Marine battery backup system ideas

[USMA36]

i am looking for ideas on a battery backup system using a AGM marine battery. I’d like to power my jebao return pumpand 2 Maxspect xf230s. What do I need to make this work other than the battery? I looked at the icecap and it really seems like a waste of money for such a small battery. I’d love to make something similar using a much larger battery.

 

[Logan A.]

i am looking for ideas on a battery backup system using a AGM marine battery. I’d like to power my jebao return pumpand 2 Maxspect xf230s. What do I need to make this work other than the battery? I looked at the icecap and it really seems like a waste of money for such a small battery. I’d love to make something similar using a much larger battery.

Look into something like a 2000 w inverter and an auto transfer switch that can be hooked directly into a 15amp 120v line that way there is no messing with overall house circuitry just the one outlet. This type of thing is most commonly used in motorbikes and campers. If you really want to hit the nail on the head make sure your battery is deep cycle and get a battery tender to go with it keep everything charged up without ruining your battery. As a general rule 10 amp hours will run 100 watts for 1 hour. Most marine batteries are somewhere in the neighborhood of 90ish amp hours. If you want to go off the grid you can buy a cheap solar panel kit and charge your battery that way however unlike the battery tender overcharge is possible shortening battery life span.

 

[Logan A.]

Look into something like a 2000 w inverter and an auto transfer switch that can be hooked directly into a 15amp 120v line that way there is no messing with overall house circuitry just the one outlet. This type of thing is most commonly used in motorbikes and campers. If you really want to hit the nail on the head make sure your battery is deep cycle and get a battery tender to go with it keep everything charged up without ruining your battery. As a general rule 10 amp hours will run 100 watts for 1 hour. Most marine batteries are somewhere in the neighborhood of 90ish amp hours. If you want to go off the grid you can buy a cheap solar panel kit and charge your battery that way however unlike the battery tender overcharge is possible shortening battery life span.

Sorry it auto corrected to motorbikes meant to may motorhomes

 

[wcharon]

Is it a most that the Inverter has to be Pure Shine as they quite varies in price ???

 

[Logan A.]

Is it a most that the Inverter has to be Pure Shine as they quite varies in price ???

From what I've read the closer to pure the better off your equipment will be but the power realistically goes out for what maybe 3-4 hrs at a time and you can pick up a decent inverter that will give you what I perceive IN MY OPINION to be good enough for around $150 on Amazon. Purists will tell you "Has to be pure" but it's all a matter of opinion and perspective.

 

[wcharon]

Thanks @Logan for the advise...

 

[siggy]

A pure sine-wave is always More-Better but those are pricey, From my yachting days they were needed for AC and refrigeration compressors running continuously on the high seas.
If all your equipment is adjustable output, they are using a chopped sine wave and the dc rectifier doesn't care, mabey a surge suppressor to keep things smooth.
I have Purchased about 5 Inverters for a small hunting camp and the best and most efficient is still kicking is a Whistler (radar detectors) 1000w , the big ones just drain your batteries.

 

[USMA36]

Look into something like a 2000 w inverter and an auto transfer switch that can be hooked directly into a 15amp 120v line that way there is no messing with overall house circuitry just the one outlet. This type of thing is most commonly used in motorbikes and campers. If you really want to hit the nail on the head make sure your battery is deep cycle and get a battery tender to go with it keep everything charged up without ruining your battery. As a general rule 10 amp hours will run 100 watts for 1 hour. Most marine batteries are somewhere in the neighborhood of 90ish amp hours. If you want to go off the grid you can buy a cheap solar panel kit and charge your battery that way however unlike the battery tender overcharge is possible shortening battery life span.

I already have a generator but it’s not automatic. I am looking to buy time from power outage until someone can get home. Usually that would only be a couple hours but the more backup power I can have the better. The pumps that I would be running are both dc powered. I’m really looking for something that’s easy to put together but better than the small battery I’d get with an icecap battery backup or EcoTech. I basically want an icecap/EcoTech setup with a much larger battery. I know I can use several of those batteries but for what they charge per battery they are nuts. How to I get the AGM marine/rv battery hooked up to my pumps and possibly my apex so I can get a text when the lower goes out. What’s the best way to keep the battery charged?

 

[Logan A.]

I already have a generator but it’s not automatic. I am looking to buy time from power outage until someone can get home. Usually that would only be a couple hours but the more backup power I can have the better. The pumps that I would be running are both dc powered. I’m really looking for something that’s easy to put together but better than the small battery I’d get with an icecap battery backup or EcoTech. I basically want an icecap/EcoTech setup with a much larger battery. I know I can use several of those batteries but for what they charge per battery they are nuts. How to I get the AGM marine/rv battery hooked up to my pumps and possibly my apex so I can get a text when the lower goes out. What’s the best way to keep the battery charged?

