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View Full Version : Need help with battery back up - Here comes Irene!

sunil6784
08/27/2011, 06:25 AM
Good morning all,

In preparation for Irene, I figure now was a good time to prepare in case of extended power outages. Up to now I had been using a battery operated air pump. That has gotten me through the short outages (less than 2 hours) in the past. This one has the potential to be longer.

I purchased this:

http://www.amazon.com/DieHard-71988-Starter-Portable-AC-DC/dp/B001UOND90/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314447723&sr=8-1

This was a pretty rushed purchase due to the upcoming weather. I plan to plug in one or two of my korallia 3 pumps for circulation.

I just tried it and the pump works fine - no chattering or anything. However, I've been reading about pure sine and modified sine power. Pure sine seems to be more expensive and my battery back up is modified sine. Can I damage the pump or is there any risk of electricity?
fasteddie99
08/27/2011, 07:57 AM
I am bracing for Irene as well. I live in Delaware and we"re about to get blasted within a few hours.

I put 1 extra Koralia 3 in my tank and hooked it up to the backup power supply. I am hoping this will last for many hours possibly day if I need it to. I figure my inhabitants can live without light/skimmer/filters for quite awhile, but water flow is a different story.

Good luck with the hurricaine..
wes1333
08/27/2011, 08:04 AM
Its probably not going to last long at all with 3 powerheads and not true sine.
david pinder
08/27/2011, 08:32 AM
Living in the Houston tx area we have to be prepared, What you really need is a marine battery with a power inverter. When the battery goes down just put in your car and charge it back up. You can get by a few days.
sunil6784
08/27/2011, 08:50 AM
Its probably not going to last long at all with 3 powerheads and not true sine.

I ran one pump for 2 hours with no problems. Does it not being true sine affect how long the pump will run on the battery?
sunil6784
08/27/2011, 08:51 AM
Living in the Houston tx area we have to be prepared, What you really need is a marine battery with a power inverter. When the battery goes down just put in your car and charge it back up. You can get by a few days.

This was my top choice, but I didn't have enough time to research it before the storm.