Power outage

[wontonflip]

I had my first experience of having a power outage since getting my tank. It only lasted a couple of hours. I have a backup UPS, but I didn't think to hook it up until it was near dead (husband uses it to make sure his TIVO keeps recording LOL...I said my fish come first!). Temp stayed fine. The basement's really cold, so I worried about quickly losing heat.

What do you guys do if you have a prolonged power outage to keep the tank oxygenated? How long can a tank survive with no power?

 

[daugherty]

i rented a generator.i was able to keep everything running for two days until i got power back i wish i had the money to go and buy a good one.

 

[yote]

I bought a generator that could take care of my tank.
The wife kinda fussed about the tank coming first,but she got over it:mrgreen:

 

[dustin_P74]

as long as you have the return pump running youll be fine

 

[messiah023]

Generator.

Living in SW Florida, we have MANY outages during hurricane season.
You should look into a small one for your tank. Return, Heaters & circulation pumps should be fine.

 

[lightcs4]

We just had an extensive power outage here in NY (some places won't have power until tomorrow or Thursday). An old generator that my in-laws gave us kept the tank alive. I wouldn't go without one.

 

[Bifferwine]

Your tank will be fine without lights for several days. Keeping the water moving and at a nice temp is the priority. With still water, your animals will start dying within a matter of a couple hours.

 

[wontonflip]

I guess I'll have to invest in a better ups. The one we have now only lasts an hour or so. When you guys say "generator" you mean the gas powered ones?

 

[lightcs4]

I guess I'll have to invest in a better ups. The one we have now only lasts an hour or so. When you guys say "generator" you mean the gas powered ones?

I would definitely look at a gas or diesel generator that will last you six to eight hours per tank full.

 

[yote]

I guess I'll have to invest in a better ups. The one we have now only lasts an hour or so. When you guys say "generator" you mean the gas powered ones?

Yep.Just got to run a drop cord out the window and plug it up.

 

[Alexander]

one of these years I will have solar panels installed and say F.U. to power outages

 

[Piggy]

Ditto

 

[wontonflip]

At the rate my husband's been diy'ing everything in the house (including my tank stuff), he'll find a way to diy his own solar panels for his TIVO box LOL

 

[flojo]

At the rate my husband's been diy'ing everything in the house (including my tank stuff), he'll find a way to diy his own solar panels for his TIVO box LOL

hahaha....i laughed. but i gotta agree thats the superb way to go...alas it will be a while before im there..

 

[JAG107]

one of these years I will have solar panels installed and say F.U. to power outages

Dude, I looked into solar. You have to get batteries to store the power for outages, because the panels run to the grid, which means when the grid's down, so are your panels. And the batteries are like 2 grand for a decent amount :grumble:
So I have a 6000w gas generator instead. Kinda lame how you could have intense sunlight blasting your panels, and the power company just shuts them down remotely. :frustrat:
That, and the cost, is what made me skip the solar for now, until there's an enormous reduction in cost for them. To produce 1200kwh/month, in sunny so cal, it would have cost $50k, plus factor interest on the second mortgage (I don't have $50k lying around unfortunately) they would have taken 35 or so years to break even.

 

[flojo]

dont you get some crazy tax credits for doing it though making it virtually free? i have heard that around a bit but dont know for sure

 

[JAG107]

$50k is after all applicable federal and state tax credits. They're just too darn expensive to make for what little power they produce. An obnoxious, smelly gas generator is many times more efficient and affordable to support my tank in a power outage than a solar panel array hooked up to a garageful of batteries... sigh so much for trying to be "green". The gross polluters still win

 

[dustin_P74]

i believe that credit has expired flo, and jag if you produce enough electricity the power company will pay you since it is hooked up to the grid and you could be supplying them with power

 

[flojo]

Geeze that sucks! I love being green when I can.

 

[JAG107]

i believe that credit has expired flo, and jag if you produce enough electricity the power company will pay you since it is hooked up to the grid and you could be supplying them with power

I use about 1200kwh in the winter, and 1400+ in the summer between halides, pool pumps, and a/c set to 84 degrees when its flaming hot. The $50k in panels would barely cover my usage. If I got half the panels to knock my bill back to tier 2 or so (don't know if your bill gets divided into tiers like Edison), it would be cheaper, but I'd still have a 20 year payment of over $300 PLUS the elec bill. :grumble::grumble::grumble: :frustrat::frustrat::frustrat:
My elec bill in the summer is $300, in winter, <200. I can live with that.