Battery backup

[lost66]

I have a feeling this summer and hurricane season will bring some surprises and I think it is time to secure reef life support - I need battery backup. I don't want to power everything, I just need 1 power head to run let's say up to 24-48 hours. I am cheap and all my pumps are Jebao 24V. My power head consumes 10W.

There is out of the box solution for around $140 which is IceCap version 2 (https://www.championlighting.com/jebao-battery-back-up-system.html). First version of that battery was 12V, second one was 24V and third one is 12V again. For some reason they discontinued first and second versions leaving only 12V option. I don't know if buying discontinued product is a good idea. I don't even know how long that batter will last for my 10W pump - I have no idea how to calculate it.

So, going to DIY - what I can do is to buy 24v battery, charger and a battery automatic switch and everything should work. I mentioned I am cheap so I don't want to break the bank here with batteries but I also know a cheap battery is not a good idea. So, any hints what affordable battery I could use? Any links from Amazon?

My tank is located in kids room so I don't want toxic fumes from car batteries, etc. Do you think something compact from 18650 batteries would be ok? Like this

 

[Cartoonfanboy]

I have a feeling this summer and hurricane season will bring some surprises and I think it is time to secure reef life support - I need battery backup. I don't want to power everything, I just need 1 power head to run let's say up to 24-48 hours. I am cheap and all my pumps are Jebao 24V. My power head consumes 10W.

There is out of the box solution for around $140 which is IceCap version 2 (https://www.championlighting.com/jebao-battery-back-up-system.html). First version of that battery was 12V, second one was 24V and third one is 12V again. For some reason they discontinued first and second versions leaving only 12V option. I don't know if buying discontinued product is a good idea. I don't even know how long that batter will last for my 10W pump - I have no idea how to calculate it.

So, going to DIY - what I can do is to buy 24v battery, charger and a battery automatic switch and everything should work. I mentioned I am cheap so I don't want to break the bank here with batteries but I also know a cheap battery is not a good idea. So, any hints what affordable battery I could use? Any links from Amazon?

My tank is located in kids room so I don't want toxic fumes from car batteries, etc. Do you think something compact from 18650 batteries would be ok? Like this

I brought an UPS from costco seems to work ok

 

[ZombieEngineer]

The battery you linked would only run the equivalent of a single MP10 at 1% speed for 17 hours.

If you actually want to hit 48 hours, you are gonna need at least 18Ah / 432Wh

 

[Roatan Reef]

The Law Firm my wife works for uses the APC 1000 VA battery backup and surge protector for their main servers, so if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.

It has 4 plugs that Are battery backup, and 4 plugs that need constant power.

$165.00 on Amazon:


In the event of a power outage, you just really need power heads/Wave makers +Heater+Lights
Your tank will be OK without filtration for a while

 

[lost66]

I brought an UPS from costco seems to work ok

Which one? How long does it work for you and on what load?

at least 18Ah / 432Wh

How did you calculate that? Apex shows my pump runs let's say 15W and it draws 0.1A. This is a reading 110V. I assume that 15W is from the motor, power supply only transforms to 24V DC, it doesn't draw any energy per se?

To use DC 24V batteries I skip power adapter and if the pump itself draws 15W it would be 0.6A?
How about these batteries when I connect then in series?

The Law Firm my wife works for uses the APC 1000 VA battery backup and surge protector for their main servers, so if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.

It has 4 plugs that Are battery backup, and 4 plugs that need constant power.

$165.00 on Amazon:


In the event of a power outage, you just really need power heads/Wave makers +Heater+Lights
Your tank will be OK without filtration for a while

Do you use this such unit in your tank? If so, how long does it work and on what load?

 

[dmsc2fs]

If you want to DIY I think my solution may be the best bang-for-buck. I picked up a UPS and replaced the battery with a deep-cycle marine/RV battery. Not sure how long it will run 48 hours but it will go long enough for me to get a generator going. It won't get so dirty in your application. I had the battery in my garage for a long time before I put it into tank service.

 

[Shon]

Summer, hurricanes? Florida here.

Lithium battery tender

ecoworthy_12V_24V_30A_solar_charge_controller_PWM | ECO-WORTHY

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2x 20ah lithium batteries

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24v ac/dc power supply, thinking 5 amps..
Amazon maybe..

And bam, diy battery backup for 24vdc return pump.

I actually went with 10ah lithium batteries (60$ each). Can upgrade with another set later if I find need to. For 2 Jebao dcw-1500 return pumps.

If you still want Apex control, maybe add this doodad from a different diy battery backup thread. (I also bought one because I might)

DIY battery backup

I made my own battery backup. It uses a 110v power relay to automatically switch between wall power and the battery backup. I used a couple of 7 amp hour batteries sealed lead acid batteries. My icecap 3k gyre pump comes with a 24v DC power supply, so I was going to run two 12v batteries in...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[KStatefan]

I am using two 12 volt 16 Ah LiFePO4 batteries for backup for my Tunze pumps.

