Considering we will have a cat 1 or cat 2 hurricane what will everyone do if we have a power outage? Which will probably happen
I was thinking of buying a computer backup battery.
I have been looking at going with solar panels but the cost is still pretty steep. I am sold on them but the future wife is not…
nothing…
I had a customer with panels her her electric bill was 1$. I have a large power inverter I’m gonna hook up also have a computer battery backup. But not sure how long that will last
Computer backups don’t last long, computers with a 600w draw last from 30min to 2 hours. The more expensive models last a bit longer, but IMO it’s not worth it. I wouldn’t waste money on a backup when power could be out for a few days, instead spend your money on a generator that’ll put out enough juice to run your essentials (fridge, fans, and of course the tank :
Wouldn’t the essential piece to run be the circ. Pump/powerheads don’t need anything else really. Just water movement.
Generators can be had for as little as $200 - never a bad investment. I personally can’t afford one so I will make sure I have fresh 9v batteries for my battery powered air stones. It’s not as ideal as a generator but the tank will be fine without lights, the air stones will provide enough oxygenation and water movement to keep from losing fish and coral.
I personally don’t think it’s going to be any worse than a bad thunderstorm, all the current models have the storm tracking further and further east with each new model - hopefully by the time Sunday gets here we will just have some more rain.
+1 on the batteries powered air pump. I use 2 when ever the power goes out , so that it can at least oxygenate the tank. Don’t feed or do anything to the tank till the power comes back on.
The latest models have the hurricane going offshore. That doesn’t preclude any damage due to the size of the storm in Delaware. But we should be OK in terms of any direct impact. I will take some pictures of the 15ft+ waves Sat morning.
Im thinking i will finally go buy a deep cycle marine battery. and one of those car inverters. the 1500W peak power/750W continuous power inverter will be fine. about $75 each. ifthe power goes out, just bring the battery in, clip the inverter onto the posts, and plug in a power strip and extension cords for the sump pumps, skimmers, Powere heads and some of the T5 and VHO lights. that should cover it.
the inverters have a low voltage shut off that turns it off when the battery voltage drops to 10.5 Volts DC. then i just take the battery out to the car, connect jumper cables and charge it back up at idle . and repeat as needed. i figure it should run 6-8 hours on a charge. its not automatic, but its an emergency power system.
[quote=“kaptken, post:10, topic:4499”]
Im thinking i will finally go buy a deep cycle marine battery. and one of those car inverters. the 1500W peak power/750W continuous power inverter will be fine. about $75 each… [/quote]
At $75 for the inverter, $70 for a deep cycle marine battery and the gas to let a car idle; it would be cheaper to buy the generator
how much is a generator??
[quote=“dunk, post:12, topic:4499”]
how much is a generator??[/quote]
Harbor freight is supposed to have some for around 300-350
Home depot cheapest in store is 500 for 2000w
Online orders you can find some around 200 from homedepot that would keep a fridge and tank going.
Make sure when you look at them don’t buy a 2000 watt cause you need 1700w buy a 3000w instead so you don’t work the motor as hard and you get better gas time out of them. It seems like alot of them will get around 7-9 hours of use on one tankful which is around 4 gallons.
I might be buying a 8000w for 500 That would run everything even the AC. That is only because I know someone selling it. It is a bit overkill but its good piece of mind. I do not know what I would do if we went without power and I could not keep my tank alive. Even though you can do as what some have mentioned with using your cars battery and a dc to ac inverter. Just make sure you don’t drain the battery to low that you can not start the car. No car start no battery charge
I have 3 vehicles. The work truck has a 3000 watt inverter in it. If it dies I have my truck armed with dual batteries to run it I’m thinking the fridge and the pumps no lights it may be good with no light like a very dark day. I hope the power stays on but if not hope I’m ok for a bit.
don’t wanna be too optimistic, but lots of rain and moderate wind should not be a real problem. j/i/c though, i think circulation is of primary importance. keep the water moving in the tank.
I hope moliken. I just don’t want to lose power. It’s like the earthquake weakens the house then the hurricane blows it over.
ever lose it for more than an hour in your house???
One time like two hours
Does anyone know what the typical timeframe would be that a tank can run without power?
I am sure it depends on the amount of animals in the tank vs the amount of water.
i think i read that after 4 hours corals begin to die and fish after 6, but it may be the other way around.