Battery backups and Apex

[SallyWho]

I was out and about yesterday morning, and apparently my neighborhood had a power outage while I was gone. Got me to thinking about battery backups. Some basic googling and using the R2R search function taught me a little, but I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. I have an Apex Classic. Would I buy a battery backup, plug it into the wall, and then plug the EB8 into the UPS? I'd like to run minimum equipment only (return pump, heater, gyre) during power interruptions in order to lengthen the run time of the battery, but if I've got the Apex brain on a UPS, it will never detect a power failure, and thus I can't program anything to run minimally, right? Do I buy a little EB4 or something, and plug only what I want to run in an emergency into the EB4? Leave the EB8 plugged into the wall, use an extra 12V power supply to plug the Apex brain into the EB4, and connect the EB4 to the UPS? And then would the Apex even need any programming? Since the necessities are plugged into the EB4, they'll never lose power in the first place. This makes my head spin a little bit. What's the best way to go about this? Thanks in advance.

 

[JasonK84]

I don't have an apex so I can't help there but I wouldn't run the heater or the gyre. I would only run the return pump. I've got a 1500AH UPS and my return pump draws a max of 80 watts at 100%. In testing the longevity of the UPS with only my return pump I got just about 2.5 hours. Based on draw and battery capacity I should have got over 15 hours but only got 2.5. If the heater and powerheads where also on there I would probably have less than 30 minutes. UPS battery backups use power inverters to operate 110v devices from the 12v batteries. These inverters are not efficient and much of the power is lost in the process. Essential equipment would be the return pump. This will keep your filter alive and your tank oxygenated.

 

[SallyWho]

I don't have an apex so I can't help there but I wouldn't run the heater or the gyre. I would only run the return pump. I've got a 1500AH UPS and my return pump draws a max of 80 watts at 100%. In testing the longevity of the UPS with only my return pump I got just about 2.5 hours. Based on draw and battery capacity I should have got over 15 hours but only got 2.5. If the heater and powerheads where also on there I would probably have less than 30 minutes. UPS battery backups use power inverters to operate 110v devices from the 12v batteries. These inverters are not efficient and much of the power is lost in the process. Essential equipment would be the return pump. This will keep your filter alive and your tank oxygenated.

Well, I'd have to look to be sure, but my DC return pump really doesn't draw that much power, and I only have it set at 40%. I think I could also run one of my two heaters (250W each) at least. If I get a tax refund this year, I'm going to put it towards a portable generator, so I just need the UPS to last long enough for me to get home and fire up the generator. If I'm at work when the power goes out, I'll need at least 8hrs of juice.

 

[JasonK84]

Well, I'd have to look to be sure, but my DC return pump really doesn't draw that much power, and I only have it set at 40%. I think I could also run one of my two heaters (250W each) at least. If I get a tax refund this year, I'm going to put it towards a portable generator, so I just need the UPS to last long enough for me to get home and fire up the generator. If I'm at work when the power goes out, I'll need at least 8hrs of juice.

I had the same expectation to have the UPS run the return pump until I could get home. I have also bought a small generator (1000watt) just to run my tank but my UPS will not keep me going for more than the 2.5 hours. What UPS are you looking at getting? Something bigger than 1500AH?

 

[SallyWho]

I had the same expectation to have the UPS run the return pump until I could get home. I have also bought a small generator (1000watt) just to run my tank but my UPS will not keep me going for more than the 2.5 hours. What UPS are you looking at getting? Something bigger than 1500AH?

I, uh, am embarrassed to admit that I haven't actually researched UPSs yet...but I will!

 

[JasonK84]

I, uh, am embarrassed to admit that I haven't actually researched UPSs yet...but I will!

Nothing to be embarrassed about. I just wanted to share my findings with you since you were looking into them.

 

[SallyWho]

Nothing to be embarrassed about. I just wanted to share my findings with you since you were looking into them.

Do you have any recommendations?

 

[JasonK84]

I wish I did. I know people use the ecotech marine battery backup for keeping a PH running in the display but this does no good for the sump and keeping the bacteria alive. They also sell an adapter to use with the ecotech battery but it's only good with their return pumps and I don't know what the run times would be.
Here is some info I found on the booster (adapter) from BRS. Maybe someone else can chime in that has used this method and give an idea of run time and compatibility with other DC pumps.

Maybe a solid solution will come from your post that will help both of us. I'm still running my UPS and gambling on outages less than it can handle. Rare to have one here that goes more than 30 minutes or so but I would like the added insurance.

 

[Tastee]

I have an Apex 2016, not a classic, so aren’t sure about that model. I suggest you post on the Neptune community forum - there are a few very enthusiastic experts who will almost certainly chip in.

In my case I run a CyberPower UPS to run my EB6 (I am an Aussie, we don’t get the EB8 )- and have the Apex power supply connected to mains. The power supply alerts the Apex to an outage and I can then control devices to suit. My mains connected kit (lights, heaters etc) goes off of course, but the return, wavemaker, skimmer and Apex stays on. After 30 mins I move to a keep-alive mode, running key equipment 5 mins out of every 30. This prolongs my UPS life.