you could put many bubblers on it. easy to keep track of the reserve with the pressure gauge. just a thought. thanks, David Edited June 5, 2008 by davidm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leishman June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 power out @ 3:30pm yesterday. still out. No back-up. Basement already smells like acropora. Anyone close to Chevy Chase with a spare generator will rent for frags This sucks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squiddly June 5, 2008 Author Share June 5, 2008 Our power is still down. Luckily for us, we made the investment about 7 years ago for a mostly whole house generator. However, we still can't run everything, and we opt to shut down the lights and protein skimmer while we're down. If it lasts 24 hours, we'll put them on for short bursts. The Aquacontroller III decided to pop a breaker to the DC8 and it yelled at me this morning that things got a bit cool. It's a bit bothersome that it popped like that. However its back in and it only dropped to 77.9 which isn't horrible under the circumstances. Most of the house's AC will be down until we get power, but the room with the tank has AC so we'll likely be sleeping there tonight if things go on :-). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtfleming June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 Just curious with the battery backup's does anyone run their heater also? I serious need to invest in somesort of backup for my tanks. Looking at running powerheads or airpumps and possibly the heater also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkb8 June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 My experience and tips for the electrically challenged, like me: I live in Springfield, work in Falls Church. 3pm the wind and rain hit like nothing I've ever seen before, ever. Power went out about 5 minutes later both here and our house in Springfield (near Burke). Got home at 5pm (dodging trees, flashing lights at intersections, power lines, blocked roads, branches, etc). Immediately left for mad hunt for battery-powered air pump after I could not find the one I thought I had ... Went to Wal-Mart and got batteries, but no pump there. Went to Petco on Old Keene Mill Rd., power was out, store closed. Went to Petsmart in downtown Springfield, same story. However, they told me to just dump some hydrogen peroxide in the tank and all would be fine (thanks guys, great help). Went to K-Mart - no pumps. I went to Target across the street. Oddly Springfield Mall had power, but all the stores across the street had no power. Target had nothing in the line of fish supplies. I figured BRK was closed ... Panic set in. Its now 8pm. Last time this happened I lost 90% of my livestock including two extra large tangs, coral beauty, etc etc etc. 103.5 fm is saying the power could be off for days. Tornadoes in the area hit several power lines and close to 300,000 residents are without power. I stumble through Target into the mall. Thinking - maybe they make cell phone chargers that run on batteries that would run a small pump? No go. Those things only have jacks for the little round inlets in the cell phones, nothing to actually plug a 2-pronged plug into. Ok, how about ... RADIO SHACK! I dash to the Shack. Indian woman running the store talking on cell phone has no idea what I'm talking about and basically ignores me. Young teenage-looking kid behind the counter says, "uhh, I dunno, but we got these computer emergency battery back up thingies here behind the counter ..." I figure those cost $50 or more and maybe will buy me an hour, maybe less. Right next to the computer backups is this gadget: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.js...rentPage=search Power inverter - that sounds good! I have no idea what that means, but sounds promising! Invert is like "convert" as in convert DC to AC?? Next to that ... these: http://carpc.kyferez.com/Products/products.php?id=13 Now my ignorance kicks in strong. Ok, the PC battery backup says 400 VAmps. Whatever that means. The battery I have in my hand is 12 volts, 7 AHr ... is a 7 Ahr better than 400 VAmps??? I took a guess and bought the 12V battery and the inverter (actually bought two batteries just in case). Dash to the house and quickly set up inverter with my little 12v lead acid battery. Plug in Whisper dual air pump and flip switch. We got power and we got air in the tank. It is now 9pm and the temp in my 90g reef is down to 71 degrees. The inverter has two outlets so I figure, what the heck, I can push my luck because i have two of these batteries. I plug in a little Maxijet 600 or whatever it is (smallest powerhead in my tank) and go for broke. At this point the chalk bass and copperband butterfly (which I JUST BOUGHT) are NOT looking good. Not swimming sideways yet but gills are not flapping at the usual rate, discoloration evident and lethargic. My new extra large purple tang is very skiddish and losing color .... I cross my fingers and hope. 11:30pm the pump and powerhead are still runnning and I get to sleep. We leave lights on in the house so that if the power goes back on, I can get up and get the refugium going again, etc. 1:30am power is back on! Lots of beeping coming from the basement. I dash downstairs and the inverter is beeping (its a low battery alarm that cuts off power at 11 watts or something so you don't totally drain your battery). I think, but am not certain, that the alarm went off just about at the same time the power went back on. So that means this little gadget ran the powerhead and air hose for about 4 hours, maybe a little less. Not bad!! Refugium is back up and running now, heaters are back on-line, wavemaker is working, etc. I went back to sleep. This morning, wonderig if anyone in Falls Church has power, the tank is back to 78-79 degrees and all looks well. Butterfly and tang have their color back, but no sign of wrasses or chalk bass .... And Falls Church has power and I am back at work, bummer ... Best investment I ever made at Radio Shack. I am now going to stock up on those batteries. Apparently they are also rechargeable. So I have to figure out how to recharge it now. Anyone know how to do that? I'm not sure this was the best solution, but it worked well for me and I think it saved my livestock. I'm sure others have better solutions, but its what I had to work with. Would the computer backups have been a better choice? I don't know. I don't know what the downsides are to the inverter I bought or the lead acid batteries .... etc. But at least this electrically-challenged reefer didn't lose any fish last night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilary June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 update: if I get one of these, does anyone know how can I modify it, or put in an additional 'circuit' so it stays off until the 120V power goes out? http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...cfm?pcatid=8120 Has anybody tried these just as they come - maybe just plug them in if a storm is forecast just in case? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnetic1 June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 Best investment I ever made at Radio Shack. I am now going to stock up on those batteries. Apparently they are also rechargeable. So I have to figure out how to recharge it now. Anyone know how to do that? You should be able to use a car battery charger. Something like this: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02871222000P?mv=rr you might be able to find cheaper elsewhere, just make sure it has automatic shutoff when the battery is fully charged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonkadawg June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 not sure if you guys saw this or not? http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=8298 I'm hoping that someone who has already done this will post up their experience. It does look like several people had problems with the inverters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkb8 June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 not sure if you guys saw this or not? http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=8298 I'm hoping that someone who has already done this will post up their experience. It does look like several people had problems with the inverters. wayyyyy over my head .... even just reading the first sentence of the first post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonkadawg June 5, 2008 Share June 5, 2008 wayyyyy over my head .... even just reading the first sentence of the first post. basically you have a car battery that will power things when a relay detects that the power in the house has been lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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