Generator?

Aquadiva

rebuilding the reef
With all the talk of hurricanes and power outages, I got to thinking about the upcoming winter and the inevitable power outages. We have been talking about getting a generator for a number of years, but there were always something more fun to spend the $$ on.

I was wondering if people out there with knowledge of generators would know what size (read watts) would be good to keep the reef tank "alive", and at the same time run some lights, and other basic needs? :confused:

Any brand recommendations or ones to stay away from?

TIA

Linda
 
Your requirements will totally depend upon your tank's requirements. This is what I did. Take and inventory of everything in my system that needed to be plugged in and it's power requirements. Add them all up to get the total. Add some large percentage and purchase a generator to do the job.

You can get a reletivly cheap generator (<$500) that is portable but requires you to start it when the power goes out. Get yourself a couple of long extension cords and you are in business.

If you want to get fancy there are whole power systems available that will start up automagicly when the power goes out but they tend to be alot more expencive.

I think the one I purchased is made by Coleman. I purchased it almost a year ago and thankfully I have only had to use it once, briefly.


Good luck
Jon
 
Linda
I have a 5500 watt

In my previous home I had the kitchen (this included the fridge, gas stove w/elec. pilot and lights), well pump, gas fired hot air unit, light in MBR, light & plug MBR bath, all pumps for the tank, no lights on the tank.

This was all wired into a temp power switch that had to be manually switched over to gen. when power went out.

This Generator cost almost $600.00 and the switch cost about $100.00

I wired the switch myself to the main circuit breaker panel
Generator also had to be manually started and plugged into said switch.
 
Autostart at HD lists at $2700, I bought a 5000/5500 - manual. I would get something big enough to power your fridge & some lights/heat for the house
 
Don't forgrt to factor in the cost of wiring, which can be pretty major depending on your house. You don't just plug it in :) (I say that because that is what I envisioned when Eliot wanted to get one on sale at HD)
 
Hmmmm....you don't just plug it in!!?? :confused:

So the run a few extensions cords isn't going to work, huh?
OK, I see ANOTHER major expenditure coming up. :(

This sounds like a project for the hubby. :D

This house is already an electric hog...add the new reef and $$$$$. These manual switch things...Do you need a free spot for a breaker? I think we used the last one when we wired a GFCI breaker in there for the tank...

Definitely a project for the hubby. (and he wanted to make moonlights)

Thanks

Linda
 
Linda you don't need a free spot in the breaker. If you get one from HD they come with instructions on installation.
Not hard if your hubby is handy kind of guy. I did it in about 2 hours.

After you get the switch installed then its just a matter of plugging the generator into the switch when you need it.
 
Sometimes he thinks he's handier than he really is! :rolleyes:

I will send him around counting watts and stuff, then off to HD to see what they're offering before the first big snow hits and the stampede starts. He's away a lot, so I need to give him plenty of lead time for this sort of thing.

Anything he should look for in a generator? or, for that matter not get? There's always the "stay away from's one with ?", or "you don't want one with that".
Thanks

Linda
 
Honda makes a great engine.
Mine is a relatively inexpensive one. Made by Generac. I bought one and it would not start, i took it back and got another, it would not start. Finally on the last try I got one that worked and is going strong for the last three years.

Also look at peak watts when your adding. Some items have peak watts that are high. You'll want to get enough generator to cover the peak wattage.
 
It all depends on whether you want to power your house (fridge, furnace, lights, etc.) too. A whole house generator, self-starting, through HD, for 12Kilowatts, starts about 2500 bucks. Figure another 600 to 1000 to have it installed properly. ( I stress the properly part). Expensive, but will run automatically, even when you are not home.
 
a generator that does not start by itself is not going to be any good if no one is home to start it HONDA ITS THE ONE YOU CAN DEPEND ON NOT CHEEP BUT WELL WORTH IT
 
Get the battery back up bubblers. They will keep everything going until you can get home to start the gen.
 
Tstone said:
Get the battery back up bubblers. They will keep everything going until you can get home to start the gen.

if you test them now and again and make sure the batteries are up to snuff.
 
you can buy the back up bubblers the ones with rechargable batteries but if its 10degrees out the temp in your tank is going to drop fast.
azoo makes one you plug into the wall and if the power goes out it automatically goes to battery power and when the power goes on again it recharges the batteries so you do not have to worry about batteries going bad but it coasts around $70.00 ouch
 
As an FYI if you do have/buy the battery bubblers, make sure they are plugged into the same ciruit as your recirculation pump. Power may not go out, but if your recirc pump stops, the oxygen in your main tank may be depleted very quickly (by fish & DSB)
 
Upcoming Events

April 21, 2024
Paul B
Club Meeting

Back
Top