Weekly discussion - power outage/disaster planning

[Anonymous]

With the recent power outages across the country, and the almost complete loss of many prominent tanks, it seems like a good time for the power outage/diaster planning discussion.

What do you have in place to deal with your tank in the event of a power outage or other disaster?

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[Anonymous]

I have 4 steps in place.
1) Several of the Penn Plax air pumps the go on when the power goes out. They run for days on D batteries and are available here: http://www.aquariumguys.com/silentairpump.html
2) A maxi jet on a ups (with a MVT wavemaker to extend the run time)
3) An inverter that hooks up to my car battery
4) A generator. I got one that puts out 8000 or 10000 watts because it is loud enough that I will have to offer some power to neighbors if I run it.

Step number 1 is a no brainer for any reefer. Its cheap and will deal with most issues like a gfci trip, or power outage when you are away for the day - or weekend.

 

[Anonymous]

I think a battery airstone can keep a reef alive for days. I have gotten by twice with nothing but battery airstones, once for 3 days (Charley) and once for 2 days (Wilma).

A generator would be great, but I feel that heat due to a lack of AC is the biggest threat to a reef tank. So unless your generator is big enough to run your AC, it's not a fool proof back-up. Having said that, I will probably end up getting one.

I really don't understand why some of the recent tanks died. Two days without power should not be the death of a tank. In my two outages, I didn't lose a thing.

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

I think the what the generator runs depends on where you live. I am usually not concerned with heat because it usually doesn't get too hot where I live, so I am more concerned with circulation.

I think the recent problems were from heat combined with power outages and, in some cases, trusting the power company when they said that power would be back on in a couple of hours.

And I agree - no disaster plan is fool proof. Thats why I go for redundancy!

 

[Anonymous]

I have a pair of "Peril Sensitive Sunglasses" from the old Infocom game "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and some towels - all set.



jayo

 

[WRASSER]

I agree with Louey,
The battery operated air pumps are the cheapest, most effective way to go. it saved me during Wilma :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

I really don't understand why some of the recent tanks died. Two days without power should not be the death of a tank. In my two outages, I didn't lose a thing.

Well you also had airpumps as backups, I'm guessing the others did not. It doesn't take much to take out a tank, heat + no circulation + one dead critter is all it takes to cascade to failure it seems.

 

[Anonymous]

I also don't understand why so many reefers, 'specially those in CA who know there are power problems, don't seem to have any kind of plan. Some have been discussing trying to sue the power company over the outage.

 

[Anonymous]

sfsuphysics wrote:

Well you also had airpumps as backups,

Well, duh. That cost like $10 and is something every aquarist should have on hand. To not own one of these is derelict.

I'm guessing the others did not.

It would be asinine for anyone that has a reef to not own one.

Righty wrote:

Some have been discussing trying to sue the power company over the outage

:lol: :lol: :lol: . Good luck with that.

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

The Ecotech Vortech battery backups seem pretty neat. They come on automatically when the power goes out and run at 50% power, up to 30 hours I believe. When the power is restored they automatically start recharging themselves. I like the fact that everything runs automatically, even if you're not there - great for vacation power outages (less than 30 hours, of course - probably not sufficient in CA or hurricane country).

jayo

 

[WRASSER]

Yea, 30 hrs. is good for most of the nation. During Wilma we lost power for 12 days and Katrina was only 5 days.
If you have problems with power outage it is best to buy up and get a generator. :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

Ecotech's really have that? IS that a standard feature for the $360 pumps or do you have to pay more ontop of that??

 

[RobertoVespucci]

Yea, 30 hrs. is good for most of the nation. During Wilma we lost power for 12 days and Katrina was only 5 days.
If you have problems with power outage it is best to buy up and get a generator. :wink:

Was your natural gas disrupted? (Ie, would a ng generator have been the way to go, or would you have needed to stock diesel or get a large lpg bottle?)

 

[pwj1286]

I have 4 steps in place.
1) Several of the Penn Plax air pumps the go on when the power goes out. They run for days on D batteries and are available here: http://www.aquariumguys.com/silentairpump.html
2) A maxi jet on a ups (with a MVT wavemaker to extend the run time)
3) An inverter that hooks up to my car battery
4) A generator. I got one that puts out 8000 or 10000 watts because it is loud enough that I will have to offer some power to neighbors if I run it.

Step number 1 is a no brainer for any reefer. Its cheap and will deal with most issues like a gfci trip, or power outage when you are away for the day - or weekend.

Pretty much what Thales said! Those Penn Plax air pumps last for 7 days on two D's. Great tank saver.

On a generator, I run priority stuff first. Circulation Pumps, VHO, and if a good enough gernerator..chiller! Run the lights at night. Chiller all day.

If no chiller. Big jugs of ice in the sump.

All else fails, take a seat and say to yourself, "I did everything I could...good try."

KATRINA tank surviver here!
_________________
define inflation

 

[Anonymous]

sfsuphysics wrote:

Well you also had airpumps as backups,

Well, duh. That cost like $10 and is something every aquarist should have on hand. To not own one of these is derelict.

I'm guessing the others did not.

It would be asinine for anyone that has a reef to not own one.

I am in total agreement.

Righty wrote:

Some have been discussing trying to sue the power company over the outage

:lol: :lol: :lol: . Good luck with that.

Louey

Oy huh? I don't want them to do it because the suits will prolly end up raising our rates.

 

[cbeitel]

Great tips guys. I'll be ordering 3 of the penn plax pumps (For all my tanks). Anyone have a UPS hooked up?

 

[Anonymous]

KATRINA tank surviver here!

Lucky you. She got me.

 

[Anonymous]

I have a couple of the battery powered air pumps. I will be getting a generator in the near furture. Will size it big enough to run the main circ pump, skimmer and chiller. Oh, and the fridge and freezer.

 

[cbeitel]

Great tips guys. I'll be ordering 3 of the penn plax pumps (For all my tanks). Anyone have a UPS hooked up?

 

[LA-Lawman]

if you buy an UPS be sure it has a line conditioner built in. if your ups doesn't put a true sine wave then the pumps will just click.

I have an ups that will run a 300gph pump for 25hrs. the pump is only 25w. so enouph to keep stuff running thru the sump