Brengun Posted May 18, 2008 Report Share Posted May 18, 2008 Yesterday my power went out for 2hrs. While it was at it, it blew my little dual airpump even though it was on a powerboard. Everything else plugged in survived so maybe the pump just gave up. Thats no biggie as I was going to set up a bigger 40 watt multi power pump anyway, and have sponge filters set up in each tank to help the normal internal power filters. I do not want to go to all the trouble setting this up just to have the big pump die on me in a power outage. I have a little double D battery pump which will run 2 sponge filters, but rather than get a heap of those, I thought an uninterrupted power service might be the go. Something where my pump plugs into normal power but also has a battery backup system which will take over should the electricity surge or fail. Batteries which will last a few hours, or can be easily replaced would be good too. Problem is, with selection. Most every online calculator is for computer systems, not a 40 watt air pump. Can anyone suggest an online provider with a suitable system which explains what sort of battery backup is provided? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munruben1 Posted May 18, 2008 Report Share Posted May 18, 2008 I have one that drives my air pump only (big enough to run 30 tanks) during black outs, it was bought as a UPS for a computer system and I know it will run the pump for 6 hours. IF YOU WANT MORE DETAILS PM ME Baz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquaholic99 Posted May 18, 2008 Report Share Posted May 18, 2008 (edited) .......... Edited March 23, 2011 by aquaholic99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brengun Posted May 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2008 Thankyou for taking the time to explain it all to me. I have a much better idea now. We already have a couple of charged 12v car batteries on hand to power small lights when the need arises. They just clip directly onto the battery terminals. I will have to investigate this inverter doodad. I might even be able to boil water to make coffee. Two whole hours without power and coffee was annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dude_753 Posted May 18, 2008 Report Share Posted May 18, 2008 aquaholic99 hits again, cheers buddy i love reading your posts Cheers Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brengun Posted May 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 Well we went shopping today and I think we have enough emergency power to run a defibrilation unit (sic). Hubby always thinking of the bigger picture went for a power converter 12v to 240volt which will briefly run up to 2000watts and comfortabley do a regular 1000volt. The consideration with this unit was it has twin outlets, in case we want to use multiple plugs. We also got a battery D87L 120H whatever that is, but the battery specialist said it was designed for instant power (not for starting cars) and would run down to no charge without damage and could be recharged as needed. He said a lot of campers used it to power lights etc. (note: battery prices have substantially increased in the last 3mths so try to find someone who has old stock and hasn't tacked on the new prices.) So now we are all set, the power will probably not go out again which usually happens when you are all prepared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cripple04 Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 hey brengun im not sure who told u that you could run that battery down to no charge without damage, but as far as i know *and i work with alot of batteries* you cannot run it to no charge and you should never do so. i dont exactly know why but from $100 100amp hour batteries we have tried to the $600 100amp hour german gell cell batteries they are all the same in that you shoul.d never run them completely flat, as a slightly different option and although more expensive you could run a bunch of batteries in series i.e 10 24 volt batteries @ 2amp hours each and you could have 240 volts...its different and usefulk if u have a whole bunch of batteries laying around. but the inverter is a good one. just dont run your batteries completely flat as this will definitely cause damage and reduce the life of your batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briztoon Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 OK would some one kindly explain most of this in very simple terms. (c'mon I pull beers for a living so the IQ ain't up there). What would be a good backup for two tanks that each have an Eheim 2228 filter - 25 watt power consumption, a Jager 125 watt heater, and a T5 lighting unit with 2x39 watt tubes. Another question for Russ tomorrow I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussie123 Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 If you try and run a filter,heater and lights off a backup you will end up in trouble. As an emergency situation you should only be running an air pump to maximise you time frame without power. All fish will survive happily without a heater or filter for many hours. Brengun Problem with your setup is when you are asleep or away from home and the power goes out no one can turn on your backup power. You really need a backup that automatically starts when power is cut. Also inverters are very heavy on batteries so take that into account when you are working out the available power from your battery and the estimated time that you will get from it. Batteries also naturally discharge over time from not being used so make sure it is kept topped up and never sitting on concrete floors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquaholic99 Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 (edited) .......... Edited March 23, 2011 by aquaholic99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquaholic99 Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 (edited) .......... Edited March 23, 2011 by aquaholic99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted May 19, 2008 Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 Battery operated air pumps $10 or $12 from KMart fishing section. Just saw them there the other day. Plus they currently have a 30% off sale on all fishing stuff. These are the cheapest I've seen but no doubt there'll be other bargains out there somewhere. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brengun Posted May 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2008 If the power goes out while I sleep, the airpump will stop humming, the canister spaybars will stop spraying, the sponge filters will stop bubbling and the plec light will go out in the tank in my bedroom. I think with sudden total darkness and dead silence, I would wake. For holidays, I would have my neighbour feeding every few days and if power went out I would show her the backup power plan to use. Its good to have a neighbour keeping an eye on your property whilst away, even if you don't have aquariums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkbaitnemo Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 There are also air pumps with built-in battery backups such as http://www.guppysaquariumproducts.com.a ... d_383.html Does anyone have any feedback on these ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquaholic Posted May 29, 2008 Report Share Posted May 29, 2008 The China made AC-DC airpumps keep running for about 10 hours after the main power is cut off. They are also very good and silent besides that, just a bit costly and bulky, still the easiest and very reliable. Will recharge automatically once power is back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
