Suggestion on a power backup system

[ALang]

Hi,
We seen to have a few power failures every year. Most of the time the power will come back on in 30 minutes. I have those little battery-powered air pumps set up, but noticed that they don't really create any significant curent, etc...
Am worried that if the power goes off for longer than 30 minutes without me being here to monitor the situation, things will start to die off.
So I am asking for everyone's input as to what you do to prevent this from simple power outage turning into a disaster. Where can you find the power backup that you are currently using? And can those being used by computers be any good, as I don't think that they will last for long?
Would you just plug a few powerheads in to keep the current running, or do you plug in your reutrn pumps as well?? Thanks.

[daniella3d]

Don't buy computer UPC because they don't last very long, just like 15 minutes. They are not meant to run for hours but just minutes.

I use the Noma Powerpack and this kick on when ever there is no electricity and will last for about 12 hours running my pumps and skimmer.

D'ont put your lights on that because if you have like a 400 watts power backup it won't last for very long with a 200 watts lamp. It is best to only put the pumps and skimmer on this so it will keep a good oxigen level in case of power outage.

Check out the Noma power supply for the home. Again do not buy those things that are made for computer backup...it's plain crap. We had 2 UPC smoke with fire at work.

If you have enough money..this is the cadillac of the power backup 1800watts goes a long way but 500$ :) http://reviews.canadiantire.ca/9045/0111818P/reviews.htm

This is the 400 watt: http://www.quaware.com/AZATE-12280.html



Hi,
We seen to have a few power failures every year. Most of the time the power will come back on in 30 minutes. I have those little battery-powered air pumps set up, but noticed that they don't really create any significant curent, etc...
Am worried that if the power goes off for longer than 30 minutes without me being here to monitor the situation, things will start to die off.
So I am asking for everyone's input as to what you do to prevent this from simple power outage turning into a disaster. Where can you find the power backup that you are currently using? And can those being used by computers be any good, as I don't think that they will last for long?
Would you just plug a few powerheads in to keep the current running, or do you plug in your reutrn pumps as well?? Thanks.

[Chin_Lee]

generator. some cheap ones on the market now. they are usually a little louder but hey in case of an emergency, sucks to be your neighbor. don't worry about buying one that can power your lights - just enough for your pumps inside your tank and heater. Your tank only needs heat and circulation but if you can afford one to power everything, go for it. not much more for a 1000 vs 2500 vs 3500 watt generator unless you are dealing with the honda generators.

[daniella3d]

For a generator to work, you must be home to start it. It wont be of any use if you're not home plus it cost a lot in gas.


generator. some cheap ones on the market now. they are usually a little louder but hey in case of an emergency, sucks to be your neighbor. don't worry about buying one that can power your lights - just enough for your pumps inside your tank and heater. Your tank only needs heat and circulation but if you can afford one to power everything, go for it. not much more for a 1000 vs 2500 vs 3500 watt generator unless you are dealing with the honda generators.

[ALang]

Thank you for your inputs. I'll be looking for Noma power back up. The 1800W seems to have very
bad reviews, so I am hoping that the 400W has better. Price is more reasonable, too.
So Daniella3d, do you just leave your powerheads and skimmer plug into the unit all the time? Then when the power does go out, it'll automatically switches on and power the appliances, then charges itself back up, right?

[globaldesigns]

I personally have a generator to run my house if need be, personally though if power is out for only 30 minutes, I don't worry.

I have the generator because of camping and business purposes, but have never had to use it for the tank. But have it if needed.

[trilinearmipmap]

I am about to order one of these

http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10324922&lang=en-CA

unless someone has a better suggestion.

Seems like a good balance between price noise and performance. But it looks like I would have to fill the gas tank every few hours.

[trilinearmipmap]

I was there and passed on them.

I had a mandarin for a couple of years. It was a few months feeding on pods before it learned to take mysis.

I noticed quite a few fish in that store such as Moorish Idols, Longhorned Cowfish and the Mandarins.

I like shopping at places that promote an ethical approach to this hobby.

Edit:this post was spposed to go in the $10.00 Mandarin thread.

[daniella3d]

Right that's exactly what I do. I leave my powerhead in the power backup and if there is a power outage it just kick in and switch back to the electricity and recharge itself when the power return. it is automatic.

The only drawback of doing this is if you have a feeding mode where you shot down your pump, then obviously if your controller shut off the power the power back up will take over.

I have only put one pump on this and my skimmer so when I use my stand by mode only one pump and my skimmer keep going and the flow is slow enough to feed my tank.

where did you see bad reviews on the Noma 1800 watt? From what I read, some people were not leaving it plugged 24/7 and expected to just plug it after not using for years and then it would charge again. Any battery if left uncharged for very long time will just be wasted. It is always a good idea to cycle a battery once in awhile and not leave it unplugged for a long time. Some people also got a defective unit which would not fully charge but that should be easy to verify on the first week of use. I have my 400 watt for a few years and it work well. Surely the battery is probably not at 100% of what it was when brand new but it still does the job for many hours running my pump and skimmer.


Thank you for your inputs. I'll be looking for Noma power back up. The 1800W seems to have very
bad reviews, so I am hoping that the 400W has better. Price is more reasonable, too.
So Daniella3d, do you just leave your powerheads and skimmer plug into the unit all the time? Then when the power does go out, it'll automatically switches on and power the appliances, then charges itself back up, right?

[daniella3d]

HUH??

I was there and passed on them.

I had a mandarin for a couple of years. It was a few months feeding on pods before it learned to take mysis.

