Power Generators

[Inconservatory]

As I'm sure many of you experienced this morning, power outages are a scare we would rather avoid in this hobby. Luckily, our power was only out for a few hours, but anything more can have dire effects on a captive reef system.

My girlfriend has been pretty adamant about buying a small generator in such a case where power would be out for days at a time. After the incident this morning, I'm inclined to take her advice. My question to you is if there are any suitable generators out there which could do the job of maintaining a small reef setup, and at a decent price.

Flow and temperature are always a great issue in such a case. I ended up tending the tank with a turkey baster and warming water by the fire. Any experiences you guys would like to relate?

 

[DolphinLVR]

I would add up the wattage of your Heaters and return pumps at the very least. Then look at a small portable generator like the Honda's that run really quiet

 

[reefjock]

I woke up when the power went out at 2:00. Last summer I bought a 1200w generator at Schuck's for $100. It is a 2-stroke and pretty loud but....I only have it for just such an occassion. It has enough power to keep a couple pumps running and a 300w heater.

Hondas are awesome generators!...but also pricey.

 

[mfinn]

My question to you is if there are any suitable generators out there which could do the job of maintaining a small reef setup, and at a decent price.

Just as in our hobby, you get what you pay for.
If you want a really quiet good generator, you will pay a premium price for it.
If you just want to run a few pumps and a heater, then the smallest 1000 watt generator would work.
I have a Yahama 1000 watt generator for just that purpose. It cost me about $600 at Cabelas. ( I get Cabela bucks at work )

But I also have a larger one to run my the whole tank, lights and everything, plus enough power to have about half the house powered up, which includes the hotwater heater. Plus I have it wired into it's own circuit box with a electric start. This cost me a total of $1575.00 7-8 years ago.
I use the main generator from about 7am to 10 pm, then run the small one during the night. My neighbors love the fact that I bought the little one.

 

[gas4544]

A couple months ago, I purchased one of these:

http://www.wisesales.com/honda_genset.html?gclid=CIvi5puYr58CFQMsawodCUlj0Q

I shopped around and Wise Sales had the best price. They were also very nice to work with. My Honda is ready to go at a moments notice.

g

 

[ac7av]

You do get what you pay for but really how often are you going to use it? If you have an extra $2000 you can go buy a nice Honda and they are nice and quiet. If you have $500 you go buy something like a Chicago Electric that has 3 times the output and can run your house and still have the $1500 left over to make it convenient to hook to your home instead of running extension cords in the dark cuze you know the power always goes out in the dark.
My vote for Chicago Electric 5000 watt extended run and don’t forget to put in stabill every year before you store it. Mine is 11 years old and starts first pull every time. You could go for the electric start for a few bucks more.

 

[gas4544]

I paid just over $900 shipped for my Honda generator. It is small and does not take up much room. It provides enough power to take care of the essentials for us. We live in Edmonds/Lynnwood close to a hospital, so we likely will never be without power for long if their is an outage. It is reliable and quiet, and if I ever want to upgrade to a larger generator, I can either sell this one or hook up another one.

If we owned our house instead of renting, I would likely invest in a whole house generator. I would also upgrade the power panel and set up some dedicated circuits for my tanks. But for now, the little 2000W Honda gives me peace of mind when the wind is blowing like it was last night.

g