Winter is Coming

[Gabridge83]

So winter is coming or here depending on how much cold you can tolerate.

How is everyone preparing for potential winter weather? Do you have new batteries for your air bubblers? When’s the last time you maintained your generator?

If your new to the club and this your first winter with your tank, what questions do you have to help you be prepared?

By the way if you think it’s to early to think about winter, here is my current situation



Yes that is a dead pine laying across my power line.

 

[bg2311]

About to break in the new Honda EU2200i generator later today if the weather stays dry. Got a few cans of TruFuel and enough oil for 3 changes already. Eying the natural gas/propane tri-fuel conversion kit as an upgrade soon. We have UPS battery backups on the critical stuff but if we were down for more than a couple hours the generator would be required. Thankfully we don't lose power too often but one long outage would be enough to put things in a sad state without a backup plan.

 

[hiimsean]

I’ve been putting off a generator for years. Gonna grab one up soon. Last year I ended up running my tank off an outlet in my car for 9hrs

 

[Gabridge83]

I’ve been putting off a generator for years. Gonna grab one up soon. Last year I ended up running my tank off an outlet in my car for 9hrs

Ouch! We got lucky last year when we only lost electricity for a couple of hours but now we have the 125 and it’s time to get a generator

 

[timeconsumer]

Found a 5500w generator on craigslist for $375 a couple months ago and snagged it. Sure it isn't the quietest or most efficient but it'll get the job done and the price sure was right.

Also keep bubblers and batteries.

 

[hiimsean]

Ouch! We got lucky last year when we only lost electricity for a couple of hours but now we have the 125 and it’s time to get a generator

Yeah it kind of sucked. We at least filled the cars up with gas so I just had it sitting in the driveway running literally all day long with an extension cord running inside. It didn’t make too much of a dent in the gas so it worked out.

 

[scuba steve]

For battery backup pumps, Cobalt has a great line of USB powered air pumps. They can be set to be plugged in at all times and will automatically activate when power is lost. Great for when you aren't home and you also never have to worry about finding batteries when there's a run on them at the stores.

USB DC Air Pumps

Single and Dual Port The Cobalt USB Powered air pumps are low voltage (5v) DC pumps with an internal battery that provides up to 24 hours of operation during power outages, emergencies, transporting fish, or for fish collecting trips. The air pump can also be powered by standard USB power banks...

www.cobaltaquatics.com

There's also a version with a backup battery with car charger.

Rescue Air DC Air Pump

The Cobalt Rescue Air Kit USB Power low voltage DC air pump with an internal battery that provides up to 24 hours of operation plus a USB power bank that will run the pump for up to 72 hours during power outages, emergencies, transporting fish, or for fish collecting trips. Comes complete with...

www.cobaltaquatics.com

 

[sharis100]

We run a whole house generator now, but we always had bubblers, batteries, cobalts, Ecotech battery back ups etc. and
as long as you have flow and bubblers, most livestock and tanks will do ok if the temperature drop is not massive. Wrap tanks in blankets- those heat emergency blankets work too. If you don’t have bubblers agitate the water to keep O2 in water. Flow really helps even with temps going down. If temps drop too low, heat water to 78-80F on gas stove and pour plastic bottles and float to raise temps. Been there done that too many times, thus the whole house generator.

 

[Gabridge83]

We run a whole house generator now, but we always had bubblers, batteries, cobalts, Ecotech battery back ups etc. and
as long as you have flow and bubblers, most livestock and tanks will do ok if the temperature drop is not massive. Wrap tanks in blankets- those heat emergency blankets work too. If you don’t have bubblers agitate the water to keep O2 in water. Flow really helps even with temps going down. If temps drop too low, heat water to 78-80F on gas stove and pour plastic bottles and float to raise temps. Been there done that too many times, thus the whole house generator.

I’d love to have a whole house generator! We haven’t even looked into the cost of one.

 

[sharis100]

I’d love to have a whole house generator! We haven’t even looked into the cost of one.

Costs vary depending on brand and size and installer. Get several bids to figure out what you want and how much you are willing to pay.

 

[DiefsReef]

I've got whole house generator, solar and battery backup. Put all that in and haven't lost grid power for more then an hour in the past 6 years but its nice to have i guess if it does go out.

 

[db366]

I keep an ammo can full of D batteries and I have battery air pumps for my bait buckets I could pull off. Otherwise maybe this is something I should be looking into!

 

[jcook54]

Another thing I like to do is run two heaters per tank. That way, if something does go sideways the temp wouldn't crash too quickly. For example, I've got a 300W on my frag system and this doesn't cut it in the winter. Rather than up the wattage and stick with a single heater, I throw in another 200W to make up the difference. IN my mind, this would really come in handy if one of them fails in the "Off" position. Perhaps I worry too much but I've done it this way for years.

 

[hzheng33]

i'm new to the generator game and i know i should be getting one. having said that....can someone recommend me a good gas generator that doesn't sound like a tank when running? the water volume is 150gal tank+34gal sump

 

[sharis100]

Also, if you don’t have a generator or a car with a port to plug into, go get a decent inverter and you can run basic life support for your tanks off your car. Need a long extension cord to outside to the car inverter and lots of fun starting things up every hour - not- but it is better than nothing.
Does kill the battery in car pretty quickly though if using for a while.