Generator in case of power outage

[justanotherfishhead]

I'm thinking of getting a generator in case the power goes out - anyone here know alot about them? I'm trying to calculate how long it will power my return pump based on maximum wattage of the unit. I guess I'd spend a little more if I knew it would last longer. Or I guess I could just have more gasoline stored. If my pump is rated 110 watts, does that mean it uses that much per hour or what? I don't know too much about electricity.

 

[d2mini]

How long of a power outage are you worried about?
Around here we get hurricanes that can leave us without power for weeks.
If you are just talking hours or a day, you can get by with power heads on a battery backup.

 

[justanotherfishhead]

I don't think the power would go out for more than a day where I live. Unless there's a major earthquake.

 

[d2mini]

Then I would probably just do a battery backup type thing.
I don't have one in order to give you specifics but I know I've seen some DIY's out there somewhere. And ecotech makes them for their vortechs. This is what i have.
This route would probably be the most practical situation for you.
I've even heard of people using those air stones in situations like this to keep the water oxygenated.
The other issues is heating/cooling. You either need power for a heater or a way to cool the tank (frozen water bottles).

 

[lilmatty5dimes]

i've got an ac/dc power converter you plug in your car run a extension cord to the heater and the PH and should be go to good.

 

[Bifferwine]

I also have an inverter that runs off my car battery. It was like $35 at Harbor Freight. Much more cost effective than a generator.

 

[justanotherfishhead]

Thanks, I will look into this. I wonder how long it would take to drain the car battery though. On a 125 tank do you think it would be enough to just run one powerhead? And a heater if its cold when it happens and drops below 72 degrees.

 

[bjohanson1234]

You would need to have the car running. Otherwise the battery will drain pretty quickly and you would then have a dead car.

You would need to find the wattage of the pump and the heater, then get an inverter that is larger than that.

These pretty much turn your car into a generator.

 

[justanotherfishhead]

Okay, that makes sense. Maybe I should also get one of those battery backups for one powerhead. In case I'm not home when the power goes out and its out for the 8-10 hours when I'm not home. the kind where it kicks in when the power goes out.

 

[justanotherfishhead]

How long do you think everything would survive with a power outage if you did nothing? Say the room temperature stays 72 degrees when it happens.

 

[d2mini]

Pretty quick.
Flow is the most important. With no flow, things are gonna start to get bad after an hour.