I noticed quite a few fish in that store such as Moorish Idols, Longhorned Cowfish and the Mandarins.

I like shopping at places that promote an ethical approach to this hobby.

[mark]

I am about to order one of these

http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10324922&lang=en-CA

unless someone has a better suggestion.

Seems like a good balance between price noise and performance. But it looks like I would have to fill the gas tank every few hours.

I'll got a little generator for camping that I never use and have handy in the garage for the tank (again never really used). Just on the surface the costso seems better than my Princess Auto as is 4 stroke compared to my 2 stroke (needing mixed gas).

As for being off for a 1/2 hour, I'm that much just with a good siphon/water change.

[ALang]

daniella3d:
the said review was actually from the link that you have provided for me, under the 1800W (thanks, BTW). Quite a LOT of the reviews were bad, so I am not sure if they were human errors (Not plugging them in) or manufacture/ design defects.
Some people were using their units to power their home sump pumps and then finding out that it wasn't working after a few months.
Still there were a few that did great reviews, but of course the bad ones always seems to over-ride the good. But for the price, I think that I will do what you did, and rely on the 400W, when I can find one on sale. If it is just a couple of pwr heads and a skimmer, I think it'll do just fine.
Thank goodness that major power outage is very rare here, so if it is good for about a couple of hours, that should be great. Saves me from bucketing water to create flow! (Or worse if we are not home!!)

[Mrfish55]

Alang, I have had the 1800 for a number of years, the internal batteries finally packed it in, I removed the internal batteries and replaced with a couple deep cycle 12 volt units, bad news is it is no longer portable, good news is it used to power my tank for 45 min. tested it over the last couple days and got 17 hours and still had 10% reserve.:biggrin: and unlike the generator I do not need to be home to switch things over, when the power comes back on it automatically recharges the batteries for next time.

[phi delt reefer]

daniella3d:
the said review was actually from the link that you have provided for me, under the 1800W (thanks, BTW). Quite a LOT of the reviews were bad, so I am not sure if they were human errors (Not plugging them in) or manufacture/ design defects.
Some people were using their units to power their home sump pumps and then finding out that it wasn't working after a few months.
Still there were a few that did great reviews, but of course the bad ones always seems to over-ride the good. But for the price, I think that I will do what you did, and rely on the 400W, when I can find one on sale. If it is just a couple of pwr heads and a skimmer, I think it'll do just fine.
Thank goodness that major power outage is very rare here, so if it is good for about a couple of hours, that should be great. Saves me from bucketing water to create flow! (Or worse if we are not home!!)


build your own...

Battery Backup Controller (http://autotopoff.com/custom/): (35 us but shipping is like 25 :() this piece will do the switching for you once the power outage occurs.

300w/600w peak inverter is like 40 bux on ebay. you can get a pure sine one for 80-100 bux but i dont know if anything electronic in the aquarium trade will benefit from pure sin power.

battery - your choice - you can go to a battery specialist store and price out one that meets your budget/needs. look to spend 60-200 dollars depending on what you get (you want a sealed deep cycle battery) these can be picked up at walmart as well but the options are limited. usually you can try to find a UPS battery replacement - they are the best from what i have been told but still cost a couple bux :)

float charger (NOT TRICKLE!) - ten bucks on ebay (shipped :))

[StirCrazy]

the Noma is very expensive for what your getting.

find a used RV place and get a used converter, or buy a nice 3 stage digital battery charger for 40 bucks, about 30 bucks. then buy a inverter the size you want/need to power what you want. next go buy two 6V deep cycle batteries like the trojen T100's this will give you about twice the power storage as a Noma for about the same price. then you just make it look pretty if you care.

I sold my set up a few years ago, but I had 2 of my tunze, My two VHO actinic lights, recirc pump and skimmer pump and a heater on it and I went 8 hours and only drained them 1/2 way.

Steve

[daniella3d]

wow awesome! how did you set that up? I would love to know how to hook this in case mine ever have the same problem.

I have 2 deep cycle batteries doing nothing :)

I bought my Noma 400 watts at Canadian Tire when they were in special price for 59$. I regret not having bought 2 of them! Mine has been working flawlessly for about 3 years.



Alang, I have had the 1800 for a number of years, the internal batteries finally packed it in, I removed the internal batteries and replaced with a couple deep cycle 12 volt units, bad news is it is no longer portable, good news is it used to power my tank for 45 min. tested it over the last couple days and got 17 hours and still had 10% reserve.:biggrin: and unlike the generator I do not need to be home to switch things over, when the power comes back on it automatically recharges the batteries for next time.

[mseepman]

I bought a couple of the Noma 400W versions when they were $59. They are great. I run one and the other is still in the box. Just running my Tunze, I have gone for 8 hours without fail before. Not sure how long it would last if pressed though.

[Mrfish55]

wow awesome! how did you set that up? I would love to know how to hook this in case mine ever have the same problem.

I have 2 deep cycle batteries doing nothing :)

I bought my Noma 400 watts at Canadian Tire when they were in special price for 59$. I regret not having bought 2 of them! Mine has been working flawlessly for about 3 years.

That is a good price, I paid $349 for the 1800w
The conversion was easy, opened up the case, removed the original batteries, extended the power cables, ran them thru the side of the case, closed everything back up and hooked up a pair of deep cycle batteries. works same as before but instead of 45 min run time I am now getting close to 24 hours and still have reserve. I am running 4 ps3 return pumps on it right now, thinking of putting the skimmer for the FOWLR on as well, don't really need 24 hours back up time and I am sure the skimmer plays a pretty big role on the FOWLR with the amount and size of livestock in there.