7 Saltwater Tanks, 2 Reptile Tanks, and 32 Hours with no power.

[Diana]

Originally Posted by marie

Sounds like you two are going to need a drink and a good nights sleep . Thank goodness everything made it okay

Drink? CHECK!



-Diana

[woodcarver]

Job well done Diana and Raf !!!
So pleased to hear that generally there was a happy ending
Very generous of you to try and rescue your neighbours livestock as well as your own.
Also thanks for the heads up on being prepared . I am going to get back into the hobby after Christmas and have definitely decided on a back up generator after the number of outages we have had in Mill Bay . By far the worst winter in my 24 years here !( and its only mid December )
I would appreciate any input on experiences with generators and what type of set -up seems to be appropriate for a domestic installation.
Maybe a thread would be the way to go ?
Thanks again and are they the " common armpit gecko's "
...................................Dave

[EmilyB]

Wow. Can't see that happening in Alberta, but you never know.

[andresont]

7 Saltwater Tanks, 2 Reptile Tanks, and 32 Hours with no power.

Do you think this will work?

if you still have gas in the fire plase...
i herd somewhere that if you take a refrigerant coil from old fridge (or any coiled metal pipe, with no copper in it, say from old chiller ) and a small hose connect to a colder water in your tank, put metal coil on the gas or close to it enough to heat up. Then convection heat will create a slight water flow between cold and hot.
This will need more though but theoreticly it should work, i think.

[Ruth]

WOW - sounds like you have had quite an ordeal. I know that being without power can definately be a challenge (how many times can you walk into a room and actually flick the light switch before you remember, yet again, that it doesn't work). In the rural area where I live they are actually quite frequent. I have a generator and would highly recommend the Honda EU3000is model. It is very very quiet and is also electric start (I had pulling on those darn cords). This generator is quiet enough to take camping and I use it on the weekends in the summer when I go to horse competitions for my trailer.
When you really sit down and do the math of how much you have invested in your tank(s), the fact that they have multiple applications, IMO there is just no reason not to invest in a quality generator or at least have a plan to borrow one in the event of an extented power outage.
Very glad you were able to save your livestock!

[Beverly]

Great save, Diana and Raf!

You folks on the coast have been battered with weather for weeks now that I cannot even comprehend dealing with. And that's coming from an Albertan where weather can be deadly cold and unpredictable. Everyone on the coast deserves a medal for braving the storms and power outages. I'm sure there are many who have not fared nearly as well as you

[Raf]

Thanks for the comments guys

andresont,

the coil idea may work but Diana thought of a rather simple idea(works best if your have a gas powered hot water tank) is to fill 2L pop bottles with HOT water and float them in the tanks. It helped one of our clients tanks bringing it up from a frigid 55F!

[Diana]

Yeah the southern coast has had a *rough* winter so far. On Friday morning we got winds up to 100 kms an hour. I've heard its the hardest storm in history to hit Vancouver.... and the Island got it even worse.... needless to say lots of people lost power, which is why its taking so long for Hydro to hook it all back up. I think the last power-out we got here at our house was a few years ago. The lady down the street from me STILL hasnt gotten her power back, but her fish are doing fine in our tank.

woodcarver, check out the thread "Sad Sad Day without Power" in this forum, there is a huge discussion on generators.



-Diana

[Griffin]

I was like Diana - 32hrs of no power, I was like Raf and said i would check in the morning - everything lived in the end but only due heating water on the gas stove help bring the temp back up and adding a large 600watt power inverter that i hooked up to my truck's battery - got a 100ft extension cord - plugged in both heaters and one power head that was lifted higher so it was blowing air and water. Left the truck running for about 24hrs to keep the tank running (it would drain the battery after about 2 hours if not running) A tank of gas and that inverter saved my bacon in the end. Sorry to those that had losses and i would be more than willing aswell to donate to anyone that is in need. Hope tonights storm doesn't hit as hard although i have heard westview has lost power already this evening. Lets hope it all goes well
Cheers
Rich