survived our first power outage - Page 2

herostar · 02/25/2019, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cloudburst2000

Does anyone have ideas for when you can't have a generator (apartment living, etc)? I see battery powered airstones. I can likely get ice cubes to float in summer from store (as freezer would be not working). Won't be able to get hot water to float in bags in winter though as oven/stove is electric. Any other ideas for those who live in an apartment and are not allowed to have a generator?

What you're looking for is a UPS battery backup for a computer.

moondoggy4 · 02/25/2019, 08:51 PM

I went through 4 power outages within two years, and I live in a area were are wires are underground. So I purchased two smaller batteries, two Tunze safety switches, two tunze DC power heads, and for my third tank a Battery power switchable air pump from Cobalt.

I've done lots of you tube research on ginnys to the point I was dreaming about them. The best deal I saw was a Yamaha Inverter at Costco for 545 one thing that is nice is that it has a manual fuel shut off.

Staying up all night and dumping water every 15 minutes is no fun.

Joe0813 · 02/26/2019, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NCreefer73

Use marine battery with power inverter

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have a generator.

hkgar · 02/26/2019, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe0813

well we survived our first outage and it wasn't easy. A lot of bad words were thrown out of my mouth. We lost power last night around 640pm. Attempted to start our new Troy bilt 7000 watt generator that we bought last year and never used.... FAIL for whatever reason the motor was dumping fuel into the oil and ran like a bag of crap. I tried draining all the oil out and replacing it with new oil but I think at that point the plug was already fowled. So we stayed up all night manually aerating the water with a bucket every 45 minutes. Unfortunately around here it was pretty cold and we had no heat. so we wrapped the tank in about 8 blankets and I found about 20 handwarmers stuffed them in Ziploc bags. tank only dropped down to 70 degrees. 530am rolled around and we went to lowes and bought ANOTHER generator. started it right up plugged in to the generator outlet and ran the tank, tv and some other things.
Definitely dodged a bullet with this generator

I test run my portable generator once every month. Anyone with a generator, portable or dedicated should routinely do a test run at least monthly.

Joe0813 · 02/26/2019, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hkgar

I test run my portable generator once every month. Anyone with a generator, portable or dedicated should routinely do a test run at least monthly.

I don't test run mine at all. I probably should though. but I live in an area that barely looses power. so ill store the generator with no fuel for awhile before I actually need to take it back out. I think I'm actually going to fire it up this weekend though.

dkeller_nc · 02/26/2019, 08:44 PM

Someone on the original thread posted last March asked about emergency power when they live in an apartment and can't have a generator. There are several solutions, but the first one is to assess whether you truly can't have a genny. If you've an outside deck/balcony, you may be able to get away with a small, quiet generator like the Honda EU2000i. They're highly portable, incredibly reliable, and small enough to be stored in a closet.

If you live in an apartment that doesn't have a deck or balcony, then a generator isn't possible. In this instance, you've several options, from the least preferable to the best:

1) Battery powered air pump running on "D" cells. Buy lots of D cells, and unless you've a tiny nano, several air pumps.

2) Computer UPS. These are readily available, but the problem is that they're designed for a relatively short power interruption - typically 20 minutes of run time for a computer to allow you to safely shut it down. If you're only powering a small powerhead, they'll last longer, but the battery power you have at your disposal is still far, far less than solution #4, below.

3) Integrated backup power systems for one of your power heads, ala the Vortech battery backups or the Tunze "safety switch" devices. The advantage to the Vortech solution is that it is constantly charged when not in use, so you really don't have to think about it. The downside is that this only handles flow.

4) One or more marine batteries and an inverter. Typical inverters will supply about 1500 watts of power, though they can of course be purchased with considerably greater capacity. During an outage, a 100W heater, a 50w return pump and 50watts of powerheads will last about 5 - 10 hours when powered with a standard 85 amp-hour marine battery and an inverter, depending on how much the heater runs. Shedding the heater and the powerheads and just running the return pump gets you about 20 hours. Typically, you'd want 2 marine batteries per tank for 20g - 100g tank sizes, one that's running the tank, and one that you're charging at a friend's/relative's that has power. Besides the batteries and inverter, you'll also need a charger, of course.

5) Even better, a charger/inverter that you can purchase from a place like The Inverter Store, and several 85 amp-hour or larger marine batteries. The advantage to this sort of setup is that you plug the charger/inverter into the wall, your reef into the charger/inverter, and the batteries into the charger/inverter. This gives you instant-on backup in a power outage, charges the batteries (and maintains them that way) when the power returns, and operates 24/7 whether you're there or not.

brian3 · 02/28/2019, 05:56 PM

For me I have a Honda EU2000 and a transfer switch covering the aquarium, fce., refrig etc. Can't run the furnace and much else but that's OK. With LED lighting running the whole aquarium and refrig. is no problem and Honda barely breaks a sweat. Also have a air pump that kicks only on a power loss just in case I am not home when the lights go out to keep some water moving. Saved me multiple times, including a 2+ day outage in winter below freezing. Next I plan to add an extended run tank to it so I don't need to fill it up every 6 hours.