Max power 21 watts / 24 volts = 0.875 amps

16 Ah * 95% = 15 Ah / 0.875 amps = 17 hour run time

 

[doubleshot00]

Summer, hurricanes? Florida here.



I actually went with 10ah lithium batteries (60$ each). Can upgrade with another set later if I find need to. For 2 Jebao dcw-1500 return pumps.

If you still want Apex control, maybe add this doodad from a different diy battery backup thread. (I also bought one because I might)

DIY battery backup

I made my own battery backup. It uses a 110v power relay to automatically switch between wall power and the battery backup. I used a couple of 7 amp hour batteries sealed lead acid batteries. My icecap 3k gyre pump comes with a 24v DC power supply, so I was going to run two 12v batteries in...

www.reef2reef.com

This is the best advice on here so far. Devon from ReefDudes does a decent tutorial on how to set one of these up.

APC will only run for a few hours and open cell batteries inside your home is not safe.

To add just get a generator.

 

[lost66]

I picked up a UPS and replaced the battery with a deep-cycle marine/RV battery

It is weird to have a battery, convert it to 110v, plug power supply and go back to low voltage. Also, I would lost an option to control via Apex. I think I will just skip 110V and build my own backup with relay detecting shortage and switching to batteries.
But thank you very much for your input!

I actually went with 10ah lithium batteries (60$ each). Can upgrade with another set later if I find need to. For 2 Jebao dcw-1500 return pumps.

Thanks!

I am using two 12 volt 16 Ah LiFePO4 batteries for backup for my Tunze pumps.
Max power 21 watts / 24 volts = 0.875 amps

16 Ah * 95% = 15 Ah / 0.875 amps = 17 hour run time

I was leaning toward this path. I will build something using this approach. Thanks for calculations!

If you still want Apex control

Do you mean that relay? So it stays connected to EB832 and after power supply it goes to the relay?

Devon from ReefDudes does a decent tutorial on how to set one of these up.

I watched him video and batteries linked here are from his video.

 

[ZombieEngineer]

How did you calculate that? Apex shows my pump runs let's say 15W and it draws 0.1A. This is a reading 110V. I assume that 15W is from the motor, power supply only transforms to 24V DC, it doesn't draw any energy per se?

To use DC 24V batteries I skip power adapter and if the pump itself draws 15W it would be 0.6A?
How about these batteries when I connect then in series?

Do you use this

Which one? How long does it work for you and on what load?

How did you calculate that? Apex shows my pump runs let's say 15W and it draws 0.1A. This is a reading 110V. I assume that 15W is from the motor, power supply only transforms to 24V DC, it doesn't draw any energy per se?

To use DC 24V batteries I skip power adapter and if the pump itself draws 15W it would be 0.6A?
How about these batteries when I connect then in series?

Do you use this such unit in your tank? If so, how long does it work and on what load?

The calculation is energy = time * power and power = current * voltage

If your pump is 15W (I previously calculated for 9W), then you need 15W * 48h = 720Wh

With a 24V battery, you need that in Ah cause they don't specify them by Wh, so 720Wh / 24V = 30Ah.


You can connect two 12V batteries in series to make a 24V battery setup, but do note than if you try to charge a discharged battery with just a 24V power supply without either additional circuitry to limit the current or getting a power supply that self limits its current, you will fry your power supply.


The easiest method is to just purchase a UPS that has everything pre-built for you. On the cheaper end that would get you 9-10 hours is a cyberpower 1500VA that's about $150. The APC back UPS pro costs more upfront at $240 but has the ability to spend another $200 and triple the battery capacity from 11 hours to 33.

 

[BanjoBandito]

This is my next purchase, so I'm gonna phantom watch this thread....lol.

 

[lost66]

2 x 12V in series so to charge batteries I need 24V charger, right?

This is my next purchase, so I'm gonna phantom watch this thread....lol.

I will document my progress so stay tuned!

 

[BZOFIQ]

You can DIY a quick 24V battery backup using simple DIN mounted modules - all neatly mounted on a single DIN rail. These are high quality devices that are used in industrial environments.

Depending on how many devices you want to run pick your power supply.

https://amzn.to/3yexJwV

or

https://amzn.to/39Na0KY

then get a UPS module.

https://amzn.to/39JTWtB

and pickup 2 x SLA batteries. Depending on your budget you can pick one of these or anything in between.

18ah - https://amzn.to/3NhkcsW

35Ah - https://amzn.to/3yaKKrn


100ah - https://amzn.to/3QFUQI6



You'll also need some wires and DC breakers for safety.

To tie your devices to the unit, you can use of of these

https://amzn.to/3zWYzee

They come in 6, 12 or 18 positions so you can connect whatever your heart desires.

With this setup you can dump all OEM power bricks and just power everything from the new unit you build.

Choose your power supply wisely to handle the load. There is also a module that will allow you to combine multiple power supplies if you need 20 or 40Amps or if you want to provide power from multiple circuits. You'd can run a lot of powerheads and pumps from one of these things.

