How Many of You have Generators

titanfan · 12-16-2005, 10:29 PM

As I am building up my tank and see the kind of cash I am spending it makes one worried. I see Cath luckly has a generator. I am curious to know how many here have them as well? Is this another pricey thing that should be considered with this great hobby? My fish and coral didn't ask to come live with me. I am sure they would rather be in their natural homes. So as a responsible owner I would not want them to perish because of another man made dependacy that fails. I wasnt sure how to set up a poll maybe an admin can help out?

-Chris

reefBoyDc · 12-16-2005, 10:32 PM

I dont have one. I do have 2 battery powered air pumps in case of power failure. I have a gas stove, to I can heat some water and put it in zip lock bags to warm the water... but in case of a long power outage, im screwed.

VWD · 12-16-2005, 10:40 PM

I have one in my motorhome, I need to start it and get some back up gas here real soon. last year we had a ice storm but only lost our power for 3 hours. but many lost it for up to two weeks here. I was lucky.

Junkzoo · 12-16-2005, 10:54 PM

I do now,,,,
After a week without power a few winters ago after a big ice storm,,,THe 180 FO made it thru ok,but the reef tank took a hit from not having power that long,,made it a point to have a generator after that, and ended up getting on.
Have not really had to use it since,on running the house, but i'm ready now if i do,,,,(and will turn on the front porch light to show off to the neighbors LOL)

DSB · 12-16-2005, 11:37 PM

I do, there a must have today, we live on elec. I saw something over the summer that some town/city made them part of the building code. Another option is an inverter.

coralfreak · 12-16-2005, 11:44 PM

I also have one because I live in a hurricane potencial area!

craigGP · 12-16-2005, 11:48 PM

i have a generator. they are not that expensive if you rationalize it by thinking of what else you can run with it, like a freezer to save food from spoiling, heater, etc. i've always heard that inverters don't run much, once the loss due to the length of the extension cord is considered. maybe like a maxijet or something. don't know how true that is though.

a word of warning, be wary of running sensitive electronic equipment on a generator. the power fluctuations inherent to the generator is not nice to TVs, computers, etc. only thing i run is the return pump to keep water circulating. if temp was expected to be an issue (like in winter), i would hook up the heater too. definitely not the lights, unless it was a looooong power outage and there was a risk to the corals due to lack of light.

ChrisPrusha · 12-17-2005, 12:30 AM

I don't have one, but after reading some very recent threads here, I'm beginning to think I had better get one.

RipTide · 12-17-2005, 01:17 AM

After the last week long power outage, due to Katrina, I went ahead and purchased one. I paid $650.00 for it at Costco. I ran my entire tank which is 2 power filters, skimmer, 260 watt pc's, along with my refrigerator, a couple of fans, radio, and a few other small things. Since I have finally purchased one, my power will probably never go out for that long again. However, the peace of mind I have now, knowing that my tank won't crash if it does, is worth the money anyway!

skeety · 12-17-2005, 10:43 AM

don't have one now, but have IMMEDIATE plans to get one.

I think ideally it's a nice thing to have for all tanks, but it become REALLY important when you have thousands of dollars worth of livestock.

I really like the way you worded the question. Shows a great attitude towards what it is we all do. While we TRY to make things as nice for our critters as possible, the dead truth is...we're all being just a little selfish in keeping them. But I like that you realize that, and share a genuine concern for their welfare. Great attitude!!!

Just wanted to add that Craig's got a very good point. Those with or (planning to get) generators need to think through exactly what they will have running in that event. NOT a good idea to run your lights off the generators (Especially MH lights), as Craig's right. Most generators have non-stop mini power surges. Main things of importance are flow/circulation, temp, and possibly filtration (depending on the type of pump your filter/skimmer/etc uses).

(anyone please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong)

Brent Cone · 12-17-2005, 11:04 AM

I have an inverter, and two 850 cold crank rv Batteries always charged up just in case, would like to get a generator in the future.
Brent.

Fishturd · 12-17-2005, 02:19 PM

I have one and an inverter...im ready for anything,,,well maybe not anearthquake, thank god i live in Florida for that.

Tim224DT · 12-17-2005, 02:23 PM

I have one. When we got hit with Hurricane Charley we purchased a generator for the home and the tank.

Tim

gbhil · 12-17-2005, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skeety

Just wanted to add that Craig's got a very good point. Those with or (planning to get) generators need to think through exactly what they will have running in that event. NOT a good idea to run your lights off the generators (Especially MH lights), as Craig's right. Most generators have non-stop mini power surges. Main things of importance are flow/circulation, temp, and possibly filtration (depending on the type of pump your filter/skimmer/etc uses).

(anyone please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong)

Absolutely right. Like any engine, the rotation speed varies constantly. The rotation is what determines the actual voltage out from a standard generator.

However

If you take the power from a generator, and run it through a line filter/voltage regulator it's easy to 'clean' it up. UPS systems for home PC's will work great for this. Just plug them into the genny, and plug any sensitive devices into the UPS.

Casey · 12-17-2005, 06:59 PM

I have one.