# What to do for a power outage?



## saulat (Aug 7, 2009)

I am still fairly new to the hobby and have this sense of dread about winters approach. I have yet to see a battery operated heater and from the sounds of it a UPS will only run my heater for a few hours. I have a few questions. It sounds like a tool powerbox may be a good alternative to a UPS, has anyone used one of these? A generator would be nice but I think 200$ would be an upper limit to what I want to spend, I am not sure a decent generator can be had for that.

Would wrapping some comforters around the tank really insulate it as well as I have read? Having a planted tank, what would be my best bet for oxygenation. I could open a window during the day for photosynthesis but wouldn't that counteract my insulation? Should I go with a battery operated air pump?

I hate to re-post something that has been asked numerous times but I still haven't seen a really good solution apart from a nice generator. I want to be prepared for at least 2 days, but 3 days to a week without power would be ideal. Heat especially because if I can at least keep the water from freezing my plants and tank should make it through. Thanks.


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## gheitman (Aug 18, 2007)

Where do you live and how severe do the winters get there? What size tanks do you have and does your house get very cold immediately when the power goes out? In an emergency you can wrap your tanks to keep the heat in and larger tanks drop in temperature slower because the more water you have the more it acts like a heat sink. You can't just use an inexpensive UPS designed for computers. If you don't get one that generates a sine wave output it won't drive your filter motors properly. This might cost you several hundred dollars.


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## saulat (Aug 7, 2009)

I am in cincinnati ohio in a townhouse apartment. The winters vary but it isnt that uncommon to lose power a few days during the winter. Just in the last year Ive lost power twice for a few hours. My neighbors said this time last year a wind storm took out the power for 3 days. I have 1 55 gallon heavily planted community tank.

I read on another thread that power tool powerboxes were rated better than a UPS however I am not sure whether they account for filters and such. Would oxygenation be ample with sunlight hitting my tank or are there too many variables associated with fish population and such? I suppose I could do an air stone or oxygen tank but Id still have the temp problem. filtration and oxygenation I think I can rig something up.


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## saulat (Aug 7, 2009)

Think I'll get an oxygen tank or battery operated air stone. I guess I'll be perusing power supply stuff for this christmas. What do you use, if anything, for all of your tanks? I am sure I will end up owning more tanks in the future as its become a bit of an obsession since I started.


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## TAB (Feb 7, 2009)

a really easy way to keep your tank warm is to get a lid.

evaporating 1 gallon of water in a hour will take away more heat then a 1 hp chiller running for that same hour.


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## Squint (Aug 13, 2009)

Do you have any gas heating? Stove? Water heater? Or are you 100% electric?


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## saulat (Aug 7, 2009)

Sorry not sure why but I seem to lose my notifications for new posts. I am 100 percent electric. I would think hot water would still be available from the sink but not entirely sure.

I have a lid covering the tank just with pieces cut out for the filter intake, I lose very little from evaporation.

Have run the thought through my head to empty my 55 and move everything to the 10 gallon with some battery operated beverage heaters or similar. I think Id wind up killing them if this lasted very long. If only a potato or hand crank could power the heater.


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## Squint (Aug 13, 2009)

I have electric heat but a gas water heater so I could get warm water without electricity.

Batteries don't have much energy density compared to fossil fuels. That's why electric cars have a much shorter range than gas cars, all things being equal.

Worst case scenario is that you submerge your arms in the water and use your body heat to warm it. You could get gas or propane stoves, perhaps camping models, and use it to generate heat. There are a variety of fuels but for emergency use, get something like propane which has a nearly indefinite shelf life vs. gasoline, whose shelf life is relatively short.


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## Red_Rose (Mar 18, 2007)

Have you ever considered getting a small, portable back up generator? When I have some extra cash, I plan on getting one just as a back up for my tanks even though it's only the lights and heater I have to be concerned with. I don't have to really worry about the filters being off for some time.

This is the one I plan on getting. It's a bit pricey but if you have a lot of fish tanks and you deal with frequent power outages in your area, it's worth buying.

I've come across quite a few threads throughout some forums I'm a member of of people needing suggestions on what to do if they have a power outage and I never see anyone suggest a back up generator. I know they can be a bit expensive but if you're really concerned for the health of your fish and the tanks in general, it certainly wouldn't hurt looking into getting one.


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## saulat (Aug 7, 2009)

Think I may pick up some gelled alcohol ie sterno for cooking although doubt it would help heat the water much. I found out I do have a gas water heater. 

That back up power unit might be the best solution. Any idea how long that would run a 350 watt heater? It scares me a little that the type of battery can die out early if not used.


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## Red_Rose (Mar 18, 2007)

saulat said:


> Think I may pick up some gelled alcohol ie sterno for cooking although doubt it would help heat the water much. I found out I do have a gas water heater.
> 
> That back up power unit might be the best solution. Any idea how long that would run a 350 watt heater? It scares me a little that the type of battery can die out early if not used.


The one I posted is a 400 watt generator which would be perfect for me since I only have two 10 gallon tanks. If you use a heater that's 350 watts the 1,800 watt generator would probably be the best one for you to use but that one is a lot more. Here's the link to a page with three type of generators. The middle one would be more for lamps or other small appliances. The third one(the 1,800 watt) is the one you may want to invest in. As for how long it would run a 350 watt heater, I don't know.


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## saulat (Aug 7, 2009)

Yes, I am a little leary of spending that much especially when I don't know how long that type of battery is good for or how long it will power my heater. I guess it would be good to have either way. Maybe I can catch my fish in the dark and store them at the fish store near me. I saw the 1800 watt. I do have a 10 gallon tank sitting around. Maybe I can toss everything in there temporarily and just that smaller heater.


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## Squint (Aug 13, 2009)

The problem with using a fossil fuel to run a generator to provide electricity for a heater is that it's not that efficient. You'd warm your tank more with the same amount of fuel if you used it to heat the water directly. The advantage of the generator is that you have electricity to run other things. But if you only need to heat the tank...

Since you have a gas water heater, you could get warm water and use it to warm the tank water w/o letting it mix. Or you could make some kind of burner that takes natural gas from your gas pipes and heat tank water.


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