Power outage planning

That is a great idea Jamie....I might have to go pick up an inverter tomorrow, since it looks like Hurricane Rita might pass this way after it makes landfall....I definately don't really want to spend the money on a generator if the power goes out for an extended period of time.

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Originally Posted by daniel1983

That is a great idea Jamie....I might have to go pick up an inverter tomorrow, since it looks like Hurricane Rita might pass this way after it makes landfall....I definately don't really want to spend the money on a generator if the power goes out for an extended period of time.

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Check out Lowes and Home Depot. Although you better get there soon before they are all out. This is the one I got, I guess I was wrong on the wattage it handles and the price. But it still does the job!

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...043&lpage=none

Actually using a good UPS will last much longer that "5-15 minutes". This is what I use for my animals requiring constant heat source. A decent home computer type UPS shouldn't be all that expensive and if you buy one dedicated to just your animals you should have a decent ammount of backup time unless your running ALOT heating device. The backup ability of a UPS is not specifically time based, its based on how much draw you have on the unit. They are usually advertised around 15 minutes assuming you have computer systems on them which with a moniter will draw that battery in no time at all. If you use a UPS just try and calculate the total draw (watts) all your heating elements use up and reference that number to the different types of UPS units. Look at only putting the lower watt "life line" items on the UPS like heat tape/pads. Things like heat lamps will draw much more quickly and will kill your backup time. For a while I had both multiple computers (3) and my reptile "life line" heat elements on one UPS, shutting down the computers as soon as possible or having them set to automatically shutdown and then the battery dedicated to the reps...far outlasted the advertised 15 minutes.

A unit like THIS can run for about an hour...at FULL load which is 600watts. I'm far from a mathemetician but any ammount under "full load" will increase the "up time" that lighter load can be supported. I highly recommend this method it has saved me in the past when losing power for a night or longer durring michigan winters! There are cheaper units of course but the key is to figure out what your "full load" or watts used is and round up for safety. If you are dedicating this just to your animals you can look at the cheaper units as you won't need all the software and added functionality/connectivity for PC use.

sorry for the long post.

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Originally Posted by TekWarren

Actually using a good UPS will last much longer that "5-15 minutes". This is what I use for my animals requiring constant heat source. A decent home computer type UPS shouldn't be all that expensive and if you buy one dedicated to just your animals you should have a decent ammount of backup time unless your running ALOT heating device. The backup ability of a UPS is not specifically time based, its based on how much draw you have on the unit. They are usually advertised around 15 minutes assuming you have computer systems on them which with a moniter will draw that battery in no time at all. If you use a UPS just try and calculate the total draw (watts) all your heating elements use up and reference that number to the different types of UPS units. Look at only putting the lower watt "life line" items on the UPS like heat tape/pads. Things like heat lamps will draw much more quickly and will kill your backup time. For a while I had both multiple computers (3) and my reptile "life line" heat elements on one UPS, shutting down the computers as soon as possible or having them set to automatically shutdown and then the battery dedicated to the reps...far outlasted the advertised 15 minutes.

A unit like THIS can run for about an hour...at FULL load which is 600watts. I'm far from a mathemetician but any ammount under "full load" will increase the "up time" that lighter load can be supported. I highly recommend this method it has saved me in the past when losing power for a night or longer durring michigan winters! There are cheaper units of course but the key is to figure out what your "full load" or watts used is and round up for safety. If you are dedicating this just to your animals you can look at the cheaper units as you won't need all the software and added functionality/connectivity for PC use.

sorry for the long post.

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I hear ya (being in technology and well familiar with UPS) but how does it help you for extended power outages?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TekWarren

Actually using a good UPS will last much longer that "5-15 minutes". This is what I use for my animals requiring constant heat source. A decent home computer type UPS shouldn't be all that expensive and if you buy one dedicated to just your animals you should have a decent ammount of backup time unless your running ALOT heating device. The backup ability of a UPS is not specifically time based, its based on how much draw you have on the unit. They are usually advertised around 15 minutes assuming you have computer systems on them which with a moniter will draw that battery in no time at all. If you use a UPS just try and calculate the total draw (watts) all your heating elements use up and reference that number to the different types of UPS units. Look at only putting the lower watt "life line" items on the UPS like heat tape/pads. Things like heat lamps will draw much more quickly and will kill your backup time. For a while I had both multiple computers (3) and my reptile "life line" heat elements on one UPS, shutting down the computers as soon as possible or having them set to automatically shutdown and then the battery dedicated to the reps...far outlasted the advertised 15 minutes.

A unit like THIS can run for about an hour...at FULL load which is 600watts. I'm far from a mathemetician but any ammount under "full load" will increase the "up time" that lighter load can be supported. I highly recommend this method it has saved me in the past when losing power for a night or longer durring michigan winters! There are cheaper units of course but the key is to figure out what your "full load" or watts used is and round up for safety. If you are dedicating this just to your animals you can look at the cheaper units as you won't need all the software and added functionality/connectivity for PC use.

sorry for the long post.

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I'm a tech head and have this for my computer:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...265059&CatId=0

But these UPS are monitored by software programs that tell you how much time is left on your battery etc. While a computer isn't required to use a UPS, you probably if you do use one, will want to hook it up periodically (maybe quarterly) to check on the battery life and to run the diagnostic tests on it and make sure it is functioning properly.

Good point, I guess I assume to many things LOL. For monitoring you will need to do periodic checks/tests along with an initial test. I would suggest once you had a UPS setup and fully loaded with everything you "need" on it to do a time test. I did this for mine, basically get it setup and let it run for a good week to make sure its fully charged. On a weekend or when you can be around to do frequent checks just yank the UPS's power from the outlet and time how long it lasts. The last time I did this the test ran more than a day (with just rep heating items on it). If you do buy something that is meant for the PC you can still monitor the ups with the supplied serial or usb cables, you don't need to have the PC on the UPS's power for monitoring. A good point to note though as posed by bg, this is not a solution for a period of days. Your looking at hours, *maybe* a couple days...it really depends on how much you want to spend on the UPS. The higher load capacity the better, the more overhead you alot for the more time you have for the smaller load. Again I absolutely STINK at math so I won't try and tell anyone how much overhead equals x ammount of extra time...You just have to do your own testing.

(bg, reading my first post on this it sounded kinda snotty towards you when I commented on how long it would last...I didn't mean for it to come out that way eek!)

just picked up my inverter today.......it is getting crazy again....alot of evacuees coming through here....and we might get some of the storm once it gets inland....20+ in. of rain expected after almost a month of drought.....lots of trees will be falling :(

I'll be praying for you and yours Daniel. Be safe Kay?

thanks....we wont be a near as bad as people closer to the gulf...luckily I am in north La now...we may still get some really bad weather.....

Hey becky.....how are things looking in Waco? you guys may end up getting some pretty bad weather also :( you are about 2x closer than me

well i know this is not the best answer, but it is something. i keep a couple of heat packs for back injuries. they last a while. also i have a campstove and fuel available to heat water for a hot water bottle. a hot water bottle will actually last a while (5-8 hrs). i have thought about hand warmers as well. the power inverter sounds like a great idea.