Hurricane Power Advice

[Arcticfirefighter]

So we seem to be smack in the middle of this hurricane and I am trying to prepare. I ordered a UPS batt backup for my 36 bow. I luckily dont have any coral in there yet because it is still so new. I have 2 hydor powerheads at 3.5 and 5 volts, and a Aquaclear HOB. I want to run at least one powerhead. Right now all I have in the tank are 2 clowns and a CUC plus the live rock and sand. I should be able to run at least the powerhead for approximately 15-20 hrs on the UPS. Do you think running one powerhead will be enough if we have a sustained power outage? The temp in the tank is pretty steady and I am sure will be a bit higher if the AC goes out.

 

[Reeferdood]

That will work and as far as cooling the water should the AC not work you can use a small DC fan to help. In the future I would look into a generator to keep everything going and the beer cold.
Good luck with Flo, she looks evil.

 

[Arcticfirefighter]

That will work and as far as cooling the water should the AC not work you can use a small DC fan to help. In the future I would look into a generator to keep everything going and the beer cold.
Good luck with Flo, she looks evil.

Thanks! A full size generator is now in the plan for the future. Wish I would have bought one when I got the tank...

 

[scardall]

I use this generator. It uses LP Gas, the same as your grill. better than gasoline. No power no pumping. LP gas already in tanks now. Mine 10hrs at half load, which is 1725W.https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sportsma...66001f5-cbd018a5-e879febdda8cecc1&athena=true

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

So we seem to be smack in the middle of this hurricane and I am trying to prepare. I ordered a UPS batt backup for my 36 bow. I luckily dont have any coral in there yet because it is still so new. I have 2 hydor powerheads at 3.5 and 5 volts, and a Aquaclear HOB. I want to run at least one powerhead. Right now all I have in the tank are 2 clowns and a CUC plus the live rock and sand. I should be able to run at least the powerhead for approximately 15-20 hrs on the UPS. Do you think running one powerhead will be enough if we have a sustained power outage? The temp in the tank is pretty steady and I am sure will be a bit higher if the AC goes out.

Your Hydor powerheads are not 3.5 and 5 volts. If you plug them into the wall, they are 12o volts AC. If you mean they consume 3.5 and 5 watts, that's probably true.

According to APC's site, this UPS will run 50 watts of equipment for about 2 hours. If you run 5 watts of equipment, you will likely just barely get 20 hours. Running more than one powerhead is not an option if you need a backup for 20 hours. Running both your Hydor pumps drops the runtime to around 10 - 12 hours, and adding the HOB filter will likely drop the runtime to around 4 - 6 hours (assuming the HOB filter is about 10W. It's hard to know how much power it will consume without testing it).

 

[Arcticfirefighter]

Your Hydor powerheads are not 3.5 and 5 volts. If you plug them into the wall, they are 12o volts AC. If you mean they consume 3.5 and 5 watts, that's probably true.

According to APC's site, this UPS will run 50 watts of equipment for about 2 hours. If you run 5 watts of equipment, you will likely just barely get 20 hours. Running more than one powerhead is not an option if you need a backup for 20 hours. Running both your Hydor pumps drops the runtime to around 10 - 12 hours, and adding the HOB filter will likely drop the runtime to around 4 - 6 hours (assuming the HOB filter is about 10W. It's hard to know how much power it will consume without testing it).

That's what I was figuring. I was only going to run the one pump, and not the HOB. The wattage was what they consume, taken off the box. I have a feeling though, if we do have a significant power outage, that it's going to take a lot more than a UPS to keep things going. They are saying it could be in excess of a week if things are going to be as bad as they are forecasting.

 

[Reeferdood]

That's what I was figuring. I was only going to run the one pump, and not the HOB. The wattage was what they consume, taken off the box. I have a feeling though, if we do have a significant power outage, that it's going to take a lot more than a UPS to keep things going. They are saying it could be in excess of a week if things are going to be as bad as they are forecasting.

It could be longer, I would try to get a gas generator and ditch the UPS just to be safe. You will be better off in the long run.

 

[Arcticfirefighter]

Unfortunately, there is a mad dash for them and most are gone. I may drive more towards the mountains and see if there are any out that way.

 

[Reeferdood]

I understand totally. Good luck with everything, hurricanes suck...

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

Do you live in a single family home and can you park near your home? If so, go to Walmart or an auto parts store and look for an inverter. Look for one rated for a few hundred watts and one that comes with battery clips.

Inverters run on 12VDC and your car produces 12VDC when it's running. So what you would do is start your car, hook the positive of the inverter to the positive battery terminal, the negative to the negative, and the inverter will produce power. As long as you have gas in your car, the car will run and the inverter will produce power. You can then run an extension cord inside and power your aquarium from it.

