An Alternative to a Generator..The inverter

[kris2341]

I didnt know they made inverters with a built in UPS function, looks surprisingly sleek.

[kris2341]

I found a potential suitable inverter UPS for 110VAC use

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5000w-LF-pur...-/271498317135

this is a bit too much for me to swallow as far as price but its an option.

[nc0gnet0]

Ok I see now, I apologize, I was really struggling with the bad English in the ebay listings that came up when I searched "dioxin". It's an interesting little unit indeed. It does appear to combine the battery charger/inverter/relay all in one little neat package. I question the quality of the build (based mainly on physical size), but it very well could be a well built unit. As it is only available in 220 volt versions, it will be useless for any of us in the US.

It makes sense though, a 220v version would be significantly smaller in size than it's equivalent 120 volt version, as it would take twice the amperage in the 120v version to equal the same power output (watts) as the 220 v version. Higher amperage means higher heat and more expensive parts.

So, if dioxin where to make a 120 volt version of the same unit, what I am getting at is it would be larger, heavier, and more expensive. Just exactly how much so I am not sure, but if I were to ponder a guess, it would be slightly more expensive then the system Al has made here.

[nc0gnet0]

I found a potential suitable inverter UPS for 110VAC use

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5000w-LF-pur...-/271498317135

this is a bit too much for me to swallow as far as price but its an option.

Yup, that is exactly what I was trying to point out.

[100fuegos]

As long as quality only time will tell. It has been only two weeks since I put up the system so not talking about quality here, just specs.

[brewmaster15]

lol Rick sometimes you can be a pain (joke)

Yes I am using the right terminology, after all a UPS is an automatic AC / DC inverter and battery charger. This thing will charge your battery (20 Amp charger), keep it charged (smart charger) and upon a power failure will automatically kick in providing AC power to your stuff. So yes, it is a UPS (uninterruptible power supply).

If you are in the market for an inverter, smart charger and a relay to make the thing kick in automatically upon a power outage then this is a viable option. One thing to note is that I have not seen it rated at 110 - 120 VAC so it will keep you guys in America out of option.

I bought it here Be aware that prices will vary a lot, almost twice, depending whre you buy it.

And now to make you a believer Rick please see this very bad video (sorry for the lack of quality and reflections)

Thanks for the Vid here! Question though... I see the battery with the power and ground leads going to the inverter as they should.. I see two power cords coming out of the inverter... Does this inverter act as the battery charger as well? and automatically switches to an inverter when the power goes down? Can you give me the model number off the inverter, sounds interesting.

Your system looks very well designed, including the tanks...one note for you though, generally you should not place a charger or inverter above a battery like that, especially so close to the ceiling... you can get explosive gasses that accumulate up there and a spark can easily set them off. Just a suggestion.

Best always,
al

[brewmaster15]

Blimey, that's a lot of complicated detail to work out for what is a relatively simple thing in principle! Thanks for posting about it. It's an annoyance there aren't off-the-shelf systems available as such...

I was trying to get my Mechanical and Electrical Engineer to build something like this for one of my projects for top-off surges to not blow the fuse until the power supply is upgraded, but he said it would cost tens of thousands and the size of the equipment would take up an entire large room. (Not that I've had much confidence in him overall though).

I couldn't quite off the top of my head gauge the performance it provides however. How long do you think a marine battery like that would fully power your average say 200 gallon discus tank, if you didn't have a solar panel and just had a mains powered trickle charger. (I'd prefer a solar panel but am not going to rewire my house to achieve that.)

Of course you'd just need to run your critical systems such as circulation and heating through this, as heating and circulation but not lighting. Or in worst case, the wife's fridge-freezer as well. ; P

I'd need to build another one as well for a 60 gallon reef tank, which can crash within hours if the power goes out.

Its going to depend on alot of things, the heater is going to be the biggest variable... If you can calculate out your power consumption and know the amp Hours of the Battery you can make a good estimate. I'll try and run a test latter this week on a 125 gal, 2 300 watt heaters, lights, and several aquaclear filters.

-al

[100fuegos]

Thanks for the Vid here! Question though... I see the battery with the power and ground leads going to the inverter as they should.. I see two power cords coming out of the inverter... Does this inverter act as the battery charger as well? and automatically switches to an inverter when the power goes down? Can you give me the model number off the inverter, sounds interesting.

Your system looks very well designed, including the tanks...one note for you though, generally you should not place a charger or inverter above a battery like that, especially so close to the ceiling... you can get explosive gasses that accumulate up there and a spark can easily set them off. Just a suggestion.

Best always,
al

Actually only one power cord is coming out, the second one is coming in. Do not see it as an inverter, is causing a lot of confusion. It is a not conventional UPS without battery. After all a conventional UPS (from the computer world) is nothing more than an automatic DC/AC power inverter and a smart battery charger that usually carries a small 7.2 Amp 12V DC (it can be more than one in parallel) AGM battery inside, exactly what this thing is, except for the battery.

So yes, it is connected to the wall socket and while there is AC power it is a smart battery charger (this model 20 Amp). When there is a power outage it automatically kicks in and becomes an automatic DC / AC power inverter, a UPS. Once the AC power is restored the inverter part stops and the battery charger kicks in to recharge the battery.

It is a Doxin 1500W fully automatic DC / AC power inverter, UPS and battery charger. At least it can be read that way on the sticker. See in my previous post an eBay link and a warning about not being available for you guys in 110 - 120 VAC countries. Anyway I have found this eBay listing that claims it is a 110 VAC model but all the pictures are from the 220 VAC model, so be careful.

Serach eBay inverter charger ups 110 to see what its available to you. Quite expensive compared to these 220 VAC models by the way.

Thanks for your warning, I will consider it.

[nc0gnet0]

I would be curious to see how long your unit, as you currently have it set up, would run your tank. Is it possible to unplug the unit from the wall (simulating a power outage) and run a test?

[100fuegos]

Yes it is possible but it will have to be next weekend when I am home. I spend the day out at work Mon to Fri.

[nc0gnet0]

Cool, thanks!

[Tres]

Probably a good idea to do a test run of the backup anyway, prior to seeing what happens when the next big storm hits!

[100fuegos]

Ok here we go again. To make the test I did nothing special except to start a chronometer and write down on paper the battery voltage every hour. Running on the battery were two external canisters rated at 20 watts each, one inline 300 watts hydor heater, one eheim 250 watts submersible heater, a 35 watts air compressor and last a small 10 watts LED light.

00:00 -> 12.5 V
01:00 -> 12.5 V
02:00 -> 12.33 V
03:00 -> 12.17 V
04:00 -> 11.78 V
04:49 -> Unit complaint about low battery voltage, test finished.

Although I was not present at every minute I must say I never saw the 250 watts eheim heater kick in. The external hydor heater in the other hand was kicking in every fifteen or twenty minutes and every time it did the battery voltage went down for a full 0.5 V coming back up when it turned off.

So for less than five hour back up I am good to go but to tell the truth I am seriously thinking of buying a second battery to connect it in parallel.

[nc0gnet0]

Very helpful, thanks. can I ask what was the ambient temperature of the room the tank was in? Why I ask is that for some of us in a cold weather climate, this time could be greatly reduced.

[gunnerschh2]

There are a lot of diesel engines out there today. I ran my van 7/24 for 5 day after sandy for 750 gals. Water & no problems.inverters are great this way. Harry