Der ABT July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 might as well start this topic with all the recent damage done. wanted to start a list of things that you should really think about or do to really be prepared for most everything. would like to get a bunch of suggestions and then make a list maybe for a sticky at some point. Cheap but Very effective 1)Auto on battery air pump, im seeing them for around 15-20 dollars....my next investment 2)battery back up for circulation- ecotech battery back up, power inverter with marine or car battery, UPC etc. 3)foam to help insulate the tank from heat or cold, if you buy something with a large styrafoam protectant think about using this around the tank (or buy some from HD) will help with heat loss and transfer more expensive 1) Generator - make sure to treat the gas for the evil ethanol (seafoam, stabil marine, etc)this will help with gas especially if it sits to not gum things up but is not a failsafe (my generator with a rebuilt carb and treatment in the gas still had issues. be prepared to have extra gas on hand, i heard lines at some gas stations were over 2 hours. 2) Other ideas Fans and Ice in case it gets too hot, another way you could cool a tank is to run RO tubing into your tank from the sink if you have water pressure and dont mind wasting a bunch of water..probably wont do alot but will do some...or if you have a batter back up and can run a pump keep water in a bin and run the bin with ice water..look up a cool suit for racing (shirt with tubing that pumps cold water thru the tubing...its a beautiful thing) could also be used with hot water but does require a pump or wasting some water....i gues you could just make RO water and do this too. any other suggestions besides whats in the disaster thread?
icecool2 July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 Water bottles frozen and ready to go at all times Extra batteries for your battery powered devices
Jan July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 Disconnect all non essentials; heaters, additional powerheads, pumps.. If turning off return pump make sure to add air or ph to sump Make large gallon bags of ro/Di water for larger systems and float the ice w/o bag in sump if return pump is on. Remove ice from bag. This will also help as top off. If return is off add ice directly to tank. If using battery back up or generator consider using small fan at surface of water with ice only if temps reach above 82 degrees.
Hilary July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 Remember to buy new D batteries and recharge backup batteries after power is returned.
surf&turf July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 Whats a good size battery backup to get to run a power head for 24hrs?
MLazar July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 Water bottles frozen and ready to go at all times Extra batteries for your battery powered devices Ditto, my thought exactly. +1 to Hilary's idea to repurchase batteries as soon as emergency is over. Maureen
Integral9 July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 (edited) For best results, use the most power efficient power head you can find / have on hand. least wattage per gph. The mag series are not that great. eg: With a 1000VA UPS, I could run the following for about 2 hours: 2 x MJ600, 1 Aquaclear 50, 1 Aquaclear 75. When I plugged in the MJ600, the "time remaining" on the UPS was still checking in at about 400minutes. When I plugged in teh Aquaclears, the time remaining dropped to about 100 minutes. edit: I was able to keep my fish alive in my 135 w/ the aquaclears and the fish alive in my 30g qt, with the 2 mj600s. So you don't really need alot, just enough to keep the water moving slightly and oxygenated. Depending on the extent of the down time, it really doesn't have to be running all the time. eg: I ran my powerheads for a couple of hours twice day. That got me through 48 hours w/out power. Edited July 3, 2012 by Integral9
Chad July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 It may seem fundemental, but: Do not worry about using your lighting until power returns! Your corals can go a week or more without. Have a transition plan for the longer-term. Batteries discharge, can you recharge them (perhaps a car charger...)? Do you have replacements? Generators use fuel, do you have extra? Can you get more? (As a side note, running out of fuel for the generator is what caused my worst crash when power was out and transportation was crippled for 6 days in sub zero degree weather because of a really nasty ice storm in upstate NY). Remember, the initial problem is gas exchange and keeping O2 levels up. The longer-term problem becomes temperature because these problems rarely happen when the weather is perfect.
BMW1600 July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 Power inverter can run all sorts of stuff off your car battery if you get a reasonably sized one. I ran my pumps/filters for about 30 each minutes early Sat AM before I got a generator. Of course this is only practical if you have a garage and/or can park near your window or door.
Fishie July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 for the generator its also best to let it run dry when stored for a long time so u dont run into the evil gum issue with stale fuel +1 for the Auto on battery air pump...def a must...something so simple can save so much
Jan July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 Another source. I am look at solar power for the whole house. Post prices when you get estimates. Curious to know if It's cheaper, more expensive or comparable to a whole house generator. It's definately more enviornmentally freindly than a generator. Great idea.
Integral9 July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 I'm gonna say it'll cost between $10k and $30k for a whole house solar setup depending on wattage. Whole house 7KW generator about $3k installed.
BMW1600 July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 for the generator its also best to let it run dry when stored for a long time so u dont run into the evil gum issue with stale fuel +1 for the Auto on battery air pump...def a must...something so simple can save so much You can also run Sta-Bil in your gas tank to act as a fuel stabilizer so you don't have to run it dry. http://www.amazon.com/STA-BIL-22214-Fuel-Stabilizer-oz/dp/B000B68V6I
flooddc July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 Post prices when you get estimates. Curious to know if It's cheaper, more expensive or comparable to a whole house generator. It's definately more enviornmentally freindly than a generator. Great idea. my neighbor down the road paid $30K for their solar but got ~$10k tax credit back. I haven't talk to them yet to see if they have power during the outage. Because their solar run off the power grid, so it also depending upon the power company. I'll update after I talk to them.
smallreef July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 They do make solar panels to recharge RV battries..wonder if those would also recharge marine or car batteries? Just a thought if it were to happen in summer again...
epleeds July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 Whole house 7KW generator about $3k installed. is that with the generator included or extra.
Integral9 July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 (edited) is that with the generator included or extra. The 7KW generator costs about $2000 depending on the model and brand you get and figuring installation will cost another $1k, that's about 3k. Dominion (and I'm sure other power utilities as well as just about any electrician) sells and installs them. Just check out their website and from there you can request a quote if you are serious Edited July 3, 2012 by Integral9
taiscici July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 My next investment. Propane generator Portable a/c Portable heater
bill stine July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 I've been looking into building a small solar panel array that can be used to keep a car or marine battery charged during multi day outages. Ebay has all the materials to build panels - the grade A cells can be used to make 4 panels that will produce close to 1 Kw per hour which will run the pumps and charge a battery or 2 for use at night - setup will run about $800 for materials. Best of all its portable in emergencies like this past weekend
icecool2 July 3, 2012 July 3, 2012 A 1kW setup is pretty big. You can do that for $800? That spunds really low to me. Got a parts list?
sen5241b July 4, 2012 July 4, 2012 I'm surprised I didn't set my car and house on fire. You would not believe what I was running off my 100 watt power inverter and the car was in the sun with the windows closed! When I touched it, it was burning hot. Next time run the auto a/c on low if its hot out. inverter READ THIS
bill stine July 4, 2012 July 4, 2012 A 1kW setup is pretty big. You can do that for $800? That spunds really low to me. Got a parts list? your right, it's a little low and i'm still researching everything I would actually need but here is a list I put together today with current ebay listings and prices. $324 1 KW Untabbed 3x6 Poly Solar Cells for Diy Solar Panel (550 cells) $30 120ft Solar Tabbing Wire 10ft Bus Wire 1 Flux Pen 3- 15amp Diodes for DIY Panel $95 x2 2 UL Approve Aluminum Frame+Junction Box+SEALANT for Solar Panel w/108 3x6 Cell $37 Solar Battery Charge Controller 12Volt 10Amp for Panel $198 4 Pack Sylgard 184 Solar Cell Solar Panel Encapsulation $199 1500w pure sine wave power inverter 12v DC/110v,120v AC ______ $978
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