Protecting a tank during power outages. Advice?

X

xilez

Member
Market
Messages
315
Reaction score
0
Hey guys,

Spent the past few months acquiring everything I need to get my next tank up and running (hopefully be wet in a couple of weeks), however, I am looking for some advice on dealing with power outages or surges.

I live in an apartment complex, so power surges (off and then on immediately) occur somewhat frequent during BAD storms in the Buckhead area.

What are some steps (hopefully cost effective) I can take to prevent a disaster if the power surges or something while I am at work etc.


Thanks for the help!
 
First....get a generator. If you can't go that route, then seek a converter for DC to AC power and power at least a powerhead off of that. If that's not an option, buy a PC Battery Backup. This can give you at least 2 hours of power. Finally...there are battery operated air pumps so at least you can have air.

If none of that is available to you then your final options are to use moving blankets to wrap the tank to trap the water temp and try to keep that stable. Freeze a couple of 1 gal milk jugs so that in the summer you can keep the tank temp from rising. In the winter, you simply heat water and add back to the tank to keep it warm. You can provide aeration by simply emptying water in to a 5 gal bucket then pouring it back in.
 
yup what he said.

For the generator, add up the watts of everything you want to be able to run when the power goes out, double it and look for a generator rated for that wattage. FYI the rating on generators is the peak they can do, not what they can consistently provide while running.

I would check harbor freight, sears, home depot and lowes and wait for a sale. I got a 7500w generator for $300 about 5 years ago and its saved me 3 times now and I can run my whole system off it.
 
Being in an apartment can make things tricky.

A battery powered air pump, or several if it's a larger tank, will help keep aeration going. That's the cheapest, easiest thing to start with. You can also get air pumps that plug into the wall, but only come on if the power goes out.

Google Penn Plax Silent Air B11 Auto On Pump. You put batteries in it, plug it in and it sits on standby til it senses that the outlet is not hot, and then it comes on. It has a manual override switch too. Under $20 plus batteries. If you go this route and just leave the airstone hanging in the tank, just in case, be sure to spring for the $2 airline check valve to prevent water from sucking back into the pump when it shuts off again, when the power comes back on.

Another handy gadget is this: http://www.harborfreight.com/5-in-1-portable-power-pack-with-jump-start-62747.html">http://www.harborfreight.com/5-in-1-portable-power-pack-with-jump-start-62747.html</a>

Not just for your tank - you can recharge your cell phone so you can phone a friend to come over with fresh batteries ;)

If all else fails, keep water moving. Scoop it up by the cup or pitcher full and pour it back into the tank, that will aerate it.

The biggest problem after water movement is heat or cold depending on the season. Floating bags of ice can help keep things cool, wrapping with a blanket can help keep it warm (but don't cut off the ventilation supply.)

Jenn
 
A pricier, but convenient, option if you don't need to power things for a long time might be a UPS.
 
HN1;1093441 wrote: A pricier, but convenient, option if you don't need to power things for a long time might be a UPS.
Click to expand...

+1 they are great for short term outages and flickers.
 
What I have:
(you can use some, none, or all! some or most have already been mentioned)

1) There are powerheads such as Vortech's (and others) that have 12-48 hour battery backup
2) inexpensive battery operated airstone
3) APC that only operates return pump for an hour or 2

^^^all that buys me time until I can crank generator and plug it into house which operates most of the house.
 
We were one if lucky few that lost power at 2am last night for a couple of hours. It was my first opportunity to test an actual power outage with my setup and it went great. I have a 1600watt UPC battery backup with my Gyre 150 (main DT), two Jaebo RW4s (frag tank) and two other powerheads (refugium) hooked up to it. I also have a power loss sensing (battery powered) air pump for each tank. I threw in a few frozen plastic 16oz coke bottles of rodi water in each tank just in case the temp went up and I went back to sleep. Fortunately, everything worked as it should and I didn't suffer any losses. I set my alarm just in case the UPC ran out of juice to fire up my generator. If I had any other opportunity to change something the way I set it up, I would have a generator that automatically kicked on in the event of a power loss.
 
I've been looking into a auto switching/charging/inverter to run with a deep cycle marine battery. I just don't have the coin right now. I hope it doesn't bite me in the ***.
 
I use a large power inverter and hook it up to a car battery( with the car running) and run an extension cord in the house. I will do this for a few hours at a time. We always have warnings when a big storm is going to hit(snow/ice storm), so I just make sure I have a full tank of gas in the car. A car will idle for a good long while on a tank of gas. I run One heater and One circulation pump for gas exchange. The return pumps, lights and skimmer doesn't get used in this situation obviously. Hope this helps
Chris c
 
Thanks everyone for the awesome replies!

