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Skyetone 
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 Posted: May 18 2005 at 6:39pm |
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i actually like the idea of the car battery and an inverter. how many amps does a powerhead or a return pump really pull? a car battery is used to having a great amount of draw put on it before it discharges. I, from years of car wrenching, can tell you that after you get your car started, you can drive for almost 12hrs (guess) without the car dieing. I understand the idea of a UPS, but how long does it take to have a tank die? I lost a FW due to lack of circulation in 12? hrs. i don't think a couple hours would be a big deal. Run the battery for a while and then throw it in your car to recharge. A top-o-the line optima is around 150$ how much is a 12v converter? pat, you wrench. you tell me.
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I will just give my warning that your system will flood, bulbs will burn out, and things will take continuous maintenance... get over it.
Magna
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ssilcox
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Posted: May 18 2005 at 6:44pm |
 Skyetone wrote:
after you get your car started, you can drive for almost 12hrs (guess) without the car dieing |
Technically it should go longer than that... isn't that because once the car is started it get's it's electricity from the alternator?
So... you could theoretically turn your car into a big gas generator if you had an inverter 
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Skyetone
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Posted: May 18 2005 at 6:57pm |
if you can recharge your battery that way yes. but if you have no alternator you can run that long.
Here is a decent google page about inverters and the 70$ ish price.....
http://www.invertersrus.com/inv800w.html
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I will just give my warning that your system will flood, bulbs will burn out, and things will take continuous maintenance... get over it.
Magna
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nick
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Posted: May 18 2005 at 7:10pm |
ssilcox wrote:
Skyetone wrote:
after you get your car started, you can drive for almost 12hrs (guess) without the car dieing |
Technically it should go longer than that... isn't that because once the car is started it get's it's electricity from the alternator?
So... you could theoretically turn your car into a big gas generator if you had an inverter
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The car is still getting electricity from your battery and not the alternator.The alternator produces current to keep the battery charged. The alternator is just an electromagnetic generator
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The Eyes Of Texas Are Upon You.
Hook'em Horns.
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Chris
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Posted: May 18 2005 at 8:29pm |
Ok the battery and inverter is a great idea if you are home to hook it all up after the power goes out. A UPS is always pluged in and always charging. A UPS is a 12 volt battery with an inverter and charger in one unit. If you are going to spend $220+ to make your own DIY manual backup (yes it is manual because you will have to connect it after the power is out) why not spend the money on a cheaper UPS that will be as big if not a bigger backup then your DIY backup?
I bought a 725VA UPS from bestbuy today for around $70. This should keep my return pump and heater running for around 12+ hours. Now I am protected against power outages when I am not home. And it fits inside my stand.
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improdigal
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Posted: May 19 2005 at 7:35am |
Chris wrote:
I bought a 725VA UPS from bestbuy today for around $70. This should keep my return pump and heater running for around 12+ hours. Now I am protected against power outages when I am not home. And it fits inside my stand.
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Let's see what everyone has found. Got a link to the one you picked up Chris?
Here's some I found:
425(sl?) $39
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=337153 7
1100 $100
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=337153 8
I found a bunch on eBay, but they are so heavy that the shipping is ridiculous:
http://search.ebay.com/new_Uninterruptible-Power-Supply_W0QQ sofocusZsoQQsbrftogZ1QQfromZR10QQsacatZ44962QQcatrefZC6QQsar gnZ-1QQsaslcZ2QQftrtZ1QQftrvZ1QQpriceZ1QQsaprcloZ0QQsaprchiZ 200QQfsopZ1QQfsooZ1QQcoactionZcompareQQcopagenumZ1QQcoentryp ageZsearch
Is this one a good deal? 2 500VA backups for $85
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4 4963&item=5199551487&rd=1
Edited by improdigal
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Patrick
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jbutler
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Posted: May 19 2005 at 6:41pm |
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Chris
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Posted: May 20 2005 at 12:09am |
Here is as close of a match as I could find. Mine is the same brand just a bit smaller and it was on clearance for $65.00. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7033747&ty pe=product&productCategoryId=cat08029&id=10993955552 43
Generators work great if you are around to turn it on. Are you around your tank 24-7-365? I'm not so a generator would not be my first form of protection.
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Skyetone
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Posted: May 20 2005 at 7:54pm |
so with the UPS, what happens if the power is out for more that the x# of hours it is regulated for? Then what? how do you recharge it?
has anyone priced out a pawn shop generator? They techically can be setup to kick on when there is a loss of power. Some will tie right into your main power box. but you'd need an electrician for that....
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I will just give my warning that your system will flood, bulbs will burn out, and things will take continuous maintenance... get over it.
Magna
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Chris
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Posted: May 21 2005 at 12:12am |
Skyetone wrote:
so with the UPS, what happens if the power is out for more that the x# of hours it is regulated for? Then what? how do you recharge it?
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That is where a generator or inverter running off your car battery would be needed. A UPS is in no way a long term alternative power source. And if you are home when the power goes out then you can fire up your generator and power all of your tank including lights until power is restored.
But a 750VA UPS should run a 100 watt or about 1.5 amps water pump (mag 9.5)for about 12 hours or more. So hopefully your power is on before that 12 hours is up. If not then you need to find a second alternative for powering your aquarium. If you run lights off the UPS you can count on it dieing a lot quicker.
A UPS will charge its self after power is restored.
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Skyetone
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Posted: May 21 2005 at 11:18am |
what is the longest someones power has been out? I had a mixup when I moved and it was going to be ALL weekend. But for an extra fee, it turned into a few hours.
My return pump went down and I was running an 802 powerhead alone in a 125 and my fish died in like 12hrs....
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I will just give my warning that your system will flood, bulbs will burn out, and things will take continuous maintenance... get over it.
Magna
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Dion Richins
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Posted: May 23 2005 at 12:58am |
950watt generator $160.00 including shipping. E-Bay item #4383260201
1000 w generator E-Bay item #4383043330
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Posted: May 23 2005 at 9:31pm |
I'm not an expert on UPS', but aren't they only good for a few years and then they need to be replaced?
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Chris
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Posted: May 24 2005 at 1:21am |
Amie, You are right a UPS will only last a few years then the battery will need to be replaced. But it is probably cheaper to replace the whole unit.
Skyetone, Remember a few years ago the day after Christmas there was alot of snow? That storm took my power out for over 3 days! I did not have an aquarium at that time so I didn't loose anything. But if I had had an aquarium I think I would have had to move my aquarium or get a large generator to run the tank all day and night.
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