Wanted to get some input on inverters...and batteries + battery chargers....and the choice between this and a small portable generator like honda or yamaha. Of course stock up on gas before a catastrophe hits but what are the best fuel stabilizers and what is the shelf life of gasoline?
As far as brands it seems like AIMS is the best quality for inverters but rather expensive but you get what you pay for and perhaps followed by Power Bright but I haven't done extensive research on this so please chime in.
As far as batteries obviously a sealed deep cycle battery to use/re-charge inside but there are so many choices...
It boils down to
a) if you have a small tank with a light electrical load you can get probably get away with an inverter and a sealed battery or
b) get a small honda or yamaha generator
c) both a) and b)
There is a what to do if your power goes out thread but I wanted to focus in on power inverters versus small generators and I guess we can look at ups back up batteries for computer applications.
Then there is the issue of modified sine wave and continuous sine wave. I think for our tanks the msw inverters should work fine but maybe it might cause havoc on a vortech for example and controllers and other sensitive electronics.
I don't need or want a whole house generator.
Just looking for aquarium backup (heater and circulation pump) + lights (table lamp) + dvd for entertainment/radio or you can do it on the cheap with a battery lantern, portable dvd player, vortech backup battery/battery operated air stones and blankets for your heater.
Then there is the issue of what I cell battery math. Not exactly uniform and you can't run these deep cycle batteries to less than a certain percentage (I'm guessing 50%).
For example let's say you want to run the following:
(1) 30w aquarium pump x 24/24=30w daily load
(2) 50w heater x 50% daily load=25w
(3) Table lamp say 60w x 25% dailyload=15w
(4) 19" TV 24w x 50% daily use =12w
(5) Electricity hogging verizon box at 100% (consumes a lot even when off) =36w daily load
(6) DVD 50w x 50% daily use=25w and so forth....
Total for the above=143 or 150w rounded
So you would need an inverter at least 150w + an extra load factor. Starting load isn't much on these but if you were running a refrigerator you get the idea.
Let's say you purchased a 12 v battery rated at 100Ampere Hours =1200W.
You simply can't use 1200w/(150w/day)=8 days because...
a) there is loss /resistance going through the inverter
b) the battery doesn't drain uniformly..
I called the inverter store and the sales rep told me take your # and scale it down by 50% but is that a good guide? In other words in the above scenario the 8 days would be cut down to 4.
Please provide examples of your setup with specifics and run-time.
I found the following link on batteries through a google search and a post by someone on a reef aquarium board (will find the citation for this):
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_1/chpt_11/3.html
Thanks in advance and stay safe.
Apologies in advance for the rambling.....
As far as brands it seems like AIMS is the best quality for inverters but rather expensive but you get what you pay for and perhaps followed by Power Bright but I haven't done extensive research on this so please chime in.
As far as batteries obviously a sealed deep cycle battery to use/re-charge inside but there are so many choices...
It boils down to
a) if you have a small tank with a light electrical load you can get probably get away with an inverter and a sealed battery or
b) get a small honda or yamaha generator
c) both a) and b)
There is a what to do if your power goes out thread but I wanted to focus in on power inverters versus small generators and I guess we can look at ups back up batteries for computer applications.
Then there is the issue of modified sine wave and continuous sine wave. I think for our tanks the msw inverters should work fine but maybe it might cause havoc on a vortech for example and controllers and other sensitive electronics.
I don't need or want a whole house generator.
Just looking for aquarium backup (heater and circulation pump) + lights (table lamp) + dvd for entertainment/radio or you can do it on the cheap with a battery lantern, portable dvd player, vortech backup battery/battery operated air stones and blankets for your heater.
Then there is the issue of what I cell battery math. Not exactly uniform and you can't run these deep cycle batteries to less than a certain percentage (I'm guessing 50%).
For example let's say you want to run the following:
(1) 30w aquarium pump x 24/24=30w daily load
(2) 50w heater x 50% daily load=25w
(3) Table lamp say 60w x 25% dailyload=15w
(4) 19" TV 24w x 50% daily use =12w
(5) Electricity hogging verizon box at 100% (consumes a lot even when off) =36w daily load
(6) DVD 50w x 50% daily use=25w and so forth....
Total for the above=143 or 150w rounded
So you would need an inverter at least 150w + an extra load factor. Starting load isn't much on these but if you were running a refrigerator you get the idea.
Let's say you purchased a 12 v battery rated at 100Ampere Hours =1200W.
You simply can't use 1200w/(150w/day)=8 days because...
a) there is loss /resistance going through the inverter
b) the battery doesn't drain uniformly..
I called the inverter store and the sales rep told me take your # and scale it down by 50% but is that a good guide? In other words in the above scenario the 8 days would be cut down to 4.
Please provide examples of your setup with specifics and run-time.
I found the following link on batteries through a google search and a post by someone on a reef aquarium board (will find the citation for this):
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_1/chpt_11/3.html
Thanks in advance and stay safe.
Apologies in advance for the rambling.....
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