How to rate a generator to your tank.

[BZOFIQ]

It will tell him a fake number because the heater is not on or using current. Once the heater kicks in, that unit will provide 20-20 min tops

450w load is 30 min tops on that device. That’s a optimistic value from the manufacturer.

Yep,

LOL, I should have said pull the plug and let it run down.

 

[BZOFIQ]

For small generator that would easily cover the tank, sip gas and run very quiet I can wholeheartedly recommend a Honda EU2200; one will say its more expensive then the non-equivalent predators but reliability comes with a price tag.

 

[BZOFIQ]

...

So for me, right now, the gas generator is my tried and true option.

I agree.

The law of redundancies however; One is NONE and Two is ONE, dictates a second standby.

 

[mfinn]

I agree.

The law of redundancies however; One is NONE and Two is ONE, dictates a second standby.

I have a back up generator?

 

[BZOFIQ]

I have a back up generator?

I realized that re-reading a post earlier than one I replied to.

I went the same route with a larger and smaller Hondas which could also be run in parallel

 

[Formulator]

Not a chance you're running for a day or longer with heaters connected. Even with just your pump and powerheads.

Pull the plug, see for yourself.

You are correct. In truth I haven’t had to use it yet, but after the detailed response from @VintageReefer and your comment on the subject, it appears I am underprepared. I’m looking into the battery he recommended now

 

[ackshee]

With the current weather near me in Illinois it has brought me to realize a generator is a necessity with how much money in coral and fish I have. I have no problem spending more money on coral why not a generator. My thing is how does one get the best generator for tbere case?
Like let’s say I wanna run my canister filter on my 20g frag tank, my return pump on my 55 and my return pump on my 180 with one generator. How do I rate that a generator one will be able to do this? Two how long it’ll be able to run it on a full tank of gas? Also don’t think I need to worry about heaters at least now in the summer but in the winter maybe but if the power is out long enough that my whole house heats up or cools down I got bigger problems, or I have to buy chillers for all my tanks…
Anyways any help with this if you have bought a generator, I can’t sleep at night worrying about my power going out and think it’s time to get reassurance.

I grew up in Chicagoland. In 20 years of living there, I only remember a handful of power outages. One power outage lasted about 12 hours, the rest lasted less than 3 hours. If you are near Chicagoland and not in a remote area, the power grid is pretty solid. I would plan for less than 24 hours of power outage, and play it safe with a Honda gas generator. It's easy to drive to the station and buy a few gallons of gas, even if it's more expensive than electricity. For a backup emergency generator, for short-term outages, I would go with a gas generator paired with some extension cords. However, a gas generator is a motor, which requires oil changes and maintenance after a certain amount of use, so that's something to consider.

Another thing to consider is what if your furnace dies in the winter? It happened to my family when I was a kid, on Christmas morning. Whole house dropped below 50 degrees very quickly. You may want to consider keeping a couple of extra fish tank heaters in case your furnace dies and your tanks struggle to maintain temperature.

 

[BZOFIQ]

You are correct. In truth I haven’t had to use it yet, but after the detailed response from @VintageReefer and your comment on the subject, it appears I am underprepared. I’m looking into the battery he recommended now

Glad you're aware now and have time to plan accordingly. Reef on.

 

[VintageReefer]

I had a power outage of 5 days and gas was not available for 6. Power lines down. Trees down. I had to wait for linesman from other states to make their way through the hurricane damaged state by state. Good bless them.

A home generator would have been a huge help but it was an expense I wasn’t prepared for

The lithium power stations can recharge via solar panel. Had this been tech available at the time it would have been a good solution. Charge for 6-8 hours in the day. Run off battery for the rest of the day/night.

 

[PharmrJohn]

If your parents have a whole home generator on the house, I think you are fine. You don’t need to run the entire system during a temporary power outage. Just need to keep temperature and flow going. I could be wrong but I bet their generator could accommodate just those things.

My Dad bought a whole house generator that ran on natural gas. If the power went out, he didn't even know it. It kicked on and worked seamlessly. If I had natural gas available to my place, I'd invest in one of those in a heartbeat. In the meantime, I'll use the monster extension cord laden type that I currently have.

 

[BZOFIQ]

My Dad bought a whole house generator that ran on natural gas. If the power went out, he didn't even know it. It kicked on and worked seamlessly. If I had natural gas available to my place, I'd invest in one of those in a heartbeat. In the meantime, I'll use the monster extension cord laden type that I currently have.

I'd do it too but in NYC it has to be that many feet from the neighbor and this many feet from the windows, cannot be on this side of the house and cannot look this way and cannot do this at this time of the day and .... you get the point. We used to laugh at CA but now it seems these two states are in competition for who has more dumb restrictions.

 

[VintageReefer]

I'd do it too but in NYC it has to be that many feet from the neighbor and this many feet from the windows, cannot be on this side of the house and cannot look this way and cannot do this at this time of the day and .... you get the point. We used to laugh at CA but now it seems these two states are in competition for who has more dumb restrictions.

It’s happening anywhere new homes are built. New homes are in developments with HOA’s with the most ridiculous rules

Building a deck. No problem. In the space under the deck, better not put up some walls and a door! Then it’s a <gasp!> shed and noooooo sheds allowed in here!!!

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

If you have the Direct Current Drive pumps with a Smart Controller, you are going to need a true Sine Wave Generator.

 

[BZOFIQ]

If you have the Direct Current Drive pumps with a Smart Controller, you are going to need a true Sine Wave Generator.

Yep, both of my Honda's are.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

i bought a brand new 3500 watt generator for $200. Good reviews. A lady wanted it home since she was moving. I can run the fridge, my tank, and maybe a few heaters.

If I never need it, then good. If we get another Sandy, i will be thrilled that i purchased it.

I think after 3 hours of outage, you may want to consider getting it running. Some people will use a battery backup which is fantastic for flow but i figure that if it’s a small one hour outage there will be zero harm to my corals.

 

[VintageReefer]

If you have the Direct Current Drive pumps with a Smart Controller, you are going to need a true Sine Wave Generator.

This is a good point and I just want to mention all the units I posted contain true sine wave inverters

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Living in the NYC area, power is ok for the most part, less Sandy, lost the system, I invested in a 1k watt Generac power supply to run few nero5 on 2 systems. Just need the flow Initially, other stuff is secondary. Credit to the hard working utility peeps.