What battery backup SIZE is the best? What about lithium ion backup? | BRStv Investigates
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 5 дек 2019
- How long will a UPS battery backup last at slower pump speeds and less wattage draw? Will Lithium Ion batteries or lower wattage UPS batteries last longer? Today we find out where we can best put our $$ when choosing a battery backup for your saltwater tank!
#BRStvInvestigates #BRStv
More from BRStv !
➡ Full Power Outage Playlist : brs.li/2s3mjfM
➡ We FAILED the BRS750XXL! : • The BRS 750XXL almost ...
➡ Cheap way to protect your tank power : • Cheap way to save your...
Community Links!
➡ Today's topic on Reef2Reef : brs.li/2PjLym3
➡ #AskBRStv Facebook Group : brs.li/AskBRStv_Facebook
➡ BRS R2R Sponsor Page : brs.li/BRS_R2R_Sponsor
Related Gear:
➡ EcoTech VorTech MP10 : brs.li/BRS_EcoTech_MP10
➡ EcoTech Battery Backup : brs.li/BRS_EcoTech_BatteryBackup
Legal Stuff
The content contained in this video is general information on the topic and should not be relied upon as your sole source of information or safety advice for this project or topic. Each product or situation is different and has its own concerns related to successful completion and safety that must be fully researched by the individual considering the project or product.
The purpose and content of this video is to provide general information regarding the products and their applications as presented in the video. Aquatic sales solutions, inc. And its officers, directors, employees and agents disclaim all express or implied warranties, in any way, related to the products and their application as presented in this video, make no representation or warranty regarding the products and the application as presented in this video and shall not be liable for any direct or indirect losses or damages of any type, including but not limited to punitive damages, or from personal injury or death resulting from or in any manner related to the video, and the products in and contents of the video. The viewer expressly agrees that aquatic sales solutions, inc. And its officers, directors, employees and agents shall not be liable for any damages or losses related to the products in and content of the video and hereby agrees to hold the foregoing harmless from any such losses or damages. 
Животные
More from BRStv !
➡ Full Power Outage Playlist : brs.li/2s3mjfM
➡ We FAILED the BRS750XXL! : ruclips.net/video/IjzXSB8CYFM/видео.html
➡ Cheap way to protect your tank power : ruclips.net/video/lHLHgmN6Z5k/видео.html
Thank you guys! Always dealing with outages where I live, this is very useful information can't wait for y'all to dive deeper into this!
Just had the power flicker and I said to myself "Self you need a battery backup". Came to RUclips to learn myself about them cuz im clueless. Lookie here BRS to the rescue! Thanks for the video guys!
Haha yeah same, I haven't got a running tank but the power went out so.... best to invest in something like this
This is so what I need to see. I've been wanting to do battery backup for my aquarium for a long time
Very interesting ! Great job ! Huge difference ! Thank you Randy ! Probably saved me a lot of aggravation
I have had the echotech battery back up for three years. It has been awesome. After a recent hurricane I can honestly say I don't believe my tank you have made it through the storm without it. That being said, Most batteries last around three years and my set up just reached the three year mark. I bought a replacement battery for $38 drilled out the rivets and switched out the battery. I then closed the case up with 6/32 x3/4 stainless screws news. It was so easy. Now I should have at least another three years of battery backup.
Tunze safety switch with two 12v 12Ah sealed lead acid batteries in series (for 24v) and a 24v float charger is my choice. Batteries are cheep and easy to replace. Use more if you want more run time. Should work for any 24v powerhead. Would be awesome if you compared that to the ecotech battery backup for run time and cost. Love the videos!!!
So, yes these experiments shows that a battery back up from Ecotech will out perform any other UPS, however, the key important factor that is not discussed about the other UPS (and is probably a more important feature IMO) is the voltage regulation, frequency modulation, and surge protection. I have all of my equipment on an older cyberpower 1500 for that purpose and only the recirculation pump is on the battery backup port. The extra layer of electrical protection provided by these is worth far more than battery longevity (especially since most of us should be able to start up a generator while still on the UPS).
Good topic
Ok. Not the test I was waiting for. That still only favours persons who spent that money on MP10s which is fine but not for everyone.
1. I want to see how well a hydor or similar AC powerhead functions on a UPS as it wont need the inverter converting DC to AC then back to DC.
2. Also I'd like you to delve a bit into the whole sine vs non sine UPS on DC electronics. I'd love to plug my return into my UPS but don't want to damage it since it's not a Sine UPS. Thanks.
