I tested the CyberPower BC1285C UPS from Staples

[heuerfan]

Hey guys, i saw the thread on this UPS from Staples for $99.00 and decided to try it.
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/general-discussion/11603-battery-backup-ups-staple-deal.html?highlight=staples

After letting it charge for a couple of days i decided to test it last night. The only thing plugged into the UPS is my Magdrive5 return pump (45 watts). I was able to get 3 1/2 hours out of the UPS before it started beeping indicating low battery. Not too bad but i was hoping for longer. I'm sure if i plugged in a lower wattage power head i would have better results.

Just wanted to let you guys know in case you were wondering. So what do you think is it worth it?

 

[House of Laughter]

Sweet - BUT a Tunze 6060 is 15w and would last 3x as long??

House

 

[Deanos]

Sweet - BUT a Tunze 6060 is 15w and would last 3x as long??

Apples and oranges. The work needed to make a Tunze 6060 function as a return pump like his Mag 5....:headache:

 

[Deanos]

I was able to get 3 1/2 hours out of the UPS before it started beeping indicating low battery. Not too bad but i was hoping for longer. I'm sure if i plugged in a lower wattage power head i would have better results.

That's it?! Hmmm...I need to test mine with (2) Seio 820s.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

How many wats are mj 1200's ?

 

[DevIouS]

How many wats are mj 1200's ?

20 watts

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Thank you phil.

 

[Deanos]

LOL Chief...just follow your sig's instructions.

 

[masterswimmer]

That is a very disappointing test result. What happens if the electric goes out in the winter and you need to run a heater too? It won't give much backup time at all.

swimmer

 

[Deanos]

What happens if the electric goes out in the winter and you need to run a heater too?

Fortunately for me, when I lost power a few months ago...my tank's temperature only dropped from 79-81 to 74-75 over the course of 7 hours. Granted, my apartment is well insulated and helped keep air temperatures in the 70s as well. Phew!!!

 

[heuerfan]

That is a very disappointing test result. What happens if the electric goes out in the winter and you need to run a heater too? It won't give much backup time at all.

swimmer

Thats why you need an alternative power source like a generator. For $99.00 3.5 hours is not that bad, maybe longer if i used a lower wattage powerhead. I bought this in the event of a black out and i was not home. The 3.5 hours should buy me some time to get home and break out the battery operated air pumps

 

[masterswimmer]

The apt's in Co-op are bullet proof dude. They swelter in the winter. What about the rest of us bozo's? You lost about 5 degrees. The rest of us might lose 7-9 in the same timespan.

For all you youngen's out there. Bozo the clown:

 

[reefman]

u can get it for 19$ less. ebay-$20 off 100 for $1

 

[heuerfan]

u can get it for 19$ less. ebay-$20 off 100 for $1

Get a UPS?

 

[ShaunW]

Did you see this thread?

I just did the same analysis and determined that the Mag5 was too power consuming and was looking for a less hungry pump to go with my UPS's.

http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/general-discussion/13869-pump-advice-please.html?highlight=pump+advice

 

[ShaunW]

Additionally I have two UPS connected together, for longer pump life.

 

[kimoyo]

bump

heuerfan - Did the ups say it had 3.5 hours left or some other number?

 

[Dmitry]

That's actually pretty disappointing, considering the last major black-out lasted more than 24hrs in my area.

 

[heuerfan]

Bump from the dead.

Going to test this ups again but using a mj600 w/ sure flow mod. I believe the mj600 is about 8 watts, hopefully it will last longer than 3.5 hours.......

Stay tuned, and stay cool

 

[wxl14]

IF you guys are interested. There are ways to connect car batterys to your UPS system to get a lot of time out of it. But you have to know how to do it and all the UPS's are very different. I was able to do it before when i connected a UPS that battery went bad. I connected it to DieHard truck battery and was able to power a CRT for about 30 minutes off of it. this was a 20 inch crt. Which means you can probobly run a 15 to 20 watt pump for about a day or so. And if the crap really hits the fan go out to a car connect jumper cables to it and charge the battery for another hour or two. Just a suggestion.. I know Large UPS systems can be very expensive.