If you are talking about the marine battery a product called "Battery Tender" works great its not a trickle charger it actually monitors your battery and stops charging at full charge. As far as getting a text when the power goes out I don't know WiFi would go out with the power basically eliminating that possibility.

 

[USMA36]

If you are talking about the marine battery a product called "Battery Tender" works great its not a trickle charger it actually monitors your battery and stops charging at full charge. As far as getting a text when the power goes out I don't know WiFi would go out with the power basically eliminating that possibility.

I have a small battery backup that will power WiFi and modem for a short time. How can I hook everything together. What do I connect the battery to? The commercial batteries you just plug them into your pump. I’d like something similar. Power goes out battery takes over.

 

[jakeh22]

You won’t have it powered by apex because when apex isn’t online it isn’t running I just had this problem. Even if you have a backup battery for Wi-Fi how will it work if the lines aren’t communicating in? This is something I’m dealing with now I bought an inverted as well as an icecap backup battery it will be here tomorrow

 

[USMA36]

You won’t have it powered by apex because when apex isn’t online it isn’t running I just had this problem. Even if you have a backup battery for Wi-Fi how will it work if the lines aren’t communicating in? This is something I’m dealing with now I bought an inverted as well as an icecap backup battery it will be here tomorrow

Typically when I lose lower I keep internet. I can’t remember the last time I lost power and internet.

 

[USMA36]

All I really want is the icecap battery setup with a larger marine battery.

 

[jakeh22]

All I really want is the icecap battery setup with a larger marine battery.

You can use the battery backup on the return pump and then a second output on a power head. Or Use another backup battery for a power head. You don’t need to heat the tank as much because fish and corals can take colder temps better than warmer temps. I doubt the temp will drop that drastically in the matter of 4 hours being that it’s only for when you are not home. Get yourself a really good return pump that has a power setting minimum for when the power goes out and it’s using a backup battery as to not draw as much power. Maxspect gyres have this setting as well as the turbine duo 9k return.

That is what I have on mine and then I have a dc inverter for if it goes out Indefinitely to power my entire unit but for when I’m not home just the basics. Flow.


I watched a bunch of brstv YouTube videos on how to deal with outages. Do the same you won’t be upset with the feedback

 

[Radman73]

All I really want is the icecap battery setup with a larger marine battery.

I've done this for an Ecotech MP40 a couple days after Irma hit us. I was able to pick up a deep cycle marine battery, a battery tender, and the appropriate plug from a radio shack. In general, it's probably a good idea to put a fuse in. Theoretically it would run my MP40 for about 280 hours.

Do the pumps you want to run have separate 12v inputs for backup power like the MP40? If so, it should be as simple as identifying the plug size and wiring it up.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

I'm working on an article to discuss this exact topic, but I haven't received a response from one of the forum mods yet.

With the Gyres I believe you can just wire a 12V battery up to the power backup port (where the Ice Cap is supposed to plug in). The Jebao will be a bit tougher because I don't believe the Jebaos have a power backup port (mine don't). That and I think they all run on 24VDC, and batteries are 12VDC.

@Logan A. is spot on if you want to back up your Jebao. Basically, you have the battery, an inverter to turn the battery power into AC, and a transfer switch to automatically draw from the wall or from the inverter, depending upon whether the power's on. For inverters, Pure Sine Wave (PSW) is obviously better than Modified Sine Wave (MSW), but we need to keep "better" in perspective. First, you're only going to be using battery backup for a few hours during out ages. Second, when you're running a motor like in a fridge or well pump, PSW is important because how smoothly the motor runs (and lasts) is dictated in part by the smoothness of the power it receives. For DC pumps, you have an AC/DC power supply that sits between the AC source and the DC-powered pump. MSW might be a bit harder on the AC/DC power supply, but the end result is likely just that the power supply will run a little warmer on inverter power.

 

[USMA36]

Ok that all makes a lot more sense. The only thing I don’t understand is the transfer switch. Where do I find that? Normally everything is plugged into my apex. Id need a way to have the return pump connect to both the inverter and the apex. I am guessing that’s what the transfer switch does?

 

[Joshua Kerstetter]

I got a retired piece of equipment from a friend of mine that works well. I have just about all my electronic equipment in my house on a UPS of some type, but my main PCs and networking equipment are on a APC 1500VA Smart UPS, its awesome because with the usb cable and software I can trigger a safe shutdown on my media server. For my tank equipment I have a rack mountable 1000VA APC Smart UPS system. Its equipped with 4 12vx7.2amp batteries, its capable of running my return pump on its lowest setting for over 4 hours if I shut everything else off. The big difference you need to notice is the APC Smart UPS units put out a clean Sine wave, which is just about necessary for DC powered pumps. Although I've had limited success with non Smart units for AC or DC pumps, its not ideal and may just ruin your pump. The included network module in my reef unit can send me automated email alerts during a AC outage as well as a audible alarm.