100% this. Although i have batterys hooked up to my AC powered powerheads and i know how long it lasts. but would be awesome to know the time line of different models
Agreed. I would love to see some testing of ac pumps.
As you mentioned the inefficiency in the UPS is the DC->AC inverter. I've seen guys add connectors directly to the battery in their UPS for the purpose of bypassing the inverter.
Couldn't you just use a large deep cycle battery? The EcoTech has a 12AH battery. A large deep cycle battery can have 100AH to 200AH.
Of course the EcoTech is taking care of all the maintenance (charging). It's also much smaller, mountable, and looks a lot nicer.
jTempVids 100% do this.
Some RUclips videos. But I also understand why BRS isn’t recommending this or saying anything. This isn’t a dyi RUclips. For those that research, 75$ and a used UPS can double the life of the ecotech battery and function just the same.
Thanks for the video! Another video suggestion on something I’ve always wondered about; could you use a dissolved oxygen probe to determine if using a power head deep in the tank vs one at the top that breaks the surface and causes agitation during a power outage makes a big difference in oxygen levels in the water? Not sure if just water movement alone is enough without surface agitation to keep things alive🤔
I stuck a water pump onto the bottom of a bare bottom tank and even though it caused a significant amount of surface agitation, it didn't increase dissolved oxygen by much.
I wanted to test how important circulating water from the bottom to the top was.
A large wavemaker positioned to maximize surface agitation (to the point where I had to get up in the middle of the night to check that it wasn't splashing water out of the tank) performed much better.
Large wavemaker: 6.2 mg/L DO2, 23.5W
Small wavemaker: 5.05 mg/L DO2, 6.12W
Air pump: 6.29 mg/L DO2, 3.48W
I didn't note the values for the water pump but they were atrocious--huge watts for barely any increase in DO2. I could probably get them from the data log but it's pretty pointless at this time...
I'm fairly certain a wavemaker far below the surface will do very little.
Aquarium Science, Technology, and Medicine appreciate the reply and specific info! That’s basically what I assumed, but had no data to prove it. I have a gyre just below the water surface, and when the power cuts off the tank drains just enough to expose it and agitate the surface, but I do get vortices often with it...would be nice if a pump halfway down the tank would accomplish the same thing but I’ve always doubted it.
There is a gray Belkin route r back up battary that i use. It about $40- $80 and the plug fit strait into the controller and outputs 12 watts and last for 15hr in my test.
Yohan M can you post a link to this battery you are referring to?
@@marvinblanco5063 here a link to one hopefully doesn't get blocked by youtube www.belkin.com/us/support-article?articleNum=5388
I have Apex kill everything except one of my two Tunze 6055s. One drops down to minimum power level but I still only get about 2.5 hours out of my APC Back-UPs Pro 1500. I use a similar APC to what you tested just for my WiFi router & fiber modem. Both work great for the small draw items. Disappointing about the run time limit you ran into.
You can also use a deep Cel battery and power inverter charger that could power all your equipment for hours.
I use a 1700w VMax battery with a 1000w Aims power inverter charger. This set up will power almost 200w of my total
Equipment, on my 20 gallon cube, including AI prime led, heater, echotech 10, Syncra 1.5 return, and reef glass skimmer, for
10 hours. $600 for battery and inverter.
If the battery back up is just for DC wavemaker, use the 24V DC Door UPS. You will have better results than AC UPS.
How long the ups lasts depends mostly on the battery capacity and then inverter efficiency. The 255watt inverter has a 4ah (48watt) battery while larger units has 2 7amp (168 watts total) in reserve. Longer manufacturer runtime = longer low power runtime - inverter initial draw. Larger / older inverters will draw as much as 2 amps (24 watts) with no power draw. Then consider with power factor correction to save an additional 15%+ of the reserve power. A Cheaper UPS will not have this and waste 15%+ using a square wave on switching power supplies. Best in this case is always use direct battery, without an inverter. Some UPS's now have this feature.
The idea was to have dependable back up when your away from your tank....like at work or a short vacation. Turning your pumps down is not going to be an option unless your at your system. I don’t have any vortex pumps or plan on getting any, so getting a specific ups like they have is not an option. My system is run by a Neptune apex along with their pumps, Doser, modules for lights and leak detection. I have two apex controlled power distribution blocks I normally just take my ups off my pc system during the power outage and use it to run my return pump, which seems to work but haven’t tested for more than 8 hours. My plan is to use one distribution block that has my essential equipment “return pump Core 20, closed loop core 15, and the ice cap wave maker, etc.”, and run it with a dedicated UPS if possible. I won’t be able to adjust the speed of the pumps (no power = no internet = no apex fusion control)
Have a 180 reef and use a big marine grade battery with a pure sinewave inverter which is 1500 watts. Just a enough for minimal heaters and efficient pumps. Use efficient auto charger to keep it topped off. My first one lasted about 8 years. Load it down from time to time for testing.
