Battery backup or UPS?
 

more wind is coming, I am seeking for a cheap and easy solution to keep the tank circulated while no power, should I buy a vortech battery backup or UPS?

obviously the bare minimum is to have the powerhead running, but is UPS powerful enough to keep the return pump and heater running too? If so which model is recommended?

I am looking for options to maintain the tank for at least 24 hours when power out.

Thanks.

I use an inverter and a spare car battery, will run my big powerheads for 24 hours, I also got some small 2 watt powerheads and those will last 48 hours and up-not timed it yet.
Heaters need a lot of power, think you would need a generator if you want to run that for 24 hours, bylaws here mean I can't run a generator from 10pm to 8am, which is when the power outs seem to happen.

I grabbed a 1500VA UPS ......get the online one which protects everything on it from surges and power bumps. I actually used it on my sump pump for my house during a power outage and heavy rainfall....it ran that pump for 20 mins...... 1/3 hp.

Do NOT run return pumps or heaters on UPS or battery backups. You'll end up with no circulation at all when these high wattage units suck your backups dry.

Only power efficient wavemakers or air pumps (battery operated ones are about $20 btw).

Anthony

I bought a $150 gas inverter 900w (1000w peak) from kijiji - super quiet.

I have used it once to 'save' my 2x tanks...

I am debating a ups.... Just really no need for short outages as my sump won't overflow.

It's the longer outages I need a solution for & gas power is the right answer....

Tank 1
Return pump 90w
Heaters - up to 400w

Tank 2
Return pump 70w
Heaters - up to 300w

It's a minimum of 160w & up to 860w, this will circulate all the water and heat it.... Once it's heated (caught up), I can probably take out a heater and get skimmers running or something else if needed.

It was a $150 rescue investment. Used once for only an hr... The tank would have survived, but no way to know how long till power resumes....

Just get a quiet generator with a good muffler and put it in a detached garage or shed and your neighbors won't hear it. Those bylaws only count if it's a disturbance.

we have a battery backup from crappytire that can also charge your car, picked up a decent generator after that last outage where people were out for days, and some battery airpumps.
But I have my family looking out for UPS backups on boxing day. It will be my luck that the power will go out the moment everyone leaves for work so there wont be anyone home to plug stuff into the our battery.
I want something to plug my powerhead or return pump into that will keep it going on its own until somebody gets home. My sump wont overflow either, and I have no idea what wattage my return pump is, but my main powerhead is only like 4w....

I use a Marina battery powered air pump, works awesome to keep the aeration in the tank, when we have short outages other than that I have a backup generator that powers up all the fridges, freezers etc. as well as my entire tank.
I have a BNIB spare Marina air pump if anyone is interested $15.

Don't even need a battery powered air pump, all you need is a potato and hydrogen peroxide and a plastic bottle

Huh! explain more :pop2:

You chop the potato into small cubes, place in plastic bottle.
Then add enough hydrogen peroxide to cover the potato cubes.
The lid needs to be drilled so an air tube can be run through it,
Seal bottle and place tube with or without an airstone in the tank.

Hydrogen peroxide naturally breaks down into 2 components over time, water and oxygen, the addition of the enzymes from the potato speed this up 100x
The escaping oxygen gas will travel up the air tube into your tank, providing pure oxygen to the water.

Witchcraft!!!

Its pure Science ;P

I flunked science :wink:
cool though.

Takes prep time though, the potato/peroxide science, and you need to be home. One great feature of the battery powered air pumps (the ones I have anyhow) is that they sense power outage & switch on automatically. The magic of relays.

True enough, but if for some reason your air pump breaks or you run out of batteries its an option.

A low tech emergency back up.

If the power outage is that bad that im so out of options to that point... id be letting the fish go and cooking the potatoes.