What do you all do when there is a power outage?

[Salttanker]

I know many of us have several thousands invested in our tanks. All it would take is a power outage to wipe out all the work that has been done; and it wouldn't take long. I am a Systems Analyst and I work all day with servers and networks. After having PO here today, I realized the importance of a backup system.
Do any of you use a UPS on your tanks to prevent power sags, or power failures? I am toying with the idea of getting one for mine. I don't want the small one, where you only have 15 minutes or so. I am looking at the APC 1500v or better, which is supposed to give you anywhere from 60-90 minutes of battery time. I think it is a small price to may to protect your investment.
Does anyone use one, and if so, what type is it and how long does it last?
Thanks,

Mike

 

[austinsdad]

60 - 90 minutes may not help in a sustained outage. I feel better having a generator handy. I've got the 5000, which would not only keep my tank going, but keep select lights in the home on, and my freezer and refrigerator. Otherwise, I've heard of folks using airstones for short durations. We can get 1 to 2 day outages with major storms or ice problems on power lines.

 

[Salttanker]

Yikes! I guess a generator would be appropriate there. Since I live in Ariznoa, the power outages we have here are from new construction..they always seem to hit a line when digging. It usually goes down for an hour tops, but last year we had one for 4 hours, and I lost several fish due to that one failure.

Mike

 

[grimlock3000]

I am looking at the APC 1500v or better, which is supposed to give you anywhere from 60-90 minutes of battery time. I think it is a small price to may to protect your investment.

In the case of a long outage, you do not need to run everything in the tank. In particular, the lights are going to drain the battery much too to be worth it. With just powerhead/water pump or two and a protein skimmer, you can possibly get hours out of a APC and keep the tank healthy.

I picked up one of these from work, 1400VA:

Have not tested it yet, I am going to run it down with a 80w light bulb to see how long it lasts with a small current draw.

 

[Salttanker]

Very cool Grimlock3000. I was just looking for something to run the filtration and skimmer when the lights go out. That looks perfect. We actually have a battery room here at work, and huge generator so I will look to see if I can get one off of Ebay or something.

Mike

 

[KMyers18]

Do you think you really need to run your protien skimmer off the batt. backup? I mean i dont even own a skimmer so would it hurt to not run it for a lil'' while ??

 

[Salttanker]

I guess it would depend on how long the power is out. My skimmer fills up everyday with gunk. I can't imagine not running it for a few hours. Yuk! I would just run a couple of power heads, and the skimmer. On an APC 14/1500, that would still last a while.

Mike

 

[grimlock3000]

I think a sump/skimmer are a good idea to keep running because of the water movement. Also, if you lose the sump, you lose that volume of water. And if anything does die, it helps removes the organics, which could save other things from ending up dead. I suppose it depends on the return pump and skimmer pump being used though if the power usage is worth it.