After much research, i think what I am looking for is just a UPS with a battery backup to handle small power flickers and such..Do to being an nicer apartment complex, I don't expect to experience outages of significant times.

I think this will be my best option: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Z80ICM/ref=s9_simh_hd_bw_b3Cto_p23_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=C7QSTNFZ5SR3KD746ZW0&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=453da11a-d390-5fca-8cfd-b28db6519430&pf_rd_i=764572">https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Z80ICM/ref=s9_simh_hd_bw_b3Cto_p23_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=C7QSTNFZ5SR3KD746ZW0&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=453da11a-d390-5fca-8cfd-b28db6519430&pf_rd_i=764572</a>

Cost effective and should run a return pump and jebao just fine during brief outages and flickers.

[B]Next question: I will be plugging the UPS into a wall outlet that is not a GFCI outlet (due to being in an apartment not sure if I can get one) ---- Wall Outlet &gt; UPS &gt; Pump and Filter on battery backup

Do i need GFCI power coords for the equipment? So it would go: Wall outlet &gt; UPS &gt; GFCI Coords plugged into battery backup slots &gt; pump / filter [/B]
 
xilez;1094180 wrote: bump for info on the GFCI cords, are they necessary?
Click to expand...

You can use this to give you some peace of mind with the electrical part, I've used and I still going to use it on a small proyect
202510243
 
I know this isn't relevant to everyone but I've seen a lot of questions and misconceptions about GFCI's so I thought I'd post a little info on them for people that don't know all the terms.

A GFCI is not a surge protector. It's sole purpose is to save you from electrocuting yourself. It senses faults that happen to things plugged into it and trips when one happens. It will not stop a surge of power coming in from the outside. Yes it may trip but it will be after the fact when damage, in many times, is already done.
In your home or work you will find GFCI's installed anywhere there is water in use. Kitchens, bathrooms & laundry areas. There can be several other outlets connected to it but it will be the 1st one in series after the circuit breaker for that line. You can do the same for your aquarium area but once the amp limit is reached it will trip. Usually GFCI's are 15amp but you can get them in 20amp too. So given we're dealing with water you should have one installed on each circuit used for the aquarium. So when you drop your brand new Radion light into the tank while its plugged in the GFCI will trip before you get shocked. It's not a bad idea to have one on other circuits that are close enough to the tank where something plugged into them has the potential to get wet. GFCI's are not the be all end all either. They can and will fail, that's why there is a test button on them...

For surge protection you need to get something that usually has "Surge" in the name. This is what you want to use to protect your electrical equipment from power surges, brown outs and lightning strikes. They come in many types. Plugin, in power strips and I believe most battery backups. But don't be fooled, most power strips are not surge protectors. Look for the term "Surge" in the name and look at the ratings. Generally you want one with a low clamping voltage and higher Joule rating. Here is some good information on selecting a surge protector from https://www.tripplite.com/shared/literature/White-Paper/How-to-Choose-the-Right-Surge-Protector-White-Paper-EN.pdf">Tripp-Lite</a>.

This is also a good plugin one from them.
[IMG]https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006B81D/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">Tripp Lite Isobar 2 Outlet Direct Plug-in</a>

Lastly, one is not a substitute for the other and I recommend you use both in your setups, especially if you're using a controller. I hope this helps some of you that may not have known the difference.
 
Adam thanks for the knowledge.

Unfortunatly, I don't think i can get my apartment to turn the outlet which my system is connected to changed into a GFCI outlet. Which is i was asking about the GFCI adapters (http://www.lowes.com/pd/Shock-Buster-15-Amp-3-Wire-Grounding-Single-to-Single-Yellow-GFCI-Adapter/1135923">http://www.lowes.com/pd/Shock-Buster-15-Amp-3-Wire-Grounding-Single-to-Single-Yellow-GFCI-Adapter/1135923</a>)..

Is this my best solution: (example) UPS system is plugged into regular outlet, light plugged into gfci adapter which is then plugged into UPS system?

Assuming I have drip loops set up properly, I see no reason why anything other than my light (to prevent falling into the water like you mentioned) would need to be connected to a GFCI adapter
 
Gfi has saved my house before.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
grouper therapy;1094622 wrote: How so?
Click to expand...
Wave maker went bad and started smoking then tripped the gfi

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
I'm glad it did but never rely on it to do so or install it with that purpose in mind. It is a protection for ground Fault.
<span style="font-family: sans-serif">A GFCI receptacle does NOT protect against circuit overloads, short circuits, or shocks.</span>
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
Preparation for power outages
2
Replies
26
Views
713
russ-iv
R
T
How To Cycle Your Tank
Replies
0
Views
316
tshives26
T
J
A friendly reminder
2
Replies
23
Views
868
rk4435
R
Back
Top