Ups

LedZeppelinfan101 · 02-04-2008, 08:45 AM

I was talking to a customer at the store here in Lafayette, and he had an idea. I can't see any problems with it, and wondered why more people haven't thought about it. Why not have an Uninterrupted Power Supply in case of power outages? He told me he got one for around $40 that will run 300 watts of power for several hours. That would be more than enough to run one or two heaters, or a circulation pump.

Can you see any downsides to a UPS? Seems like it could save a lot of headaches.

wbailey0035 · 02-04-2008, 08:57 AM

Can you explain a little more about this UPs? Sounds interesting....

LedZeppelinfan101 · 02-04-2008, 09:03 AM

They're usually used for computers that have sensitive data that can't be lost in the event of a power failure. It's essentially a giant battery that charges itself and can sustain a certain level of power for several hours. For a 300 watt UPS, $50-75 is what I've been finding as an average price. That seems like a reasonable investment if you have several hundred dollars worth of livestock in your tank.

crvz · 02-04-2008, 09:07 AM

I've seen a number of folks use them. The main problem is that they don't last very long. You can get a couple of small pumps on them, but if you're looking to do more than that you're usually limited to a few hours at best.

Junkzoo · 02-04-2008, 09:17 AM

Yup, UPS's are prob a smart investment (I'm a 'lectrician ,but of course i don't have one

)
And prices are not all that bad right now, it seems cost have come down, with some starting out @ like $20 for the lower capacity ones. I'd over size/buy one IMO, just cuz. Hate to have one wind down powerwise after you've gone and got one, only to have it work the first time, and have a power outage last longer than planned for.
Harbor Freight has this device which is pretty cool for checking to see what our stuff for our tanks pull as far as power ,"Kill a Watt" is what it's called.(I'll try to find a link for it and post it here ASAP) Ya just plug it into power, and then plug in a device one atta time and it'll tell you how much they run at (one cool thing about this is, it will show you what stuff like MH's pull on startup and then actual running current.)you just plug in all yer stuff one atta time add it all up(make sure stuff like a heater is on when you do your calc's on course) and that will give you a idea as to how large of a UPS you need.
The Kill a Watt will give you line voltage in your home,current of the device you have plugged into it,power factor,wattage, and even the duty cycle of the 110v AC coming in your house IE: 60 cycle, or when i checked mine, 59.5

)Think i picked mine up for around $25 or so, Nice gadget to figure out what our tank's elect devices are pulling , and when it comes to calculating what size UPS to get, prob invaluable.

Junkzoo · 02-04-2008, 09:20 AM

Here's the link to the Kill a Watt , it's $29.99 ,not $25 like i mentioned b4

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93519

1-900-REEF · 02-04-2008, 09:22 AM

We have those on our computers here at work. Problem is as stated before: they don't last long. Can't tell you how many I've had in the last few years, & it seems every time the power blinks, I find out another one failed.

crvz · 02-04-2008, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1-900-REEF

We have those on our computers here at work. Problem is as stated before: they don't last long. Can't tell you how many I've had in the last few years, & it seems every time the power blinks, I find out another one failed.

I agree with that, too. Constantly charging the batteries (and if the UPS is cheap, they're probably using NiCd or maybe NiMH) does limit their life. After a year or two, I wouldnt rely on it.

grallster · 02-04-2008, 11:35 AM

Some people have been using these on their tanks for years.

bklynmet · 02-04-2008, 11:47 AM

it kept the office nano running when the power went out just this past friday. I only have a circ pump connected to it - so the tank receives oxygen. temp going down or no lights isn't a problem for a day or two...

JonnyRingo · 02-04-2008, 11:53 AM

I used to use one but found that they really were good for a couple of hours of help even on my small 29g. Now I have a generator that should run my fridge, AC, Furnace, and tank.....oh and the TV.

grallster · 02-04-2008, 12:00 PM

I think a generator will be my next large reef related purchase.
Oh yeah, I guess it will run a few things I could use too...but that's not really what's important!

JonnyRingo · 02-04-2008, 12:22 PM

Dave I dont know what kind you were looking into but the one I have runs on natural gas and has an auto switch that will automatically kick it on when the power goes out, makes life much much easier, and last summer saved all the stuff in my freezer when the power went out and we were in the Bahamas.

grallster · 02-04-2008, 12:39 PM

That would be ideal, but for now I'd be satisfied with a regular gas powered one. I have an inverter that works OK for the short term--it at least runs my return pump...problem is, it probably wouldn't run my heater.

ckusnierek · 02-04-2008, 02:11 PM

I have a 12V inverter that works off a car battery. I have a deep cycle battery in the garage. The inverter can handle 800W I could even run my lights is I want to. without the light I would get about 6 hours out of it. then just hook it up to the car