Wattage Calculation for Battery Backup?

[cdw79]

I'm looking to purchase an EcoFlow Power Station, essentially a generator that doesn't use gasoline / a giant battery, as my living situation doesn't allow for a generator. Because I live in a huricane-prone area, I want to be especially conservative and be able to power my tank's essentials (return pump and heater) for a week so I can be confident I can get through a bad hurricane and its aftermath.

My Apex tells me my heater uses about 75 watts per day on average. My return pump isn't actually hooked up to my apex, but the pump description says its watts usage is between 11 and 55. So, to be conservative, call it 130 watts total consumption per day.

I'm looking at two models for the power station:

Buy EcoFlow DELTA Portable Power Station | DELTA (1000)

Official EcoFlow DELTA Portable Power Station: Power Source: ‎AC/DC ✓ Battery Cell Type: ‎Lithium Ion. Click to learn more!

us.ecoflow.com

Buy EcoFlow DELTA mini Portable Power Station

Stay powered on the go with the EcoFlow DELTA mini. Lightweight yet mighty, it delivers 882Wh capacity and 1400W output—ideal for camping, backup, and outdoor work.

us.ecoflow.com

I'm trying to understand how to calculate how long my ~130 wattage needs could be filled by each unit. Should I be dividing the WH for the unit by 130 to get the number of days? If anyone with knowledge in the space could help me wrap my head around this that would be amazing. Thanks!

 

[VintageReefer]

Ok
1) a battery generator won’t run 1000 w heaters for long. The ratings are different
Example - - 2000 watt hour battery generator has a 15% loss due to efficiency so the running time for a 2000 watt battery powered generator is

Working time = Wh* 0.85 / operating power of your device

(2000 * .85 ) / 1000w heater = 1.7 hours

2) you can prep for this. Every hour without heat your temp drops closer to ambient. What’s your current temp? Can you afford to raise by 1 degree temporarily for a few days. It could buy you a few hours

3) buy a oil filled space heater. They look like a radiator from the 60s and pump out massive heat. Pump that room ambient temp up as much as you can the day before the outage

Insulate the tank before you leave. Packing blankets, Mylar wrap. Whatever.

6 hours will not be long I would only expect the tank to drop a few degrees with some careful planning

See my posts in the above thread. This particular one has the info you want

 

[cdw79]

I'm wondering if I've miscalculated the wattage for the return. When they say it's 11-55 watts, does that mean per hour or per day? Obviously if it's not per day then I'd be way off with my calculation

i.e. instead of total power consumption per day being 130, in actuality it would be
55*24 hours = 1320 watts per day for the pump
75 watts per day for the heater
1395 watts per day for the whole system

Thoughts?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I'm looking to purchase an EcoFlow Power Station, essentially a generator that doesn't use gasoline / a giant battery, as my living situation doesn't allow for a generator. Because I live in a huricane-prone area, I want to be especially conservative and be able to power my tank's essentials (return pump and heater) for a week so I can be confident I can get through a bad hurricane and its aftermath.

My Apex tells me my heater uses about 75 watts per day on average. My return pump isn't actually hooked up to my apex, but the pump description says its watts usage is between 11 and 55. So, to be conservative, call it 130 watts total consumption per day.

I'm looking at two models for the power station:

Buy EcoFlow DELTA Portable Power Station | DELTA (1000)

Official EcoFlow DELTA Portable Power Station: Power Source: ‎AC/DC ✓ Battery Cell Type: ‎Lithium Ion. Click to learn more!

us.ecoflow.com

Buy EcoFlow DELTA mini Portable Power Station

Stay powered on the go with the EcoFlow DELTA mini. Lightweight yet mighty, it delivers 882Wh capacity and 1400W output—ideal for camping, backup, and outdoor work.

us.ecoflow.com

I'm trying to understand how to calculate how long my ~130 wattage needs could be filled by each unit. Should I be dividing the WH for the unit by 130 to get the number of days? If anyone with knowledge in the space could help me wrap my head around this that would be amazing. Thanks!

Don't even think about the heater. No power in Houston during hurricane season means you need to worry about cooling the tank, not heating it...

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I'm trying to understand how to calculate how long my ~130 wattage needs could be filled by each unit. Should I be dividing the WH for the unit by 130 to get the number of days? If anyone with knowledge in the space could help me wrap my head around this that would be amazing. Thanks!

Yes. A watt hour is just what it sounds like. 100 watts x 24 hours = 2400 watt hours (wh)

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I'm wondering if I've miscalculated the wattage for the return. When they say it's 11-55 watts, does that mean per hour or per day?

Generally, any device (or light bulb ) that lists "watts" is telling you how much electricity it uses per hour.

 

[cdw79]

Don't even think about the heater. No power in Houston during hurricane season means you need to worry about cooling the tank, not heating it...

My reasoning for including the heater was due to the hour stories I heard about the freeze here a few years ago. A freak incident, yes, but all the LFS around here talk about how so many people lost everything because of how unexpected it was. Trying to be ready for anything, ideally

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

My reasoning for including the heater was due to the hour stories I heard about the freeze here a few years ago. A freak incident, yes, but all the LFS around here talk about how so many people lost everything because of how unexpected it was. Trying to be ready for anything, ideally

I can understand that. Unfortunately, you're going to be worrying about more than your tank if it freezes like that again... Think whole house generator, or leave to go stay somewhere warm and deal with the aquarium when the power comes back on.

