backup power unit

[tanker newbie]

2 years ago we had a black out that lasted for a few hours, then last year they turned off our power so they can root the power to corporate offices(grin)after seeing a news clip about how in the future ny might be haveing power problems its scary to think what will happen to my fish,personally i still want power on my tank and am willing to spend cash on a back up power unit
i was thinking of getting a back up power unit like from apc or belkin but i dont know which size to get that would fit me well to last me a while, if the power goes out i want to have power to only a few things
first off (of course) my skilter 400, and 2nd the rio 1400(i plan on buying) as my return pump, all other things will be though surge proctected strips pluged in the wall
what would be a good back up power unit to last me a long time just for running these 2 things

 

[rlv695]

just like buying a tank... buy the biggest storage watts as possable.. and yes it would run them for a few hrs...
also keep an eye in papers for a small gen. sometimes can be bought as cheap as back up ppower supply...and can also be used to run freezer or a few light for the house too.....think about that...

 

[tanker newbie]

you know thats not a bad idea, but i never had any experiance with a generator like that(and i have NO clue how to hook it up either) thats why i was thinking of the backup power unit, simple yet effective

 

[broomer5]

If you can start and run a lawnmower .. you can run a small generator. No sweat.
I would go with a generator and some long extension cords for sure. If and when the electric power goes out ... how long is how long. Could be 3 hours, could be 3 days.
Just my 2 cents
Brian

 

[zaxs]

I think the Generator is the best idea. If your going to invest in a UPS like APC or others most are set only to provide 15 min of additional power just enough to shut down a computer system that is what their designed to do. For anything that will last for a few hours on battery your talking about something that cost's thousands and will weigh several hundred Lbs. The UPS for MY Server system has 12 batteries and they weigh 400 lbs. all together and this system only provides for 45 min of power for 2 computers. And I know that a tank will draw a lot more Amps then a computer system will.