Stevolough · 03/02/2019, 10:50 AM

Not to state the obvious but please don’t run a generator in basement or garage. And not while it’s raining. Run them every couple of months and plug in a heavy draw like a shop vac. Change the oil every 25 hours of run time regardless of how it looks. Moisture and fuel dilution breaks it down. You really shouldn’t run carburetor dry because seals can dry out. Be careful with those marine batteries as well. Depending where your charging them they can be quite dangerous. Don’t mean to preach just please do your homework

wrott · 03/02/2019, 03:05 PM

Get a Honda, enough to run pumps and heater or chiller--at least 3kw.
Run it every month for 30min.--pull start it, forget about battery.

03/02/2019, 03:05 PM	#34
wrott Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,912	Get a Honda, enough to run pumps and heater or chiller--at least 3kw. Run it every month for 30min.--pull start it, forget about battery. __________________ OK, but where does the meat go! ------------------------------------------------ 120g SPS, 125g mix, 56g FOWLR, 20g qt

02/25/2019, 08:51 PM	#27
moondoggy4 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: menifee So cal Posts: 11,042	I went through 4 power outages within two years, and I live in a area were are wires are underground. So I purchased two smaller batteries, two Tunze safety switches, two tunze DC power heads, and for my third tank a Battery power switchable air pump from Cobalt. I've done lots of you tube research on ginnys to the point I was dreaming about them. The best deal I saw was a Yamaha Inverter at Costco for 545 one thing that is nice is that it has a manual fuel shut off. Staying up all night and dumping water every 15 minutes is no fun.

02/26/2019, 08:44 PM	#31
dkeller_nc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Central NC Posts: 5,062	Someone on the original thread posted last March asked about emergency power when they live in an apartment and can't have a generator. There are several solutions, but the first one is to assess whether you truly can't have a genny. If you've an outside deck/balcony, you may be able to get away with a small, quiet generator like the Honda EU2000i. They're highly portable, incredibly reliable, and small enough to be stored in a closet. If you live in an apartment that doesn't have a deck or balcony, then a generator isn't possible. In this instance, you've several options, from the least preferable to the best: 1) Battery powered air pump running on "D" cells. Buy lots of D cells, and unless you've a tiny nano, several air pumps. 2) Computer UPS. These are readily available, but the problem is that they're designed for a relatively short power interruption - typically 20 minutes of run time for a computer to allow you to safely shut it down. If you're only powering a small powerhead, they'll last longer, but the battery power you have at your disposal is still far, far less than solution #4, below. 3) Integrated backup power systems for one of your power heads, ala the Vortech battery backups or the Tunze "safety switch" devices. The advantage to the Vortech solution is that it is constantly charged when not in use, so you really don't have to think about it. The downside is that this only handles flow. 4) One or more marine batteries and an inverter. Typical inverters will supply about 1500 watts of power, though they can of course be purchased with considerably greater capacity. During an outage, a 100W heater, a 50w return pump and 50watts of powerheads will last about 5 - 10 hours when powered with a standard 85 amp-hour marine battery and an inverter, depending on how much the heater runs. Shedding the heater and the powerheads and just running the return pump gets you about 20 hours. Typically, you'd want 2 marine batteries per tank for 20g - 100g tank sizes, one that's running the tank, and one that you're charging at a friend's/relative's that has power. Besides the batteries and inverter, you'll also need a charger, of course. 5) Even better, a charger/inverter that you can purchase from a place like The Inverter Store, and several 85 amp-hour or larger marine batteries. The advantage to this sort of setup is that you plug the charger/inverter into the wall, your reef into the charger/inverter, and the batteries into the charger/inverter. This gives you instant-on backup in a power outage, charges the batteries (and maintains them that way) when the power returns, and operates 24/7 whether you're there or not.

02/28/2019, 05:56 PM	#32
brian3 Registered Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: PA Posts: 216	For me I have a Honda EU2000 and a transfer switch covering the aquarium, fce., refrig etc. Can't run the furnace and much else but that's OK. With LED lighting running the whole aquarium and refrig. is no problem and Honda barely breaks a sweat. Also have a air pump that kicks only on a power loss just in case I am not home when the lights go out to keep some water moving. Saved me multiple times, including a 2+ day outage in winter below freezing. Next I plan to add an extended run tank to it so I don't need to fill it up every 6 hours.

03/02/2019, 10:50 AM	#33
Stevolough Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 63	Not to state the obvious but please don’t run a generator in basement or garage. And not while it’s raining. Run them every couple of months and plug in a heavy draw like a shop vac. Change the oil every 25 hours of run time regardless of how it looks. Moisture and fuel dilution breaks it down. You really shouldn’t run carburetor dry because seals can dry out. Be careful with those marine batteries as well. Depending where your charging them they can be quite dangerous. Don’t mean to preach just please do your homework