DIY battery back up?

[myjohnson]

This is what I got so far....





So if I understand you right, I need the 12V "Deep Cycle" Marine battery and some kind of "Automatic Transfer Switch."

Can you post links of what I need and where I can buy it from.

Thanks a lot man.

[MeuserReef]

MJ, You are off to a great start with what you have. In all truth, if you are only looking to power a pump (or two) you could get by with a smaller inverter, possibly freeing up some capital to reinvest in another area of the project

Heres a link to the battery that I used for my calcs above:

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|328|51495|306219&id=777510

The Automatic Transfer Switch can be made from a small relay. I can help you here too.

[ddaquaria]

MJ, I appreciate the post.

I was just thinking about this today in regards to an upcoming vacation. Of course we don't have hurricanes here, but we do get tornadoes sometimes and we also get brownouts/blackouts every now and then.

[Delock]

Because they will give you about 5 minutes - tops. I have one hooked to my 135. It powers a Mag Drive 950, 300 watt heater, Eheim 2217, and a Odyssea 550 powerhead for about 3 to 5 minutes.

I don't understand the science behind it, but it has to do with the fact that UPS are designed for computer power supplies that are a different voltage/wattage/amperage/whatever than fish equipment.

Perhaps if you toyed with different equipment on one you could maximize the UPS's potential. Ultimately however you still won't get more than a few hours - and during a hurricane that's just not enough.

I have a 6500 watt generator. I used it during Ike and lost zero fish. :emt_thumbs:

Your first problem...too much stuff on the ups. You should have just ran the powerhead.

[myjohnson]

josh,

The inverter and the battery charger I got for $20 bucks.....you know I couldn't pass that up!

Regarding the battery, that's like a F-in car battery, lol. Ok, so I can get the battery no problem.

What in the world is a small replay? Can you give me a step by step process?

thanks.

[jeebus]

To all the experts (minus the one real expert): Yeah yeah yeah...

Perhaps if you toyed with different equipment on one you could maximize the UPS's potential. Ultimately however you still won't get more than a few hours - and during a hurricane that's just not enough.

I'll try only the 550 powerhead and see what kind of results I get next water change. Still, if you're going to be out of power for up to a week like some here were, you can't beat a gas powered generator - especially considering all the other things you'll need it for (fridge, ac, tv/radio, etc..)

[myjohnson]

MJ, I appreciate the post.

I was just thinking about this today in regards to an upcoming vacation. Of course we don't have hurricanes here, but we do get tornadoes sometimes and we also get brownouts/blackouts every now and then.

no biggy bro. Vacation sucks too! Sometimes when the lights go out at my house and come back on. One whole side of the house doesn't come back on until I got out side and flip the breakers. When on vacation...no one is there to flip the breakers.

I think Luis went on vacation recently and this same thing happened to him and he ended up losing a lot of good stuff.

[myjohnson]

To all the experts (minus the one real expert): Yeah yeah yeah...

thanks for calling me an expert...






i actually know nothing.

[jeebus]

Well, it seems we're talking about two different circumstances: unattended power-fail, and attended power-failure.

[myjohnson]

I'll try only the 550 powerhead and see what kind of results I get next water change. Still, if you're going to be out of power for up to a week like some here were, you can't beat a gas powered generator - especially considering all the other things you'll need it for (fridge, ac, tv/radio, etc..)

I understand where you coming from with the generator.

But I was thinking I can hit two birds with one stone. I want something to keep my powerheads running during long term power outage, but I also want something to kick in when I'm not home.

[myjohnson]

Well, it seems we're talking about two different circumstances: unattended power-fail, and attended power-failure.

exactly.....

[MeuserReef]

LOL... Replay? Do I look like SportsCenter to you? j/k..

The Relay that you want to use can be found at Radio Shack for about $8. Its basically just a switch that will either switch ON or OFF based on external condition (in this case... we want a switch that will turn the inverter ON when the power coming out of the wall turns OFF.) You want a 12V, DPDT (Double Pole, Double Throw) relay. They are in the little slide out bins in the back of the RS store.

I need to scratch my head for a while to remember the exact wiring diagram, but will report back once I have done so. Its really not anything SUPER complicated, but you will be dealing with 120V, so please recognize where your knowledge/skills end and ask for assistance if you need it before tackling this project. Asking for help, in my experience, is just an honest way of saying "teach me". (disregard the last two sentences if your cool with working with 120V... sort of my "disclaimer" :) )

[MeuserReef]

For those of us that have Natural Gas coming into our homes... Ive "heard" that there is a kit available to convert a standard gasoline generator into a Natural Gas powered generator. I believe its just a carborator kit. That would = unlimted power during blackouts (unless the NG lines stop working... which is HIGHLY unlikely)

[Zulaab]

Regarding NG.... If we are talking about the Houston area, the only thing you have to worry about is earthquakes... and my question is.. when is the last time we had one of these around here ?

[fshfrk]

This is a GREAT thread.