There are a few caveats with this approach. First, your car will need to be left running if you want power from the inverter, so you need to live in an area where it's safe to leave you car running unattended. You obviously can't drive anywhere because the car needs to stay stationary to create power. Second, your car will be running, so you need to make sure it won't overheat. The area where it's left running should be well ventilated, and you should consider running a fan pointing at the engine to keep it cool. Third, you want to be sure the engine and the inverter are not exposed to rain. This is going to be tough if you don't have a garage or car port. But, this is certainly an option.

 

[Arcticfirefighter]

Do you live in a single family home and can you park near your home? If so, go to Walmart or an auto parts store and look for an inverter. Look for one rated for a few hundred watts and one that comes with battery clips.

Inverters run on 12VDC and your car produces 12VDC when it's running. So what you would do is start your car, hook the positive of the inverter to the positive battery terminal, the negative to the negative, and the inverter will produce power. As long as you have gas in your car, the car will run and the inverter will produce power. You can then run an extension cord inside and power your aquarium from it.

There are a few caveats with this approach. First, your car will need to be left running if you want power from the inverter, so you need to live in an area where it's safe to leave you car running unattended. You obviously can't drive anywhere because the car needs to stay stationary to create power. Second, your car will be running, so you need to make sure it won't overheat. The area where it's left running should be well ventilated, and you should consider running a fan pointing at the engine to keep it cool. Third, you want to be sure the engine and the inverter are not exposed to rain. This is going to be tough if you don't have a garage or car port. But, this is certainly an option.

That's an idea... The only issue I would have is keeping it dry, the way this is coming is straight on towards my garage. I cant get either of my vehicles in the backyard because of our fence. Might have to think about this one. Much appreciated!

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Do you live in a single family home and can you park near your home? If so, go to Walmart or an auto parts store and look for an inverter. Look for one rated for a few hundred watts and one that comes with battery clips.

Inverters run on 12VDC and your car produces 12VDC when it's running. So what you would do is start your car, hook the positive of the inverter to the positive battery terminal, the negative to the negative, and the inverter will produce power. As long as you have gas in your car, the car will run and the inverter will produce power. You can then run an extension cord inside and power your aquarium from it.

There are a few caveats with this approach. First, your car will need to be left running if you want power from the inverter, so you need to live in an area where it's safe to leave you car running unattended. You obviously can't drive anywhere because the car needs to stay stationary to create power. Second, your car will be running, so you need to make sure it won't overheat. The area where it's left running should be well ventilated, and you should consider running a fan pointing at the engine to keep it cool. Third, you want to be sure the engine and the inverter are not exposed to rain. This is going to be tough if you don't have a garage or car port. But, this is certainly an option.

I am probably going to go this route. It looks like some things with sensitive electronics require pure sine wave output, which is a more expensive inverter/generator. Do DC pumps require pure sine wave given that they have to convert power and have a controller?

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

I am probably going to go this route. It looks like some things with sensitive electronics require pure sine wave output, which is a more expensive inverter/generator. Do DC pumps require pure sine wave given that they have to convert power and have a controller?

This is definitely one of my favorite methods of power backup. Your car is basically a gas generator that is always maintained and always ready to go. You always have the oil changed, you always have gas in it, etc. Adding an inverter is only between $30 and $50. The problem with this approach is mainly logistics.

I personally have a MSW (modified sine wave) inverter for my battery backup. All things being equal, PSW (pure sine wave) is probably better, but in my opinion, for battery backup for aquariums, it isn't necessary. It's true that MSW might cause motors to run a bit hotter and less efficiently because it's not a clean sine wave. But, the motors in our case are submerged in a cooling fluid (the aquarium water). I don't think that MSW is too bad for aquarium pumps in general, especially when you consider the short amount of time the aquarium will be on backup power, basically just when the power is out. If this was for a solar power build and you're running your aquarium equipment 24/7 on the inverter, I'd go PSW, but that's not the case with aquarium backups.

To answer your question about pumps, DC pumps will actually probably run better on a MSW inverter than an AC pump will. The reason is because the AC from the wall (or inverter) gets converted to DC power before it reaches the controller. Running your DC pump on a MSW inverter might cause the power supply to run a bit warm (it might have to work harder to convert the squared sine wave to DC), but the DC your pump's controller receives is just as clean as if it were running on a pure waveform from the wall. The pumps that actually have to work harder on MSW are AC pumps.

 

[SeaJay]

I have a decent sized gas generator, but its loud and drinks a ton of gas. My fridge will keep food cold for about two days once I lose power, so I fire up the generator for a couple hours after I open the fridge and/or to charge batteries & devices so the kids can watch movies and play games in the dark. I never run it constantly and I never run it for more than is needed to keep the freezer frozen and charge the Milwaukee batteries I use to power some lights. I have the ability to back feed my panel, but I don't really want to do that if it's not necessary. If you can't find a generator in time, I would use the battery backup you have and as a previous poster said, you could use your car to recharge it as necessary.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

This is definitely one of my favorite methods of power backup. Your car is basically a gas generator that is always maintained and always ready to go. You always have the oil changed, you always have gas in it, etc. Adding an inverter is only between $30 and $50. The problem with this approach is mainly logistics.

