Battery backup/inverter?

[flricordia]

Anyone know of any device that you plug say a pump into, and it plugs to AC and keeps a battery charged so that when power goes out it will keep a pump operating for at least 6-8 hours?
Living in hurricane zone I am always in fear of loosing power while I am at work. I have a nice generator, but I have to be here to operate it.
I have been searching online for something that will come on with power interuption and runa single low watt pumpo for at least 1/2 a day. ALl I have found are home PC backups and they are rated at less than an hour at most or large UPS systems that cost more in the thousands.
Anyone?

 

[fpanther]

Pepboys Sell A Small Generator That Runs On Gas For About $130.00

 

[flricordia]

Originally Posted by fpanther
http:///forum/post/2624933
Pepboys Sell A Small Generator That Runs On Gas For About $130.00
I have good generator. Looking for something that will switch over in power outage and run the main pump if no one home. Like the battery backup packs for home PCs.

 

[reefforbrains]

To do what your looking for you will either have to get McGuyver style or you would need to break into the Gaurdian style auto switches.
Gaurdian makes a transfer panel and relay that plugs to your generator. When power is off for more than 60 seconds it turns on your generator. Your generator needs to be auto responsive to load and electric start but then its worry free. (most decent quality larger generators have auto start and loading standard nowadays) Add a larger fuel tank and a package of stabil and your good for the duration.
McGuyver style would be to use a float charger on a good sized dry cell deep cycle battery. Then invert it for use on a dedicated circuit to your needs. A good deep cycle should give enough juice for a day or so but its really just a band-aid. It wont keep any larger tanks moving for very long. You could use several batteries and get addittional run time that in itself becomes quite an expense when a good dry deep is bout 200 a pop.

 

[reefforbrains]

You still need something like a sensor/relay that would kick on the alternate curcuit at drop in voltage. You might wait for Scuzzy to chime in. He is the DIY electric wizard round these parts and wont let ya down.
Ill turn on the SCSI signal for him. But I am sure he is lurking and will jump in if he sees it.
SCSI

 

[bang guy]

What you are describing can be supplied by just about any UPS unit - Uninteruptible Power Supply.

 

[perfectdark]

Im not savy with electronics by any means but as Bang just mentioned why cant you use a back up UPS like the ones available for computers?

 

[scsinet]

Originally Posted by ReefForBrains
http:///forum/post/2625193
SCSI

My spidey sense is tingling!!!!
Yeah a UPS would be the simplest solution for this. I am not a fan of UPS units because to get significant runtime, you need to invest quite a bit as you have obviously discovered.
To get 6+ hours out of a powerhead, you may be looking at at least 2000+VA, and yep, that's gonna cost. The big problem is that UPSs themselves draw significant idle power from the batteries... they'll usually drain themselves in less than 6 hours, even with nothing plugged into them

Now, here's a different angle...
Do you have a monitored alarm system? Almost every alarm system on the planet can be configured to call in when they lose power, but that feature is almost always disabled on residential installations. All you need to do is have your alarm company enable that feature on your panel, then have your account set up so the alarm company calls you when they receive a power failure signal. Then you can go home and start up your generator.
If you don't, you can use what's called a voice dialer. Google "Smarthome" and you'll find several such devices, which can be set up to call a pre-programmed number and play a pre-recorded message, so it can call your mobile phone and tell you that you've lost power.
Finally, Azoo makes a battery operated air pump that comes on automatically when it loses power. Yes, airstones are bad in saltwater tanks, but they will work for backup purposes to keep the water from getting stagnant.
... anyway... those are all ideas you may consider.
Unless you are inclined enough to build an inverter system with a changeover relay to provide more long term protection, a UPS is really the simplest solution for you if battery back up is what you absolutely must have.

 

[nuro]

i've got batter myself and am very interested in a longer solution also being in the hurricanes way. I got bored at work one day and chained batteries together to see what would happen.. it maybe gave me an extra hour but it pretty much failed. I'm in a condo in an evac zone so generators are out of the question. what about battery operated pumps?

 

[dborne3]

Hey guys - i saw this thread and figured i would ask my question here. Anyway - i had seen this Azoo battery backup air pump and was considering doing this. What is wrong with having airstones in saltwater tanks? I could just put them in when i leave and then just take them out when i get back from vacation. Sounds like this might work...

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by dborne3
http:///forum/post/2627011
Hey guys - i saw this thread and figured i would ask my question here. Anyway - i had seen this Azoo battery backup air pump and was considering doing this. What is wrong with having airstones in saltwater tanks? I could just put them in when i leave and then just take them out when i get back from vacation. Sounds like this might work...
Airstones provine a very good amount of flow compared to the amount of energy used. If they are well placed they can provide excellent circulation.
The main problem as I see it is salt spray. Every bubble that pops sends out a tiny amount of saltwater. When this hits a wall or the side of the aquarium it evaporates and leaves a tiny salt crystal. Millions of these crystals gather and not only look bad, they can allow water to wick up and over the lip of the aquarium and drip saltwater down the sides of the glass.

