Backup power - Idea, thoughts, solutions?

[Reefer508]

With the storms that went thru yesterday, we lost power while I was at work. I work nights, 1+ hour drive from home. When I had a chance to check my phone, power had been off for 3+ hours already. I called my wife and she said she wasn't comfortable hooking up the generator. I checked National Grids outage map and it said power should be back on around 9 PM, this was at 7:45, so I gave her some direction to at least move a little water, something is better then nothing. Well 9 PM came and went, now their map said 11:15. I got out of work about 11:30, still no power, website saying 1:15 AM restoration. I was home around 12:45, but not wanting to drag out the generator at that hour, I used the 110 AC outlet in my car with an extension cord to run my return pumps. 1:15 came and went, still no power. Then the next update saying 3:15. At this point I hooked up the generator and got everything running. Now they update the map again saying it would be 5:15 AM. So my tanks went almost 8 hours with just scooping and pouring water back in, then ran the generator the rest of the night. I did lose 1 fish, my Powder Blue Tang. All else seems to be doing okay. Guess I'm lucky only lost the 1 fish. Think I really need to look into a whole house auto start set up.

 

[IPWitan]

You were supposed to offer a $10 solution - not a $10,000 one. LOL. This thread does include a few auto start features for pumps, btw. That would have at least kept the water circulating.

 

[dz6t]

Get a big UPS and it will auto start and keep a circulation pump running before you get home and start the generator.


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[dz6t]

For a $10 solution, you are welcome to drop by and pickup a Reefbreeders power convertor cord and try it on a Jebao power head with phone battery. There is a 50% chance it will run. ( because it will run or won’t run, 50/50).


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[dz6t]

Since I tried it on one of my Jebao Pumps and it works, so I will say you have 51% chance that it may work.


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[Andy V]

The cheapest solution is to be better at combat than people that already own a generator. Then you just take it.

 

[GraniteReefer]

Cobalt Aquatics DC USB Air Pumps (Rescue Air Pump Kit) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GRFLMG6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_CTdxDb6RAW0EN
I have one of these for every tank I own. On my reefbowls it is actually the only source of flow under normal operation. Even on my reefer 250 though you get the dual output version and keep a line feeding the display and one feeding the sump(I find no airstone works great and less maintenance). There is a standby mode where it just charges constantly and will turn on once it senses a power loss. Seamless, cheap, effective. Easily recharged/extended via any usb charger/battery bank. I also keep a few of the older D battery powered models for extra options. This reefbowl has almost been running 2 years(started October 2017) exclusively air pump driven so it is a proven viable method for keeping both fish and corals alive

My house is heated via wood stove anyway so power goes out and nothing changes in regards to room temp and this is in the same room so sits at a about 77.5 even with the power out. If it was a really long outage I could move the bowl closer to a window to supply light for the corals too and have been considering trying a solar tube as a light source as that would be easier to throttle down with a shade cloth as the bowl only gets 21w of light. The reefer also has a MP10 with battery backup so the first 24 hrs would be relatively normal.

 

[this is me]

So my tanks went almost 8 hours with just scooping and pouring water back in, then ran the generator the rest of the night.

I did not want to read this thread after seeing people who wanted the cheap way out. How much does the tank worth? How much effort have you put into the tank? To rely on battery back up that last maybe a couple hours or at best a day or two. What happen when the power goes out longer than your battery last? Where will you charge it? I think it's a stupid stupid way to cheap out when your tank and the work done on it is likely cost more than a generator. You'll have a much better chance at finding gas than to wait for your power to come back after a natural disaster.
I honestly don't know why people would rely on a couple hours of battery back up. If your tank can't survive the black out for a couple hours, there's something else you should do. A proper tank should be able to survive at least 5-6 hours so having a battery back up solution that is shorter than this is pointless. Power outage is longer and longer it seems. I would not bother to do a reef tank again if I don't have a long running back up power.

 

[FREAKINRICAN69]

Got the last one from Homedepot today.

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Which is this Acro? How big of a tank will it cover etc... Please advise and how much was it if you don't mind me asking chief...

 

[Cpage101]

So my tanks went almost 8 hours with just scooping and pouring water back in, then ran the generator the rest of the night.

I did not want to read this thread after seeing people who wanted the cheap way out. How much does the tank worth? How much effort have you put into the tank? To rely on battery back up that last maybe a couple hours or at best a day or two. What happen when the power goes out longer than your battery last? Where will you charge it? I think it's a stupid stupid way to cheap out when your tank and the work done on it is likely cost more than a generator. You'll have a much better chance at finding gas than to wait for your power to come back after a natural disaster.
I honestly don't know why people would rely on a couple hours of battery back up. If your tank can't survive the black out for a couple hours, there's something else you should do. A proper tank should be able to survive at least 5-6 hours so having a battery back up solution that is shorter than this is pointless. Power outage is longer and longer it seems. I would not bother to do a reef tank again if I don't have a long running back up power.