How long did it last ? Run time .
At least 8 hours depending on the temperature and things like pump speeds. Whatever you do use pure sinewave is needed for the more modern digital electronic pumps these days. Run 3-4 heaters for redundancy and when power goes down. Will use just two if not too cold. Waveline return pump is pretty efficient and many years old now. Replaced the impeller and rotate them and clean them every 2 years. Have several jebao powerheads that 8+ years old and just keep going as backups only now. 4300 gph and 3200 gph but draw not much. Use a Skimz SS18 and is more than enough with ecotech mp40 dialed down. Would just run the skimz on emergency in lagoon mode and pushes a lot of water if needed. Always remember to never use "Wet" batteries of the old days. Many old submarines that were electric went down horribly when saltwater mixed with battery acid and the reaction that occurred. These days they are sealed pretty much but don't want any saltwater splashing on them.
@@samiam9059 Thank you Felix ! 8 hrs is pretty good , Heaters are definitely energy hogs . Longer than that a generator or propane room heater would probably be in order . Unless you got a high efficiency fire place or something . A generator large enough to keep your fan on in your central heating system if its gas of fuel .
@@lovermansmith9082 The Optima batteries are expensive but with the proper battery charger you can make it over all cost effective over the years. The Skimz ss18 is more efficient that the mp 40 so that is why I use it on power outages.
@@samiam9059 Thank you ! Haven't heard anything on the skimz power heads up to now . Seem reasonably priced & good . Thanks again
BRS is the Apple store of reefing. 💯 Randy Ryan / Steve Jobs Tim Cook. Love this company.
Except BRS you get real value for your money and not just paying premium for the name.
Please test this with a proper sine wave apc ups, like the smart-1000 (smt1000i)
I was curious about this as well. I have my canister on a backup, and only use the sine wave backups
Do the EcoTech’s back-up go straight into a 12v input on the pump controller? The test I want to see is plugging in a deep cell or LiFePO4 12v battery into the VorTech pumps battery back-up port. That would avoid the DC to AC back to DC conversion. 18 Amp hour rating on the Ecotech battery is pretty small, we could get a higher capacity battery either lithium, AGM, or flooded. A lithium 12v battery would cost more, a 100 AH lithium battery should last much longer.
I certainly don't get what these are and what they're supposed to do in case on a blackout.
When testing other no. Eco tech options you reAlly need to add a power tank (aka solar generator). They are nothing but a deep cycle battery that outputs 12v and 24v. The battery cAn be charged via a power brick (or solar panel but I don’t use it for that). I get many day’s of backup power with mine.
Kind of off topic, but Elliot from marine collectors needs a long seat on the couch ASAP. I would love to hear a conversation w him.
Is it best to have the battery backup on my 2 Mp40’s or to my Vectra L1 return pump?
Battery backup on your powerheads will result in much longer run time, so we generally recommend to go that route.
Please make a simple instructional video on installing a Neptune COR return pump. One with hard plumbing and one with flex plumbing. I'm sure you sold a bunch last week . Please include the parts required especially for flex plumbing. You last video was wrong on the parts you said to buy. The outlet is .75 not 1 inch unless you use the included union it is 1.25 inch
Is there another DC Power block/brick/battery out there that can be used? Since the life of the battery is reduced when converting AC to DC.
I am sure this is something we could look into doing! Thank you for the feedback on this. (:
So if I’m running an AC return pump will it last longer since it’s not inverting to DC?
We tried using AC powerheads on the final test in this series (link below), but didn't seem to be a major contributing factor. DC to DC will still provide the longest run time.
ruclips.net/video/YtiAM4L5HhE/видео.html
I'm surprised these tests aren't done for a heater or the filter, including a heater? It's bitter cold here in the winter, and we are lucky to have very few and short power outages... but I'm on the verge of a once in a decade snow storm and now worried about my tank. Shouldn't the heater take priority over the pump? I don't have coral or live plants, simple fresh water with 6 albino cory and a blue mystery snail. 20g tank.
If you want to power a heater, you're going to need a generator or much larger battery. Heaters unfortunately draw too much power for these little battery backups and will drain the battery rather quickly.
