Power outages....
 

Questions for the people with large tanks
What do you do in power outages?
I was thinking of installing a auto back up gen, but it will run me a little over 6k
It would be nice to have, but a little more then I want to spend
I was thinking of some kind of auto battery back up for a min amount of gear to keep things alive, but have no idea how to make it auto,
Anyone have any links
In the last week my power went out 3 times....

easy enough to put some critical pieces (circulation/heat) on a store bought UPS

^^^

What's a UPS?

UPS - "Uninterruptable Power Supply"

Retail units are typically designed to run a desktop computer for 10-15 minutes but not much more. You can get a commercial unit that will give you 500-1000W of backup for 30 minutes at 120V. There are larger units that are designed for longer durations and more capacity but the prices are similar to gas generators. I used to sell these for a living...

If you are getting frequent but short duration outages, a UPS is a lifesaver. There is no loss of power to your equipment and unlike a genset, you don't have to do anything - it transfers the power automatically if you buy the right equipment. For longer power outages (more than 15-30 minutes) I'd highly recommend a gas powered portable generator.

The portable gas gen isn't a option....
I work away from home a lot, and I need to have everything in this tank auto.
The most ill be able to get my wife to do is feed... I'm home enough to be able to clean n do water changes....etc
I'm still in the planning stages, but my system will be probably close to 800-1000 gallons, plus a 90g QT tank with 45-50 gallon sump, and to 25g transfer tanks. I will have a 30g ATO tank, 200g RODI tank, 200g pre mix salt water tank
With 30g hopper for mixing the salt in....

I'm still not sure about the size of the DT and sump yet ...
I only want to give up a small part of my living room

Should I just bit the bullet and dish out the cash for the hole house auto gas gen?

Yes, for a full-auto option, this is the least expensive way to go. Not cheap but it the least expensive way to accomplish what you want.

Large system, quite the commitment for not being home much. If going that big another 6k probably not a bad investment, plus can keep the fridge and furnace going.

Wondering about the Generac systems myself and believe can get natural gas versions.

I put in a whole home natural gas system. Works like a charm and wasn't very expensive. Wouldn't go without it after investing in this tank.

In the interm I would go to staples, future shop, best buy or crappy tire, costco and buy the biggest UPS available or a couple and at least you would have some piece of mind. You can get UPS 's that hold up to 4 hrs of charge the more you plug in though the faster that the charge will be eaten up on a power outage.

[quote=mark;888691]Large system, quite the commitment for not being home much. If going that big another 6k probably not a bad investment, plus can keep the fridge and furnace going.

Wondering about the Generac systems myself and believe can get natural gas versions.[/]

That system does run on natural gas or propane

I looked into the Generac system and call around and got lots of info on it
One guy I talked to told me to buy the one at Costco (HoneyWell) said it's made at the same place, same unit, and he can't match the price,
Told me to buy that, and he'll hook it up...
It will be the cheapest way....
Here's a link
http://m.costco.ca/Honeywell®-17kW-A...100090623.html

This will do the hole house and the fish room

I got about 6-7 yrs reefing and about 15 yrs with tanks in general
I'm going to have cams set up to watch from my phone or computer when I'm away too. So I could maybe guide or talk my wife threw what needs to be done
I've just had about a 7 yr brake, so I'm not in a crazy rush...