Cheap alternative to a generator

[DanConnor]

I was looking thru Aquatic-ecosystems incredible catalog and I came across a power inverter for $69. It plugs into your car cigarette outlet and puts out 125 watts, 175 peak. This would be enough to keep a circulation pump running during a power outage. You would just have to keep you car running I guess...

[Chicago]

GOOD IDEA I HAOVE ONE OF THESE INVETERS THE FAMILY USES ON ROAD TRIPS....THANKS

[My9t]

Be sure it puts out AC current. Many on the converters simply boost the voltage in DC. Many power tools and the like will work on DC but you have to look at each appliance to see if it says AC/DC.

HTH
David

[skipm]

There is a battery operated air pump that you plug into the wall and it comes on when the power goes out, I think its made by Hagen and costs about $10 at Pet Warehouse. Another thing that you can get is a bait pump that operates off of 12 volts, a bait pump is a small bilge pump that is used on boats to keep bait alive, you can get them from 200 to I think 3500 GPH. The drawback with the pump is that you would have to be there to turn it on, not the case with the air pump. Skip

[Soundman]

Hi,

I used to be the lead tech at Trace Engineering (the leading inverter co). I would recommend a DR1512 Trace inverter. This will provide you with 1.5 kw continous and approx. 3.5 kw surge. This way you can run everything on your reef and maybe your fridge too. I would stay away from those cheap inverters from the auto part stores. They are unreliable and over rated. There are other less expensive models from Trace that are great too. The UX series is also good. You will need a few deep cell btry's to run it on. Inverters are pretty cool, ares sensed when the grid failed and would automaticly kick into invert mode and when the grid comes back on it will sense that and switch to charge mode and charge your btry's back up.
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[Duncan]

Dan,
The inverters and deep cell batteries mentioned by soundman are perhaps the best way to go. Though it can get a little pricey for larger systems with big pumps. I am currently gathering up the batteries for such a set-up. An alternative that I have used in the past are bait aerators from Wal-mart. The ones that I am talking about are basically a bilge pump with flexible hose and a length of slotted pvc on the end. These pumps can run on a latern battery, but a charged auto battery would be the best. When purchasing these pumps I always take them apart to clean out any factory greases or such that may have been used in manufacturing. Since I live in swfl, I get to use the pumps a few times a year and to this date I have had no problems to report. All is IMHO. HTH.

Duncan.

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Please tread lightly on the reefs of the world.
Visit my world at http://duncansrealm.homestead.com

[DanConnor]

Actually I have a Honda Generator just for my tanks, but this caught my eye because it was cheap!

Soundman;
Where would I find inverters like you describe? I've seen similar (that maintain continuous charge, and switch during an outage) at monolith marine monsters, but don't know what brand they are selling.

[DanConnor]

Found it: http://www.traceengineering.com/products/prices.html#sw
Kind of pricey...

the M3 unit is around $500, not including any the car batteries you would buy for it.

[YoHo]

Hey Soundman, been using your products with a solar system for years up at my parent's cottage. Wouldn't recommend anything less. Whatever you do, make sure you get a Sine Wave inverter. We had a Trace Step wave for years (don't remember the model number) Many devices such as phone rechargers and other precise equipment, don't like it at all. Having the power go out is bad, having your powerhead melt in the tank is worse. It may be pricey, but everything cheaper is literally useless in this application.

Man, Honda swindled yet another person with their over priced quiet generators. Man, that Sinewave inverter is silent. Up at the cottage, all the electrically challenged were bragging about the big Gs they spent on those honda's, we spent a little more, but we've had perfectly quiet power for 15 years with no Gasoline bill. And for those rare times when 5 sets of 12v batteries won't cut it, a $500 coleman also 15 years old fills in. Of course, the situation here is a little different, but I really think those Hondas are a waste.

[Soundman]

Hi,

Yes some loads don't like the modified sine wave. Usually it is laser printers, clocks, Makita chargers, and some Mac computers. PH's and pumps wouldn't care about the stepped output. I am not sure about electronic ballasts? I have parts for a co-sine filter that is really cool. It will accept approx 90 - 150 VAC of any form (square, modified sine or even the grid) and output a absolute perfect 120 VAC sinewave. I can build about ten. They are great for cleaning up generater output. Also they have enough capacitance so you will never even notice a inverter switching modes. The sinewaves are very expensive to use just for reef backup power.
For the money theres no better way to go. Generetors are good too.
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