I personally have a MSW (modified sine wave) inverter for my battery backup. All things being equal, PSW (pure sine wave) is probably better, but in my opinion, for battery backup for aquariums, it isn't necessary. It's true that MSW might cause motors to run a bit hotter and less efficiently because it's not a clean sine wave. But, the motors in our case are submerged in a cooling fluid (the aquarium water). I don't think that MSW is too bad for aquarium pumps in general, especially when you consider the short amount of time the aquarium will be on backup power, basically just when the power is out. If this was for a solar power build and you're running your aquarium equipment 24/7 on the inverter, I'd go PSW, but that's not the case with aquarium backups.

To answer your question about pumps, DC pumps will actually probably run better on a MSW inverter than an AC pump will. The reason is because the AC from the wall (or inverter) gets converted to DC power before it reaches the controller. Running your DC pump on a MSW inverter might cause the power supply to run a bit warm (it might have to work harder to convert the squared sine wave to DC), but the DC your pump's controller receives is just as clean as if it were running on a pure waveform from the wall. The pumps that actually have to work harder on MSW are AC pumps.

Great to know. Just didn’t want to fry my return pumps or powerheads plugging them into the inverter. Only other things I’m worried about running during an outage would be heater or fans depending on time of year. My sump/workroom is in the garage so running off the car is a good option for me logistically. Between the cars and lawn equipment, one less combustion engine to fuel and maintain is great for me!

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

Great to know. Just didn’t want to fry my return pumps or powerheads plugging them into the inverter. Only other things I’m worried about running during an outage would be heater or fans depending on time of year. My sump/workroom is in the garage so running off the car is a good option for me logistically. Between the cars and lawn equipment, one less combustion engine to fuel and maintain is great for me!

To the best of my knowledge, AC/DC inverters don't have any problems running resistive loads like aquarium heaters. I ran my heater on my inverter for a few hours during an outage when I was running off my car, like described above. You should be able to just get a big enough inverter to run the loads you want, including a heater or fans. @Brew12 may know more about any caveats between resistive and inductive loads on inverters.

The only thing you want to be careful of is how much current you draw from your car. The 12VDC that your car produces is made by the alternator. While the alternator produces some extra current that can be used by your inverter, there's a limit to how much current it produces. It's pretty hard to even begin to quantify how much extra current is available for you to use, so I would probably try to be as conservative as possible.

Having the car in the garage is ideal. Just be sure to handle the exhaust from the car appropriately, especially if your garage is connected to your house or your sump is in your garage (fumes from the car could get in the aquarium water).

 

[cracker]

an inverter will run straight a 12 (well charged) car battery. It will last some hours running circulation etc

 

[Brew12]

To the best of my knowledge, AC/DC inverters don't have any problems running resistive loads like aquarium heaters. I ran my heater on my inverter for a few hours during an outage when I was running off my car, like described above. You should be able to just get a big enough inverter to run the loads you want, including a heater or fans. @Brew12 may know more about any caveats between resistive and inductive loads on inverters.

The only thing you want to be careful of is how much current you draw from your car. The 12VDC that your car produces is made by the alternator. While the alternator produces some extra current that can be used by your inverter, there's a limit to how much current it produces. It's pretty hard to even begin to quantify how much extra current is available for you to use, so I would probably try to be as conservative as possible.

Having the car in the garage is ideal. Just be sure to handle the exhaust from the car appropriately, especially if your garage is connected to your house or your sump is in your garage (fumes from the car could get in the aquarium water).

An inverter should work well for resistive loads. In fact, resistive loads can improve the performance of an inverter.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Just ordered this, I hope to be able to run my DC return pump, an air pump and heater or fan if needed. Maybe even my fridge, need to check wattage. I do have a vortech on UPS backup which will run for several hours in a short term outage.

Quesvow 1000W Car Power Inverter DC 12V to 110V 3 AC Outlets Home Car RV Solar Power Converter for Household Appliances in case Emergency, Hurricane, Storm and Outage https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071NZB4LT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_4ASLBb94BCHJ0

 

[docvin]

Worse comes to worse you can also buy a battery powered air pump. I always put one in my tank when I go on vacation. It goes on if the power goes off. The last time I went away power went off the day after I left. Apex controller wasn’t working because once power came up it triggered the gfi surge protector. Returned 5 days later only lost one of 20 fish, my Achilles tang, and all corals were fine. If I hadn’t used that little D battery powered pump I would have lost everything. This won’t control temp, obviously, but it will buy you enough time to get something more substantial like a generator.