Power Outage options? - UPS?

[abcha0s]

Originally Posted by daniella3d

I have the Noma 400 as well and that's great for power outage.

UPS are just cr@p as they run for no more than 15 or 20 minutes. They are not meant to keep the power going long term so they are worthless for our use. They are only meant to keep a computer running a very short while for very short power outage so that the provided software shut down the computer.

I would respectfully disagree with this statement. While it may be generally true of consumer grade UPSs, it is an over simplification of the higher end UPSs that are available.

The run time is a factor of load. If you put one pump on a Data Center UPS, it will run for weeks before draining the batteries.

I run my entire system (with the exception of the lights) on a PowerWare 1500VA UPS. If a power failure occurs, the controller shuts off everything except the sump return, powerheads, heater and skimmer.

I have tested this for 4 hours and still had roughly 50% charge.

One thing to watch for, and I think it was already mentioned, but make sure the UPS produces a true sine wave. I would guess that pumps don't like square waves?

In the end, the UPS is such a simple solution. Although, perhaps not the cheapest.

[amoreira]

One can get a 1 - 3 kW generator from Costco for $300 to $500. One can't run it indoors though. It'll last as long as you have gasoline.

[mike31154]

I did ramble on somewhat in a couple of posts here, but bottom line is everyone needs to look at their own system and determine what can get their livestock through an extended power outage. Really depends on your particluar set up. Anything from a battery operated air pump to a 5KW generator and everything in between (batteries, inverters, UPSs, combinations thereof) can work. No one can predict when an outage will occur and how long it will last. You buys your gear and takes your chances. How valuable are your critters to you? While I personally don't have one yet, I still believe a generator is your best insurance and bang for your buck for any situation that may arise.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I have several battery packs from Canadian Tire that will keep powerheads running for about a day each.

I also have a portable gas generator for major emergencies, but haven't had to use it yet. I have a few jerry cans and at least a couple of them are full of gas at any one time. I use the gas in my CRV and get new gas every month or two, so I don't have old gas sitting around.

[globaldesigns]

I personally use a generator, bought my first one for $200 bucks used, and it could power most of the house. Then I had my business buy a much better one that could power the house and is designed to be used with electronics. Basically supplies a much cleaner power supply.

What I am getting at, is that you can look for a used gas generator and probably get it cheap, in many cases the same price as buying UPS's or battery packs. And with a generator the power is unlimited, as long as it is gassed up.

[DiverDude]

There are really so many variables to this equation as to make a useful solution essentially impractical.

Let's just dip a toe into this for a second....


The power goes out:

If it's less than an hour, I'd say do nothing.

If it's more than an hour then is it summer or winter (i.e. are you heating your tank to make temp or cooling it ?). If it's winter then you need to run a heater (several hundred watts). If summer, then a chiller -also several hundred watts but it also requires a high startup current for the compressor.

Regardless, you need something to circulate water (flow). This varies from tank to tank and could be a single pump like a vortech or several smaller units. In an emergency, perhaps the flow from your return will suffice for up to.....???? hours. If not, you need more power for the circulation pumps.

Lights -turn them off. Unless the outage is going to be days long, you can go without.

Oh...and where were you when the power went out ? If you think a generator will save you but the power goes out while you're away then it's just going to sit there. On the other hand, a UPS will keep things running for an hour (maybe) or perhaps more if you're running a modified unit with deep cycle batteries -great if it's a short outage but if it's longer, you've blown your load early and now you've got nothing left.

I could go on but you get the point.

If you really want to be 'bulletproof' then you need to come up with a table that shows how long you can do without each item you usually use (lights, pumps, skimmer etc.). Then, you need a controller to kick each of these items on/off at the right times. Finally, you need to do a power budget and add up the current draw for everything that is running at any given time and make sure your backup can a) supply at least that much power at all b) supply it for "long enough". You can then shop for a backup technology that will at least do what you need.

Clearly, the whole process -if it's to be done properly- is complex and probably beyond most reefers in terms of know-how and perhaps budget.

The only thing that'll REALLY solve all your problems is a natural gas-powered, auto-switchover whole-home generator. These will start automatically on power failure then switch over and run your whole house like nothing had happened. That'll run you a solid $10k (and up) !

[globaldesigns]

Originally Posted by DiverDude

There are really so many variables to this equation as to make a useful solution essentially impractical.

Let's just dip a toe into this for a second....


The power goes out:

If it's less than an hour, I'd say do nothing.

If it's more than an hour then is it summer or winter (i.e. are you heating your tank to make temp or cooling it ?). If it's winter then you need to run a heater (several hundred watts). If summer, then a chiller -also several hundred watts but it also requires a high startup current for the compressor.

Regardless, you need something to circulate water (flow). This varies from tank to tank and could be a single pump like a vortech or several smaller units. In an emergency, perhaps the flow from your return will suffice for up to.....???? hours. If not, you need more power for the circulation pumps.

Lights -turn them off. Unless the outage is going to be days long, you can go without.

Oh...and where were you when the power went out ? If you think a generator will save you but the power goes out while you're away then it's just going to sit there. On the other hand, a UPS will keep things running for an hour (maybe) or perhaps more if you're running a modified unit with deep cycle batteries -great if it's a short outage but if it's longer, you've blown your load early and now you've got nothing left.

I could go on but you get the point.

If you really want to be 'bulletproof' then you need to come up with a table that shows how long you can do without each item you usually use (lights, pumps, skimmer etc.). Then, you need a controller to kick each of these items on/off at the right times. Finally, you need to do a power budget and add up the current draw for everything that is running at any given time and make sure your backup can a) supply at least that much power at all b) supply it for "long enough". You can then shop for a backup technology that will at least do what you need.

Clearly, the whole process -if it's to be done properly- is complex and probably beyond most reefers in terms of know-how and perhaps budget.

The only thing that'll REALLY solve all your problems is a natural gas-powered, auto-switchover whole-home generator. These will start automatically on power failure then switch over and run your whole house like nothing had happened. That'll run you a solid $10k (and up) !

You just took things to another level. Things that make you go HMMMMMM!

[mark]

... and balanced against the 5 years I've been here total power outage maybe 3 hours (probably less).

[cwatkins]

Originally Posted by DiverDude

The only thing that'll REALLY solve all your problems is a natural gas-powered, auto-switchover whole-home generator. These will start automatically on power failure then switch over and run your whole house like nothing had happened. That'll run you a solid $10k (and up) !

MMMMMmmmmm. If only money grew on trees (and if I had room beside the house....)