Battery backups save the day!

4FordFamily

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Battery back ups save the day today. Woke up this morning and went to check on fish and it’s all out. Oh crap!!

When I quarantine the basement load is such that I trip stuff. Fish splash, for whatever reason it happens every other batch. Two weeks ago after a near run-in (caught just before they suffocated), I bought two battery backups. One for quarantines with air stone and small pump running when power is out and the other for one power head in 500G wall-tank. My heaters run on another circuit because of their draw. Both of my quarantines and my wall tank are on the same circuit unfortunately. No easy fix for that, but...

0 losses and it must have been out for a while because I only had 80 minutes run time left on wall tank! Crisis averted! Not suffocating my fish again! I just bought another for my 180G reef.

I also have a generator for longer term outages as well. Really need a whole house generator, but for now, this’ll do!


Anyone else run battery backuos
 
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I'm so glad your backup battery did the trick! After the recent tornadoes in my area Easter night, I've been looking for a more temporary backup for short outages. I have a portable generator, but it has to be dragged into the backyard and everything plugged in (plus my coffee pot and refrigerator!). I have a 90 gallon tank and would like to put the pump/powerheads on backup. Do you have any idea how much backup time you get with your battery?
 
If only you lived in CT I’d come fix that tripping for some coral frags and to check out the tank.
Anyway to get extra circuits out there?
 
Really need a whole house generator, but for now, this’ll do!
Highly recommend Generac whole house generator. Peace of mind if you are going to be out of town for a few days. ;)
 
I'm so glad your backup battery did the trick! After the recent tornadoes in my area Easter night, I've been looking for a more temporary backup for short outages. I have a portable generator, but it has to be dragged into the backyard and everything plugged in (plus my coffee pot and refrigerator!). I have a 90 gallon tank and would like to put the pump/powerheads on backup. Do you have any idea how much backup time you get with your battery?
The QT tank battery said it had 400 hours left, the 500G wall tank said 80. I don’t know what full charge is I’ll have to figure that out and get back to you.
 
If only you lived in CT I’d come fix that tripping for some coral frags and to check out the tank.
Anyway to get extra circuits out there?
I’m illiterate with that sort of thing, I’m sure it can be done but I don’t know that I want to fork out the capital required to do so lol

Highly recommend Generac whole house generator. Peace of mind if you are going to be out of town for a few days. ;)
I need to, truly. I will likely end up doing so.
 
I’m illiterate with that sort of thing, I’m sure it can be done but I don’t know that I want to fork out the capital required to do so lol

I need to, truly. I will likely end up doing so.
Where’s your electrical panel located?
While the generator is awesome it won’t fix the tripping issue.
Ugh... a ford fan though... maybe I can’t help you after all lol! :eek:
 
Where’s your electrical panel located?
While the generator is awesome it won’t fix the tripping issue.
Ugh... a ford fan though... maybe I can’t help you after all lol! :eek:
Garage :D
 
Oh, and the heater will need to be on there also! I totally forgot about the heater!
I figure for short term issues, the heater isn't mission critical. I can add it of course but I am much more concerned with the fish suffocating lol
 
I figure for short term issues, the heater isn't mission critical. I can add it of course but I am much more concerned with the fish suffocating lol

True...I guess it wouldn't be important for short-term issues like the battery backup. I'm sure if I'm going to the trouble to drag the generator into the backyard and hook everything up, we're in for a much longer power outage!
 
Highly recommend Generac whole house generator. Peace of mind if you are going to be out of town for a few days. ;)

I'm in the process of buying a house and think im going to buy a generac. Is there any point of having a battery backup for my powerheads when you have a generac since it powers on instantly?
 
We have a Generac. It was very expensive but the peace of mind is priceless. Not only for the tanks, but I worry about my dogs getting cold in the WI winter if we lose power while I'm stuck on a 12 hour shift.

I'm in the process of buying a house and think im going to buy a generac. Is there any point of having a battery backup for my powerheads when you have a generac since it powers on instantly?

I haven't added battery backups because one powerhead in the DT is intentionally on a separate circuit. If the breaker for the main panel running the tank trips there will still be a little movement. Otherwise, I think a small one just to keep water moving is a good idea.
 

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