 

[dborne3]

Originally Posted by Bang Guy
http:///forum/post/2627053
Airstones provine a very good amount of flow compared to the amount of energy used. If they are well placed they can provide excellent circulation.
The main problem as I see it is salt spray. Every bubble that pops sends out a tiny amount of saltwater. When this hits a wall or the side of the aquarium it evaporates and leaves a tiny salt crystal. Millions of these crystals gather and not only look bad, they can allow water to wick up and over the lip of the aquarium and drip saltwater down the sides of the glass .
Where would it be best?

 

[nuro]

those battery air pumps look like a good idea.. i looked aroudn the forums a bit and didnt find any threads on emergency procedures... hrmmmm

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by dborne3
http:///forum/post/2627059
Where would it be best?
I can't answer that because it depends on your aquascape.
When I have a power outage I place 4 of them along the front glass. This causes the water to flow up with the bubbles, across the surface toward the back, and then down the front of the rocks and across the sand bed.

 

[dborne3]

I should be able to do that with mine - thanks

 

[flricordia]

Most PC backups only run at the longest and hour. As far as monitor that calls me at work, I work 25 miles away and usually can't up and leave. Battery air pump I have considered, but wouldn't be practical. As Bang Guy said, salt spray problem. Has too run all the time to work and won't run pump. All I need to run is the pump from overflow to fuge and that would keep the system in safe mode for plenty of time for me to get back.
I saw a UPS one day on the net that will power low watts for upto 8 hours, but I didn't mark it and can't find it now. It was less than $200. I fi could find it that is what I would get, just hopeing someone here had seen it or knew where to look.

 

[flricordia]

I found it again and will be buying one. It is by Xantrex and is called PowerSource 400. It runs off AC and when power goes out it will switch to battery storage and claimed to operate 40 W emergency light, 13” TV, radio, small fan, mobile and cordless phone for upto 8 hours.
If it does what it claims during a hurricane outage it could be recharged with a generator so yo could have continue power.
During Ivan we were out of power for almost 2 weeks. Thank the Lord I had jsut bought a generator. Gas didn't cost what it does now. I ran a small air unit, fridge, light tank on a 5gl tank for 15 hours.
Think the power pack would be a good investment.

 

[dborne3]

Wow - that really looks like a good deal - good find. I think i will go with this instead.

 

[notsonoob]

Originally Posted by Flricordia
http:///forum/post/2627761
Most PC backups only run at the longest and hour. As far as monitor that calls me at work, I work 25 miles away and usually can't up and leave. Battery air pump I have considered, but wouldn't be practical. As Bang Guy said, salt spray problem. Has too run all the time to work and won't run pump. All I need to run is the pump from overflow to fuge and that would keep the system in safe mode for plenty of time for me to get back.
I saw a UPS one day on the net that will power low watts for upto 8 hours, but I didn't mark it and can't find it now. It was less than $200. I fi could find it that is what I would get, just hopeing someone here had seen it or knew where to look.
Put a needle valve inline. You can set the bubbles you need. That would cut down on salt creep, but what is more important? Fish or a little extra cleaning?
If anything you just need to run the pump(s)
I think what you are looking at is for short-term power outages.
Example: Mag 7 pump 70 watts 120 VAC
(2) Korila 2's 4.5 Watts each (9 WATTS) 120 vac
The 400 you need to understand is labeled for small items individually, with 5 minutes to hold 400 Watts.
44 Watts -- 8 hours
103 Watts -- 4 hours
121 Watts -- 2.5 hours
The uptime charge is 20 hours for 100% battery charge. So in a hurricane you would need to run your generator for about 16-20 hours to be effective anyway. Hence where is the savings?
I would only consider this for a short-term solution, but in the short term your tank should be ok anyway.

 

[flricordia]

Originally Posted by NOTSONOOB
http:///forum/post/2628482
Put a needle valve inline. You can set the bubbles you need. That would cut down on salt creep, but what is more important? Fish or a little extra cleaning?
If anything you just need to run the pump(s)
I think what you are looking at is for short-term power outages.
Example: Mag 7 pump 70 watts 120 VAC
(2) Korila 2's 4.5 Watts each (9 WATTS) 120 vac
The 400 you need to understand is labeled for small items individually, with 5 minutes to hold 400 Watts.
44 Watts -- 8 hours
103 Watts -- 4 hours
121 Watts -- 2.5 hours
The uptime charge is 20 hours for 100% battery charge. So in a hurricane you would need to run your generator for about 16-20 hours to be effective anyway. Hence where is the savings?
I would only consider this for a short-term solution, but in the short term your tank should be ok anyway.
You may be correct but I would rather the tank stay in operation all the time, even say a thunderstorm 4hr outage especially since I have over 300 ricordea in a 30gl system.
I was not suggesting that others should do this, I was looking to know if anyone knew of a backup system but I was able to find it after all and for a couple hundred dollars I think it will give me the peace of mind I need while I am across town at work knowing that if a power outage does happen for any reason, the main pump will still operate and supply water movement to both my fuge and display.