In the event of a power cut - how does one keep filter going?

mumof2

For turtles - can they survive without this and for how long? I presume it doesnt matter too much as in the wild they don't have filters:D

(for a fish tank its a totally different scenario im sure!!:eek:)

Just had all power go off for a few seconds, come on again, then do the same. its on again but im preparing just in case.

For heat I have the duvet ready for them!!:o

Cookie_Monster

water holds heat well so should be ok for up to 6 hours.
same re the filter, not having it going for a short time will be fine, a few hours.

You could look at something that you can plug the plug into, a battery box or even laptop. Filter use little power so that should give you a good few hours.

Silverfish

Could buy a UPS?

paddy147

Silverfish wrote: »

Could buy a UPS?

Funny,as I was just about to suggest a small/mini UPS setup,or backup battery.
Just like a house alarm system,when the mains power gets cut,the alarm runs for a good 8 hours +,off a back up battery.

The battery is kept fully charged via mains power feed.

Or as a crude home brew measure,a sealed gel car battery and power invertor pack with mains plug fitment,so the filter can be plugged into that and be left to run.

godtabh

i had power go over Christmas wasn't worried. Fish will be fine for 6 hours or more (depending on volume of water).

Bacteria start dieing sooner

I was more worried about the sump over flowing but it was all good

mumof2

just came back on! Tank looks ridiculous with the duvet around it, but better safe than sorry. Wil see how it goes in the next hour, if power stil on then Ill take it off and hope no more power cuts for the night.

Will take a look at getting some sort of battery back up, will be a relief to know that something will kick in if the power goes when on hols or away for a weekend!!!

Without wanting to sound stupid (i am blond by the way:D) what is a UPS have just googled it but not sure what I should be looking at or where the best place to start is:o

paddy147

mumof2 wrote: »

just came back on! Tank looks ridiculous with the duvet around it, but better safe than sorry. Wil see how it goes in the next hour, if power stil on then Ill take it off and hope no more power cuts for the night.

Will take a look at getting some sort of battery back up, will be a relief to know that something will kick in if the power goes when on hols or away for a weekend!!!

Without wanting to sound stupid (i am blond by the way:D) what is a UPS have just googled it but not sure what I should be looking at or where the best place to start is:o

Uninterupted/Uninteruptible Power Supply..........UPS

Basicly its a multi battery system and generator that is used in banks,hospitals and alot of data storage facilities and commercial buildings to keep power going,in the event of a mains power failure.UPS systems can also be had in very small/slimline packages to keeps the likes of a comms room or a comms cabinet and network live and working.

The second the mains goes off,a computerised trip switch kicks in and the UPS system kicks in to restore power to the building,so it can continue to function.

Silverfish

Hiya, its an Uninterrupted Power Supply. It will supply power for maybe 4 to 6 hours after a power cut.

Not sure where you'd get one though

mumof2

Yeah, would be handy for keeping my phone and broadband going too!! Went to check replies here when power did eventually go off, and hey presto - couldn't display web page, :rolleyes:took me a second to realise why.....

Will have to search so, cause surley people use similar in their homes?

God, between Snow, Ice, Flooding, Storms - weve had it all now:mad:

Cant complain - just look at Australia!

mumof2

Power went again a couple times in a row, so I will come back tomoro as broadband keeps failing.

Thanks.

mumof2

Ok, thankfully nothing drastic happened. Am going to have to get something which wil give enough power to run the filter and heater and lights (timed) in the event of a power cut.

Is the UPS safe for this purpose? Can you just plug anything into it (does it have multiple sockets).

Will go online later again to look up info, but tips and advice appreciated here.
Thanks again.

paddy147

mumof2 wrote: »

Ok, thankfully nothing drastic happened. Am going to have to get something which wil give enough power to run the filter and heater and lights (timed) in the event of a power cut.

Is the UPS safe for this purpose? Can you just plug anything into it (does it have multiple sockets).

Will go online later again to look up info, but tips and advice appreciated here.
Thanks again.

A small UPS system can and most likely will be very expensive to buy,dont be expecting to buy 1 for the likes of 20 or 30 euro.;)

jobless

another option to retain heat besides using the duvet is to periodically put 2l bottles full of hot water into the tank to heat the water.
I broke my heater one night and this and covering the tank helped keep the temperature up... just make sure the bottle is clean and sealed

mumof2

My dad actually said that about the bottle of hot water, good idea!

Problem is what if there's a powercut when I'm away? don't want turtle sitters getting into a panic.

Still havn't looked at a ups, but listening to the wind howling outside, made me think of it again:o