That said Generator $300-800 depending on how much power you need. Extension cord $10 and a plug strip $5-10 and you are good for 8-12 hours at a time. if want to put in a small manual transfer switch you can buy a 6 circuit with the plug and connector cable for $300 electrician to install it $2500 should cover it if you want to go with this plug in from outside option. just something to think about in the grand scheme of things. I went with the whole kit and caboodle. 5-10 min and a good majority of my house is on the generator. I’m the only guy in the neighborhood watching tv[emoji2957][emoji23]. to sum it up we hav all dropped thousands into some of our tanks/coral/ fish what’s a few mor bucks and it will support our creature comforts too.


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[GraniteReefer]

I did not want to read this thread after seeing people who wanted the cheap way out. How much does the tank worth? How much effort have you put into the tank? To rely on battery back up that last maybe a couple hours or at best a day or two. What happen when the power goes out longer than your battery last? Where will you charge it? I think it's a stupid stupid way to cheap out when your tank and the work done on it is likely cost more than a generator. You'll have a much better chance at finding gas than to wait for your power to come back after a natural disaster.
I honestly don't know why people would rely on a couple hours of battery back up. If your tank can't survive the black out for a couple hours, there's something else you should do. A proper tank should be able to survive at least 5-6 hours so having a battery back up solution that is shorter than this is pointless. Power outage is longer and longer it seems. I would not bother to do a reef tank again if I don't have a long running back up power.

The generator is good for long term outages yes(I own one) but these cheap battery solutions are great for the average outage, especially the one reefer508 describes where his wife didn’t want to do the generator and he was a t work. A cheap $40 battery air pump would have saved his powder blue tang(70$ fish). Diversification of backup=reliability

 

[Cpage101]

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[mchartier]

Can also use an InterLocK switch, a new breaker (or two depending on size of generator) goes in the top of your panel. A lock is installed that does not allow the breaker to be on if the main to the panel is on.

 

[dz6t]

Got the last one from Homedepot today.

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Which is this Acro? How big of a tank will it cover etc... Please advise and how much was it if you don't mind me asking chief...

It is a big lithium ion battery.
It is $1195 before tax.
It is 1680 wh with 4 batteries installed, it can handle a peak power of 3000w.

Assuming your DC return pump is 50w, 2x DC wave makers at 20W each for a typical 75 gallon reef tank. It is 100w to move the water to keep your tank alive. So with 0.85 power factor, it can power the tank for 12 to 13 hours.

If you are only powering the return pump, it will last you for 30 hours.

Actually powering the return pump makes more sense to keep the whole system alive.


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[FREAKINRICAN69]

It is a big lithium ion battery.
It is $1195 before tax.
It is 1680 wh with 4 batteries installed, it can handle a peak power of 3000w.

Assuming your DC return pump is 50w, 2x DC wave makers at 20W each for a typical 75 gallon reef tank. It is 100w to move the water to keep your tank alive. So with 0.85 power factor, it can power the tank for 12 to 13 hours.

If you are only powering the return pump, it will last you for 30 hours.

Actually powering the return pump makes more sense to keep the whole system alive.


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wELL NOTED, THANKS...

 

[dz6t]

A 50w DC return pump is average 1300 to 1500 gallon per hour, I doubt you need more than that to keep coral and fish alive.


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[dz6t]

The beauty of this lithium generator is that you can swap the batteries on the fly. So if you have more batteries ready, you can go pretty much forever. The rapid charger of the battery only takes 60 minutes to charge the battery to full. So I am planning to drive to a place with power to charge empty batteries when needed.
It can be used indoor and that is another beauty of this beast.


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[dz6t]

For occasional use, cant beat this thing.
I have a gas generator that I used for two hours three years ago, then it just sit there.
Now I can use the batteries to power my lawn mower, but one fully charged battery can mow my lawn 4 times over. Lol
I guess I can use it to charge my cell phone these days..,

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[IPWitan]

DZ - I will try out that cable on my next visit.

Those who don't understand my cheapness must consider that not everyone has hundreds of color sticks sitting pretty in their systems. I wish I did...but I don't. I am also not keen on storing a generator or training my household on how to use it. I imagine I am very similar to a large silent viewership that loves their tank, has a few long time fish, and a handful of cheap tank inhabitants. I don't want them to die, but I am not spending 2500k to safeguard them either.

I really like that DC USB Air pump. 24$ for single, and 30$ for dual, which has a built in battery to last 24 hrs. It states the pump turns on when power drops. The $38 one is single but includes a usb power bar. All run without a power bank, but you can add one via USB cable for extra power. No D batteries either.

The only thing better would be if it ran my 24v powerheads. But there is a big difference between a 2w 5v air pump and 15w 24v powerhead, methinks. My general concern with airstones is that I fear that they will rapidly make the tank room temperature. Running a pump which relies on surface exchange may be less.

Great for those who need to transport fish and want to give them a little air while travelling.

 

[Reefer508]

I'm thinking my powder blue tangs health may have been starting to fail before the power outage. I'd noticed over the last couple of weeks it wasn't eating as well as it had been. I had this fish for over 6 years. It also was the biggest fish in the system, so I'm assuming needed the most oxygen. All else survived 8 hours with no power. I'm going to try and work out a SIMPLE way for my wife to set up generator. Transfer switch maybe the way to go.