What should be done when power goes out?

[budsreef]

I just talked to Bobz and his power is out over in the Barrett Parkway/Dallas Highway area. He curently has two UPSs that will keep the return pump with water flow going for a couple of hours and has battery powered airstones in the 70G and Nano. He may be heading for Lowes to get a generator, but this is the only time his power has gone out in about ten years.

Anyone have any other ideas of what he should be doing at the moment?

 

[smoothie]

Keep stirring the water up by hand until he gets everything hooked up. May need extra hands with his tanks if anyone is close

 

[seedless reefer]

I only have 2 Koralias plugged into my UPS for flow because the return pump ate up the battery life after an hour and the two koralias only draw a small amount and can run up to 24 hours.

My sump will not over flow if the power goes out.

Call bob...I am 5 minutes from him if he needs a truck or any help.

My number is 404-348-7545

 

[budsreef]

His first UPS just diead after an hour and he is on the second one now. He's running the return pump because of all the breeding tanks he has tied to the system, otherwise he'd only run one vortech as well.

 

[seedless reefer]

I am here if he needs me. I am just down the street.

 

[acroholic]

I have a small 1200 watt camping generator from Pep Boys I paid about $110 for, just for emergencies like this. I shopped Lowes/HD, but their small Honda generators were really pricey ($600), and their other ones were larger contractor ones, really too big and powerful for my needs.

Most of the power outages in my area are only a few minutes, with the longer ones usually less than an hour. My little generator can run my return pumps and a small heater indefinitily.

Don't know what I'd do in a catastrophic power failure, but in that scenario I'd probably be more concerned about my family and dogs over my corals and fish.
Dave

 

[seedless reefer]

I have a big generator I can have there in 10 minutes

 

[budsreef]

Thanks, Loren! He is at Lowes just around the corner and they still have power so I think he is going to buy a generator. I got disconnected so I'm waiting for him to cal me back.

Seedless Reefer;326386 wrote: I only have 2 Koralias plugged into my UPS for flow because the return pump ate up the battery life after an hour and the two koralias only draw a small amount and can run up to 24 hours.

My sump will not over flow if the power goes out.

Call bob...I am 5 minutes from him if he needs a truck or any help.

My number is 404-348-7545

 

[seedless reefer]

Disaster averted.

 

[budsreef]

Woohoo! Loren to the rescue! Loren took his generator over to Bob's and it is now running his tanks so everything should be OK, there.

Unfortunately, we've just taken a couple of hits here in Lawrenceville, so I may be running to Lowes in just a bit.

 

[budsreef]

Bob just called, his power is back but he is going to continue to run on the generator for a while to make sure it stays on.

We've heard from another friend in Lawrenceville who has been without power for a couple of hours so keeping my fingers crossed here.

 

[budsreef]

Sounds like this might be a decent alternative, getting a cheaper one. I keep toying with the idea of going the other way and getting a very large one that runs on natural gas that can keep the house heated, hot water running, power to at least one refrigerator, microwave and of course the tanks.

Acroholic;326391 wrote: I have a small 1200 watt camping generator from Pep Boys I paid about $110 for, just for emergencies like this. I shopped Lowes/HD, but their small Honda generators were really pricey ($600), and their other ones were larger contractor ones, really too big and powerful for my needs.

Most of the power outages in my area are only a few minutes, with the longer ones usually less than an hour. My little generator can run my return pumps and a small heater indefinitily.

Don't know what I'd do in a catastrophic power failure, but in that scenario I'd probably be more concerned about my family and dogs over my corals and fish.
Dave

 

[rededge2k1]

Seedless Reefer;326386 wrote:

My sump will not over flow if the power goes out.

Will it overflow if you remove the durso standpipe from your overflow bulkhead? If so, you need to adjust the operating level of your sump.

I say this because since the durso is only slip-fit into the drain bulkhead, it is not watertight. Water from inside the overflow box continually drips through the connection and into the sump. So, if your power is out long enough, the entire overflow box will drain into the sump below. I would guess the overflow in my 90g holds about 4g of water.

-Dustin

 

[bobz]

Guys, thanks for all the help!!! LOREN IS THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!!! He jumped in the truck and was here in 10mis with the generator. It was up and running in another 5mins and the tanks had pumps and circulation. I owe you one (or many) man!!
Power has been back for about 20mins so I am going to switch off the generator and go back to utility power.
THANKS!!!
BZ

 

[linda lee]

bobz;326442 wrote: Guys, thanks for all the help!!! LOREN IS THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!!! He jumped in the truck and was here in 10mis with the generator. It was up and running in another 5mins and the tanks had pumps and circulation. I owe you one (or many) man!!
Power has been back for about 20mins so I am going to switch off the generator and go back to utility power.
THANKS!!!
BZ

Whew, glad that pricey LTA is okay!!!

And I didn't even know we had a generator.

 

[seedless reefer]

NP Bob - you owe me nothing sir glad I could help. Keep the generator for the day just incase the utility company has to do something else during the course of the day.

Linda we do not own a generator...but I am connected.....and those that I am connected with have connections and those connections have connections!

Looking good is not my only skill in life!

 

[bobz]

Seedless Reefer;326452 wrote:

Looking good is not my only skill in life!

Thankfully
Z

 

[mapleredta]

Seedless Reefer;326452 wrote: NP Bob - you owe me nothing sir glad I could help. Keep the generator for the day just incase the utility company has to do something else during the course of the day.

Linda we do not own a generator...but I am connected.....and those that I am connected with have connections and those connections have connections!

Looking good is not my only skill in life!

Hahahaha

 

[seedless reefer]

Just as a footnote......The generator I took to Bob is really big.

Walmart, Northern Tool and Harbor freight all have small generators under 200 bucks that would have worked just fine.

It is good, cheap insurance!

 

[linda lee]

Akopley;326469 wrote: Power has been out in lilburn since 10:30. The corals and fish survived in bags shipping so I'm assuming anything under 24 hours should be ok. Am I wrong in this assumption?

Shipping bags did not contain liverock and live sand which houses micro-organisms that consume the tank's oxygen.

Best to find a way to get some water movement a.s.a.p.