 

[cdw79]

So I went ahead and plugged in my return pump to my apex, and it looks like it's coming out at about 40 watts per hour on average, if I'm reading this correctly?

Assuming this is the case, I think I've probably been reading the heater estimate wrong too- 75W average (not pictured above) is seemingly per hour, not per day?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

So I went ahead and plugged in my return pump to my apex, and it looks like it's coming out at about 40 watts per hour on average, if I'm reading this correctly?

Assuming this is the case, I think I've probably been reading the heater estimate wrong too- 75W average (not pictured above) is seemingly per hour, not per day?

Correct.

 

[cdw79]

I'm starting to wonder if it would be smarter to just put an MP40 on the backup power supply instead of the return pump, so maybe I could conserve power by having a pulse every 10 seconds for example, instead of a constant flow of water? Admittedly probably grasping at straws a bit here, trying to engineer a way to maximize the longevity of the power source in an emergency scenario

 

[cdw79]

Correct.

Really appreciate the confirmation. Though quite the bummer because I thought a simple 1000WH power supply was going to do the job for me for days- no such luck it seems. Not really sure where to go from here, I'm worried that any substantial hurricane will wipe out my tank

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I'm starting to wonder if it would be smarter to just put an MP40 on the backup power supply instead of the return pump, so maybe I could conserve power by having a pulse every 10 seconds for example, instead of a constant flow of water? Admittedly probably grasping at straws a bit here, trying to engineer a way to maximize the longevity of the power source in an emergency scenario

Yep. I have one Jebao powerhead/wavemaker hooked up to an Icecap battery backup for short term emergencies. Anything more than 4-5 hours and I'm turning on the generator. Battery powered air pumps are a good idea though... If the temperature isn't an issue (or one that can be mitigated with floating frozen bottles of water or insulating the tank, depending on the time of year), flow and/or forced air to the tank are the most crucial things.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Really appreciate the confirmation. Though quite the bummer because I thought a simple 1000WH power supply was going to do the job for me for days- no such luck it seems. Not really sure where to go from here, I'm worried that any substantial hurricane will wipe out my tank

That's the risk you take living in this glorious city, lol.

Honestly, my power has been out several times this year for 12 - 24 hours at a time due to non-weather related issues... Storms and extended freezing temps are not that common.

What part of town are you in?

 

[cdw79]

Yep. I have one Jebao powerhead/wavemaker hooked up to an Icecap battery backup for short term emergencies. Anything more than 4-5 hours and I'm turning on the generator. Battery powered air pumps are a good idea though... If the temperature isn't an issue (or one that can be mitigated with floating frozen bottles of water or insulating the tank, depending on the time of year), flow and/or forced air to the tank are the most crucial things.

I thought the Icecap's were more expensive- for 135 that's a no brainer for short term outages

I do have battery powered bubblers, two total, that come on when they don't sense power. But say I just have those two bubblers going 24/7 and an intermittent push of water from an MP40. Temp issues aside, how likely am I to ride things out? I suppose some higher flow coral would probably die, but aside from that?

 

[cdw79]

That's the risk you take living in this glorious city, lol.

Honestly, my power has been out several times this year for 12 - 24 hours at a time due to non-weather related issues... Storms and extended freezing temps are not that common.

What part of town are you in?

I'm in the heights, but sadly not in the part that connects to the hospital system's grid! That would have been perfect. I do live close to a sub station, for what it's worth, but not sure that would matter beyond politely pestering the people theoretically working there about how long I have until the power is expected to be back

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I thought the Icecap's were more expensive- for 135 that's a no brainer for short term outages

I do have battery powered bubblers, two total, that come on when they don't sense power. But say I just have those two bubblers going 24/7 and an intermittent push of water from an MP40. Temp issues aside, how likely am I to ride things out? I suppose some higher flow coral would probably die, but aside from that?

First, where did you find bubbles that come on when the power is out??
Second, your other livestock is much more likely to be affected than your coral.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Is your living situation such that your personal vehicle is close to the home? If so, you can always attach an inverter to the (running) car and use that for power... It's a expensive generator for sure, but it works!
And if you decide to invest in a larger battery backup, if you had the means to recharge it, you could potentially go for days using it intermittently.

 

[cdw79]

Believe it's this one! Had one on my tank for as long as I can remember

Is your living situation such that your personal vehicle is close to the home? If so, you can always attach an inverter to the (running) car and use that for power... It's a expensive generator for sure, but it works!
And if you decide to invest in a larger battery backup, if you had the means to recharge it, you could potentially go for days using it intermittently.

That's kind of my thought at this point. Get the biggest unit I can manage, conserve its energy as much as humanly possible, and when I'm low, throw on the MP40 backup and hopefully find somewhere I can charge it up. The units I'm looking at only take about an hour to charge up, which is great

I'm in an apartment building, and unfortunately the way the garage is the first few floors, then the units sit above them, so the car isn't close enough to string some cables to the tank. This might be a stupid question, but is it possible to charge the power station using the car? I'm not even sure if it would be an option, because I think in a hurricane situation I may store my car elsewhere (there is an above ground part of the parking garage, but it's not especially far off the ground, so I worry about my car getting flooded). But worth knowing at least

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

This might be a stupid question, but is it possible to charge the power station using the car?

Definitely. You might still need an inverter, but that should be easy. Just don't drain the car's battery...