With winter creeping up I am beginning to get concerned regarding power outages. Outside of having a back up generator to run your system what can one do if this happens this winter? My main concern is the water temperature in the tank dropping and possibly wiping out my whole tank. If anyone has a suggestion please share them with me.
-
Folks, if you've recently upgraded or renewed your annual club membership but it's still not active, please reach out to the BOD or a moderator. The PayPal system has a slight bug which it doesn't allow it to activate the account on it's own.
Power Outage Concerns
- Thread starter Jon
- Start date
Jon,
How large of a system is this? The larger the volume, the longer it will take for the temp to rise/fall obviously. Temperature would not be my concern if power went out (as the lowest it will go will be room temp which is 68-72, low but not detrimental for short term). Aeration would be the first factor, so if that is a concern, can always buy a battery operated air pump. If it is a long outage, the next challenge would be lighting. The corals would need to be fed something if they cannot photosynthesize. At that point, can always run out and buy some phyto, etc.
How large of a system is this? The larger the volume, the longer it will take for the temp to rise/fall obviously. Temperature would not be my concern if power went out (as the lowest it will go will be room temp which is 68-72, low but not detrimental for short term). Aeration would be the first factor, so if that is a concern, can always buy a battery operated air pump. If it is a long outage, the next challenge would be lighting. The corals would need to be fed something if they cannot photosynthesize. At that point, can always run out and buy some phyto, etc.
couldn't corals go a couple days without "eating"?
Well not sure how long you can maintain that room temp with no heat in the dead of winter.....Now if you have a fireplace good for you. For peace of mind if you don't want to shell out the money for an emergency stand-by generator I would purchase a portable generator. You just have to make sure someone can let you know if you are out of power while at work or just out of the house. Even if you have a portable and you don't know the power is out it really does not help you. I purchaed a 16kw stand-by generator. If I should lose power it automatically fires up the generator (powered by natural gas) and flips a transfer switch to keep power to about 75% of my house. The total cost of that unit installed was right about 4K. I did most of the work myself with the help of a friend. It makes me feel a lot better should we go on vacation or while I am at work.
Another option for a short term would be to use a computer UPS battery backup. The better the UPS, the longer the pumps or heaters will run.
http://www.staples.com/office/suppl..._Supplies_10051_true_SC3:CG75:DP1916:CL141931
http://www.staples.com/office/suppl..._Supplies_10051_true_SC3:CG75:DP1916:CL141931
Generally the power outages you are going to get are going to be less than 12 hours. For that I have several small air pumps that run on a D cell and run a single airstone. In the event of power failure I'll add them to the tank.
A computer type UPS is nice, but usually not a solution, since the power it can provide is only a couple of hours at best. Remember a computer UPS is usually set up so you have enough time to power down the system normally. This only requires a few minutes of power. Most reef systems can tolerate a couple of hour outage with no problem at all.
A standby generator is ideal, but very expensive.
You have two major problems with a power outage. The first is keeping the circulation going. The second is the tank temp.
Anything that circulates the water can help. You can even siphon out a bucket of water, and pour it back in, making as much of a splash as you can. The repeat the process again and again to keep the water moving.
Heat is another problem, but large tanks cool slowly. As long ad you don't get too cold, about 70 or so, you'll be ok.
Lighting is not an issue. Most systems can survive days without light. If you have an extended outage to the point where lighting is a problem, you have likely already lost everything.
A computer type UPS is nice, but usually not a solution, since the power it can provide is only a couple of hours at best. Remember a computer UPS is usually set up so you have enough time to power down the system normally. This only requires a few minutes of power. Most reef systems can tolerate a couple of hour outage with no problem at all.
A standby generator is ideal, but very expensive.
You have two major problems with a power outage. The first is keeping the circulation going. The second is the tank temp.
Anything that circulates the water can help. You can even siphon out a bucket of water, and pour it back in, making as much of a splash as you can. The repeat the process again and again to keep the water moving.
Heat is another problem, but large tanks cool slowly. As long ad you don't get too cold, about 70 or so, you'll be ok.
Lighting is not an issue. Most systems can survive days without light. If you have an extended outage to the point where lighting is a problem, you have likely already lost everything.
Never looked at this as a concern but its a really good investment might consider getting a battery backup unit. ;D