First real scare...

JFK_Jr · 01-04-2007, 08:18 PM

Well it finally happened... an extended power outage.

Living in a high rise condo on the beach always made me worry... what if? I have no way of running a gas generator, so my only alternative was to invest in an A.P.S (Battery back-up). So when I set up my tank last year I reluctantly spent the money (around $550 for the complete setup) on a TRIPP LITE POWERVERTER APS 750 POWER INVERTER 750W 2 OUTLETS 12VDC-120V with double 12V DEEP CYCLE MARINE BATTERIES.

Well... all I can say is... I'm glad I did. We had a very mild Hurricane season last year... so I thought I'd be OK at least until the 2007 season. But as luck has it... it wasn't meant to be.

At 5:00 AM on New Years Day... an intoxicated individual slammed into a concrete power pole in front of my building on A1A. The pole came crashing down taking with it the adjacent pole. So needless to say... NO POWER. To make matters worse... the local power company accidentally damaged a natural gas main while digging the hole for the replacement pole.

So what it all added up to was... 20 hours without electricity.

My backup system worked very well. I ran my main return pump BlueLine 40 hdx (130 Watts) and my Tunze Turbelle 6060 (11 Watts) for 8 straight hours on the first battery. On the second battery I decided to just run the Tunze 6060 just in case that the power was going to be out until the next day. It went 12 straight hours until the power came back on after 1:00 AM. The battery indicator was showing 3/4 charge just before the power returned... so I'm estimating I would have gotten another 18 hours or so out of it!

In case of a really bad outage... I keep a battery charger in my office at the hospital where I work. I could recharge and swap out batteries for an extended period of power loss... like after a Hurricane. Another nice feature...It works as a surge protector... and just like the computer back-ups... it kicks in instantaneously without me having to do a thing.

All in all... I'm very happy with my setup and would recommend it to anyone that can't have a generator.

Gibeon · 01-04-2007, 08:27 PM

WOW good planning! Glad it all worked!

I've got a SilentAir B114 or something, battery backup air pump!

(I should work out something more serious...)

boozeman · 01-04-2007, 08:42 PM

flyforfood99 · 01-04-2007, 08:54 PM

It's got to help the have that nice 75-80 degree air to open up the window and keep things stable too!!! Too bad indiana doesn't have any of that stuff!!!!

prow · 01-04-2007, 09:08 PM

nice story. i have tought about those before, now i just might have to break down and buy one. not too many hurricanes here in cali. but we do get those rolling blackouts during summer.

JFK_Jr · 01-04-2007, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyforfood99

It's got to help the have that nice 75-80 degree air to open up the window and keep things stable too!!! Too bad indiana doesn't have any of that stuff!!!!

Now in the winter it's ok... but summers in the 90's is something else to worry about! I guess I'll have to bust out the battery powered fans!

You just gave me more gray hairs!

bluespotjawfish · 01-04-2007, 09:53 PM

I lost ALL my fish one summer because the power went out. I didn't even think that oxygen could deplete so rapidly, but it did. By morning they were all dead and I was out of town. A simple battery-operated air pump that costs less than $10 would have saved $1000 worth of fish!

Guess I have more equipment to buy...

JFK_Jr · 01-04-2007, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluespotjawfish

A simple battery-operated air pump that costs less than $10 would have saved $1000 worth of fish!

Guess I have more equipment to buy...

When you think about the amount of money we invest in our tanks... a good back-up system is definitely a sound investment.

lcstorc · 01-04-2007, 10:02 PM

Hmm maybe that is where the tax check will go. We have a generator but I don't think it will run the necessary household items and the necessary tank items. And I live in Cocoa near the coast in Central Florida. I used to live in Miami and had to endure 6 weeks without power after Hurricane Andrew. That's why we have the generator. But the tank is something i am not prepared for.
Glad your system worked. Good planning!

Woodstock · 01-04-2007, 10:13 PM

Great story Jfk! Thanks for the reminder to have a power backup in place for emergencies. I need to have one on my reef. You never know when the power will go out...

Dentoid · 01-05-2007, 12:19 AM

Great story and whew, close call. Where does one find this battery back-up. I live in Virginia and last year we had a power outage that lated 12 hours. I'm looking for a good backup.-Scott

JFK_Jr · 01-05-2007, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dentoid

Great story and whew, close call. Where does one find this battery back-up. I live in Virginia and last year we had a power outage that lated 12 hours. I'm looking for a good backup.-Scott

http://www.provantage.com/tripp-lite...0~7TRPI01H.htm

http://www.pcsuperstore.com/products....html/froogle/

http://www.pcnation.com/web/details....08&item=F62127

http://www.pcsuperdeals.com/ProductV...5fab7&Refer=11

http://www.shop.com/op/~TRIPP_LITE_(...70?sourceid=57

http://www.shop.com/op/~TRIPP_LITE_(...0?sourceid=298

http://www.monstronix.com/aps750-p-87015.html

http://www.keenzo.com/showproduct.as...40341&ref=FRG1

http://falconsoft.com/item/68989A

Woodstock · 01-05-2007, 12:28 AM

I'm thinking Link-man (Boozeman) has some competion

Thanks for the info JFK!

JFK_Jr · 01-05-2007, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woodstock

I'm thinking Link-man (Boozeman) has some competion

Thanks for the info JFK!

Boozeman

Gina · 01-05-2007, 07:08 AM

Glad to hear your back-up worked!

