Electrical Protection - Power outage breaker?

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jmeunier

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jan 4, 2004
Messages
41
Location
Southeastern Massachusetts
I have a question about electrical protection after outages.

My local power company has been doing some work in my area over the last few weeks. As a result, I've had a bunch of short (less than 5 second) outages, which have played havoc with my filtration system.

I have a 150G FW tank, and when I came home today, I had lost about 10% of the water to the floor, simply because the filters were not working properly. I noticed (from the flashing clocks) that we had another outage, so I reset all the filters, added water, and everything is ok, except for my wet basement floor (and resultant smell!!). Just FYI, I am running two Eheim filters for this tank. When the power cycles very quickly, they misbehave, and start to leak. That's what caused the water drain today.

Is there a device that I could plug these filters into that would NOT turn back on when the power is restored? I'd like a device that sits between the filter power cord and the outlet that, under normal circumstances, is invisible, and then when power is lost, DOESN'T come back on when power is restored. Sort of like a 'power-loss' circuit breaker? Any ideas? With this, I wouldn't have to worry about flooding when we have an outage, and I would simply restore filtration when I got home.

Thanks
Jay
 
I know there's something out there like this, but I couldn't find it. I think the best thing to do would be to put all your filters on a separate circuit, or at least a separate outlet that is on the end of the chain, and find a push-button starter and wire that in before the outlet.

You could probably call your local electrical supply and prod them for something like this. It's usually something that is used to start a small motor, you push the button and it engages a electrically held relay, then when power is lost the relay releases and you have to push the button again to engage the relay.

Acutally, you might just be able to use a relay.
 
A more practical approach: Fix the filters.

Canisters (or any other filters for that matter) should not leak with a power outage. I suspect you have an improper setup or a leaking gasket. It is better to fix that now rather than to rig the power supply <a power relay is what you could use>. If you can describe the leak, maybe we can find a solution to prevent it.
 
I would also make sure that the water came from your filters and not back flow through air tubing. You should have one way check valves on all your air lines. I agree with jsoong, if the filters are working properly they should just start up again and function normally.
 
Yeah, spend the money and get a battery back-up unit.

power outages wont change anything for the duration of the batteries life.
 
I concur. Go to Staples and get a UPS for a computer and plug that in between your power source and filters. Do you notice air bubbles constantly from the discharge pipes??
 
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