Additionally, above setup can be connected to your APEX for monitoring via I/O ports.

LMK if you have questions.

 

[ZombieEngineer]

You can DIY a quick 24V battery backup using simple DIN mounted modules - all neatly mounted on a single DIN rail. These are high quality devices that are used in industrial environments.

Depending on how many devices you want to run pick your power supply.

https://amzn.to/3yexJwV

or

https://amzn.to/39Na0KY

then get a UPS module.

https://amzn.to/39JTWtB

and pickup 2 x SLA batteries. Depending on your budget you can pick one of these or anything in between.

18ah - https://amzn.to/3NhkcsW

35Ah - https://amzn.to/3yaKKrn


100ah - https://amzn.to/3QFUQI6



You'll also need some wires and DC breakers for safety.

To tie your devices to the unit, you can use of of these

https://amzn.to/3zWYzee

They come in 6, 12 or 18 positions so you can connect whatever your heart desires.

With this setup you can dump all OEM power bricks and just power everything from the new unit you build.

Choose your power supply wisely to handle the load. There is also a module that will allow you to combine multiple power supplies if you need 20 or 40Amps or if you want to provide power from multiple circuits. You'd can run a lot of powerheads and pumps from one of these things.

Additionally, above setup can be connected to your APEX for monitoring via I/O ports.

LMK if you have questions.

While this direction is the ideal method for a large backup system and the general method I plan to use when I have a larger tank myself, this is not something I would recommend someone try who is not either very familiar with electrical components or willing to hire an electrician. Very easy to design/build this wrong and turn it into a fire hazard. Since this is going into a kids room, probably not the best idea.

 

[BanjoBandito]

I just want a plug and play solution to run my gyre and wave maker in tank, maybe the return too. I don't know if the Jabeo gyre I'm using will work with the Icecap battery. But at that price I can buy an APC and probably get better results. I'm running an apex so I don't think it's feasible to battery backup the entire apex system and equipment.

 

[ZombieEngineer]

I'm running an apex so I don't think it's feasible to battery backup the entire apex system and equipment.

It is feasable and I have done it for the last 7 years Just make sure you read the MACNA power monitoring presentation so you set the apex power monitoring setting correctly and add

If Power Apex Off 000 Then OFF

To everything except mission critical flow.

 

[BZOFIQ]

While this direction is the ideal method for a large backup system and the general method I plan to use when I have a larger tank myself, this is not something I would recommend someone try who is not either very familiar with electrical components or willing to hire an electrician. Very easy to design/build this wrong and turn it into a fire hazard. Since this is going into a kids room, probably not the best idea.

I tend to overestimate people's abilities so you may have a point. If not the OP, perhaps a capable reefer can benefit from my post. - Do proceed at your own risk.

 

[lost66]

I just want a plug and play solution to run my gyre and wave maker in tank, maybe the return too. I don't know if the Jabeo gyre I'm using will work with the Icecap battery. But at that price I can buy an APC and probably get better results. I'm running an apex so I don't think it's feasible to battery backup the entire apex system and equipment.

There is plug and play solution. IceCap has 3 versions of their batteries. V1 is 12V, V2 is 24V, V3 is 12V. Most of the pumps can work on 12V but not Jebao. I think this is due to architecture and cutting costs. I am very far from being an expert and about electricity I know it kills so I don't play with that very often. But my imagination tells me some controllers measure the power from the input and control the output (to the pump) based on what they got. But Jebao takes 24V no matter what and controller does the magic and prepares the output but it has to be 24V.
On Amazon there is IceCap which is described as V2 and I purchased it but I got V3 which is 12V - that's why I know Jebao won't work

So your out of the box option is IceCap V2 which is discontinued but you can purchase it. But now when I go deeper in that hole I think there are 3 reasons to not follow that path.
1) Discontinued product - you don't really know why. Maybe too many bad units? Maybe too weak?
2) Because it is discontinued most probably you will get an old battery or like 2 12V batteries in series (packed in tiny box) so the battery may be bad and if there are 2 12V then it may be the problem.
3) I still don't know how to calculate the capacity but those boxes don't look big enough. I think you won't get much juice from them

I tend to overestimate people's abilities so you may have a point. If not the OP, perhaps a capable reefer can benefit from my post. - Do proceed at your own risk.

Thanks for the links and description. That path looks tempting and looks professional but I think simpler I will go simpler solution. I will consider the batteries you linked though, I have seen this brand somewhere so it has to be good? I still have no idea how to pick good quality battery without breaking the bank.

As for the relay, is there any difference beside plastic cover? relay1 and relay2
Is this charger good enough? link to charger
And as for the safety, is this fine? 10A circuit breaker
What cable gauge to connect 2 batteries in series?

 

[ZombieEngineer]

The ice cap you listed is good for 48h with a 10W load at 50% duty cycle. This means that it has a total of 48h * 10W * 0.5 = 240Wh

With your 15W pump that would last 240Wh / 15W = 16 hours.