01-04-2007, 08:18 PM	#1 (permalink)
JFK_Jr Golden Moray Join Date: May 2006 Location: Hallandale Beach FL Posts: 2,108 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	First real scare... Well it finally happened... an extended power outage. Living in a high rise condo on the beach always made me worry... what if? I have no way of running a gas generator, so my only alternative was to invest in an A.P.S (Battery back-up). So when I set up my tank last year I reluctantly spent the money (around $550 for the complete setup) on a TRIPP LITE POWERVERTER APS 750 POWER INVERTER 750W 2 OUTLETS 12VDC-120V with double 12V DEEP CYCLE MARINE BATTERIES. Well... all I can say is... I'm glad I did. We had a very mild Hurricane season last year... so I thought I'd be OK at least until the 2007 season. But as luck has it... it wasn't meant to be. At 5:00 AM on New Years Day... an intoxicated individual slammed into a concrete power pole in front of my building on A1A. The pole came crashing down taking with it the adjacent pole. So needless to say... NO POWER. To make matters worse... the local power company accidentally damaged a natural gas main while digging the hole for the replacement pole. So what it all added up to was... 20 hours without electricity. My backup system worked very well. I ran my main return pump BlueLine 40 hdx (130 Watts) and my Tunze Turbelle 6060 (11 Watts) for 8 straight hours on the first battery. On the second battery I decided to just run the Tunze 6060 just in case that the power was going to be out until the next day. It went 12 straight hours until the power came back on after 1:00 AM. The battery indicator was showing 3/4 charge just before the power returned... so I'm estimating I would have gotten another 18 hours or so out of it! In case of a really bad outage... I keep a battery charger in my office at the hospital where I work. I could recharge and swap out batteries for an extended period of power loss... like after a Hurricane. Another nice feature...It works as a surge protector... and just like the computer back-ups... it kicks in instantaneously without me having to do a thing. All in all... I'm very happy with my setup and would recommend it to anyone that can't have a generator. __________________ *JFK_Jr's 150 Gallon Starphire*

01-04-2007, 08:27 PM	#2 (permalink)
Gibeon Serpent Star Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 215 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: First real scare... WOW good planning! Glad it all worked! I've got a SilentAir B114 or something, battery backup air pump! (I should work out something more serious...) __________________ 26 Gal Bow-Front, 20 Gal Regular, 10 Gal regular Some day I'll have a big tank...

01-04-2007, 08:42 PM	#3 (permalink)
boozeman The CodFather ~ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: new york Posts: 8,800 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: First real scare... __________________ ...and when I'm old and wise little things mean little to me like autumn winds they'll blow right through me and someday, in the mist of time when they ask you if you knew me remember that you were a friend of mine

01-04-2007, 08:54 PM	#4 (permalink)
flyforfood99 Midas Blenny Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 89 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: First real scare... It's got to help the have that nice 75-80 degree air to open up the window and keep things stable too!!! Too bad indiana doesn't have any of that stuff!!!!

01-04-2007, 09:08 PM	#5 (permalink)
prow Tridacna maxima Join Date: May 2005 Location: Redondo Beach, CA Posts: 4,375 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: First real scare... nice story. i have tought about those before, now i just might have to break down and buy one. not too many hurricanes here in cali. but we do get those rolling blackouts during summer.

01-04-2007, 09:53 PM	#7 (permalink)
bluespotjawfish Tridacna maxima Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Utah Posts: 4,478 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: First real scare... I lost ALL my fish one summer because the power went out. I didn't even think that oxygen could deplete so rapidly, but it did. By morning they were all dead and I was out of town. A simple battery-operated air pump that costs less than $10 would have saved $1000 worth of fish! Guess I have more equipment to buy... __________________ Lorraine To BB and all Bluespots - Journey of the 2nd Year ...The 2nd Year - Photoshow Check out Mr. BJ and friends... Mr. BJ's Aquarium - PhotoShow

01-04-2007, 10:02 PM	#9 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 21,928 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: First real scare... Hmm maybe that is where the tax check will go. We have a generator but I don't think it will run the necessary household items and the necessary tank items. And I live in Cocoa near the coast in Central Florida. I used to live in Miami and had to endure 6 weeks without power after Hurricane Andrew. That's why we have the generator. But the tank is something i am not prepared for. Glad your system worked. Good planning! __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

01-04-2007, 10:13 PM	#10 (permalink)
Woodstock The Wand Geek was here. ;) Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 24,157 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: First real scare... Great story Jfk! Thanks for the reminder to have a power backup in place for emergencies. I need to have one on my reef. You never know when the power will go out... __________________ ~Doni Marie~ *GOT ICH???* *My Victorious Battle with ICH* 120 Reef Chronicle ~ *Breeding Picasso Clownfish~* *Massive 300 gal growout~* *My Anemone & Picasso Tank ~* *Picasso & Snowcasso for sale~* "Energy and persistence conquer all things." Benjamin Franklin __________________________________________________ ______________________________________________

01-05-2007, 12:19 AM	#11 (permalink)
Dentoid Over Achiever Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Virginia Posts: 10,827 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: First real scare... Great story and whew, close call. Where does one find this battery back-up. I live in Virginia and last year we had a power outage that lated 12 hours. I'm looking for a good backup.-Scott

01-05-2007, 12:28 AM	#13 (permalink)
Woodstock The Wand Geek was here. ;) Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 24,157 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: First real scare... I'm thinking Link-man (Boozeman) has some competion Thanks for the info JFK! __________________ ~Doni Marie~ *GOT ICH???* *My Victorious Battle with ICH* 120 Reef Chronicle ~ *Breeding Picasso Clownfish~* *Massive 300 gal growout~* *My Anemone & Picasso Tank ~* *Picasso & Snowcasso for sale~* "Energy and persistence conquer all things." Benjamin Franklin __________________________________________________ ______________________________________________

01-05-2007, 07:08 AM	#15 (permalink)
Gina Moderator Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Indiana Posts: 8,836 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: First real scare... Glad to hear your back-up worked! __________________ Gina and Mark's 75 Visit Our Sponsors Gina's Cube Gina

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