Will you also be measuring gas exchange at 5 watts vs 100%? What is the acceptable level?
Also, maybe add in a direct DC/DC option like these? www.amazon.com/dp/B00ME3ZH7C
This is not something we measured! We could look into this for future testing though! Thank you for the suggestion. (:
my 60 gal in total uses 390w when heater is on was thinking of getting a 500w inverter hooked up to a full charged car battery but not sure how long it will run my aquarium without mains power ?
A heater will drain the battery rather quickly. If you want to run your heater when the power is out, you're better off purchasing a generator.
@@BRStv ye I think so I see 1000kw generators for price of spend on battery and inverter
tested nothing... I can spin the water with a spoon indefinitely . whats going to keep the water to temp? whats going to pump water around the sump, this was an ad for the ECo battery only. I know I got 1.5 hours from my APC 2500W with my Heaters, sump, LED lights, and wave pumps. (plenty of time to set up the generator) can that battery do all that? on just the wave makers? if I buy this battery I still need batteries for other items?
Valid points; the type of battery backup you ultimately decide on will depend largely on your goals. If setting up a heating system on a battery is a priority for you, the Ecotech battery backup is 100% not the way to go. Like you mentioned, using a generator is going to be a much better choice if you want to power your lights, pumps, heaters, other filtration, etc.
Bruh who would think that less wattage wouldn’t use less power
So.. what about a heater in this equation? I'm in 2 years into the hobby and so far I've lucked out of the past 2 winters of not losing power, but it is a thing that happens every few years here (Chicago). If I plan on running a pump & heater on a backup am I better off investing in a generator? >_>
Running without a heater is fine for those short power outages, but if you're planning for something longer in the winter months, a generator is going to better serve you. These small battery backups are great, but heaters use a lot of energy compared to a power head and will drain these batteries very quickly.
Surely there are DC ups out there not connected with aquarium can you test them.
We can look into this as an option! Thank you for the feedback!
Wooo! My experiment! And commet!!!! You guys did it!!!! I use a PC power backup 1500watt on a nano tank last hours "never had the time to spend on seeing when it died" with just 1hydor 300 pump and the 100watt heater.
And total honesty this was a total fluke I tried as I didnt have any equipment that used ecotech gear yet and had one too small go be used with my new PC so in recycing fashion I wanted to protect the AI light used and keep some power for the small hour max we have seen.
What if these are tested on filters instead?
Theoretically, you could use a UPS system on just about anything. How much power the piece of equipment draws will really determine battery life, however.
Will my car use less gas if I use less gas?
i really hate ecotech battery, i had bad exprience and the support was bad , they last one year or two max, then i had to repalce them. they are too expensive , i wasted alot of money since i bought 6 of them and i replced them last year now they are not working again. Get Lithium battery instead.
Yes all my fish died when hurricane Sandy hit lost power for a week. Lost over a 1000 dollar of fish wish I knew about this device back than if it was out
Sorry to hear about your losses 😢
@@BRStv thanks
He doesn't give enough information to tell which battery capacity model in that wattage he is testing. Also, most of these battery backups that he is showing aren't listed for use with motor loads. You need to be especially careful if the motors turn on and off or change speeds on a programmed cycle as the surges caused by the motors turning on or increasing speeds can damage control components if it is not properly designed to handle the inrush current. It is best to use a ups that is listed to handle the motor loads.
The other thing, which is why it's not so straight forward, is that you cannot calculate the run time based on the max load over time. The actual time for various loads is on a curve and you need to check the spec sheets. As far as battery capacity, you can have a 1500w ups rated for 15 minutes and another 1500w ups rated to run for 2 hrs. Obviously the one rated for 2 hrs has a larger battery capacity. The spec sheet is your friend as you decide which one you want to purchase.
If someone is really planning a battery backup and not planning for it to last at least 48 hours, that someone is failing IMO. 10-12 hours isn't even sniffing good enough in my book.
Long enough to power up a generator...
I understand your trying to push the higher dollar pumps but I think you are really not doing true justice to the community by only testing with them. Hope about a reasonably priced ac pump test?
The Ecotech pumps are just one of the easier plug and play models available. I like where you're going with this though. An AC pump test on these battery backups would be interesting.
I think you guys should try this
www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-ecotech-battery-backup-for-60.328279/
Straight dc to dc, I did this and when I tested it my mp10’s (I was running two off one battery) I got over a week of run time and the best part is the mp10 automatically go to the lowest setting when it loses ac power like it does with the ecotech battery backup.