Storm prep... heres a good deal

[brewmaster15]

If you don't have a generator or can not have a large noisy one where you live look at this..

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Sportsman-1-000-800-Watt-Gasoline-Powered-Digital-Inverter-Generator-802085/300792167

This invert generator is on sale and a good buy for an invert generator. These are quiet running and safe for all electronics being a sine wave generator. You wont be able to run your house on it but it may save a tank or two of discus after a power outage. You can spend much more and get bigger better ones.. but this little one is a gem. Its cheap.. fairly quiet and reliable. I have one here that I use for camping and to run my 125 display and led tv.

I bought mine a few years back during a home depot sale.


Just a suggestion but planning ahead might save your fish after a power outage.
Al

[14Discus]

Al’s suggestion is good. I have two Honda eu1000s for manual start situations.

My concern for power outage is when either it’s prolonged or when I’m not home to pull start the smaller units. I realize that my link is to a more costly unit, but I bought it two years ago and it has done great w keeping the whole house going......including the fish room. I just consider this unit part of what living in the country is about. When I bought mine, it was on sale and then I had to have it installed and a propane tank put in the yard. My wife was not happy about the cost until we had the house warm and working during our recent winter outages. It has already paid for itself in savings of house issues of outages.....no frozen pipes, no having to live in a hotel, no rotten frig. foods, thawed freezer foods, sump pump failure, and no having to replace pricey Discus/Koi etc. just my thoughts.....



https://www.homedepot.com/p/Briggs-Stratton-20-000-Watt-Automatic-Air-Cooled-Standby-Generator-with-200-Amp-Transfer-Switch-040346/207044702

[14Discus]

Got to thinking about the cost factor. I spent way more for my Discus hobby than the cost of the unit. When I figured the cost of generator, installation, and propane tank, it came out to be equal to what I paid for all the Discus stuff. Listed are the general items of the Discus hobby part and these are conservative estimates. Just the good food from here costs a lot for the bio pigment freeze dried blackworms.
For my 55g and 75g tanks of Discus:

$. Items

1200 Tanks, stands, lights
450. Heaters, controllers
3350 for 18 Discus w SH
400. Cans, pumps, heater
300. Two sumps, lights, pumps, hosing
900. Two algae scrubbers
1200. Denitrification canisters
1500+ meds and foods
250. Artificial driftwood
450. Filters
150. Media
200. Test kits
150. Four spare heaters
300. Two spare filters
150 For QT, filter, pump, heater
150. Digital thermeters
500. Larger RO system w power booster
200. Nets, maintenance tools
80. Sand
100. Plants
100. Books
============
$11,980. TOTAL

I’m sure I missed some things I’ve bought for da fish, but I think you get the idea. In conclusion......I’ve spent for a generator to protect my fishroom...AND......my whole house what I spent for those goofy fish.
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[CliffsDiscus]

I have the Honda great but pricey, so this is a good deal. How about the noise level?

Cliff

[brewmaster15]

I have the Honda great but pricey, so this is a good deal. How about the noise level?

Cliff

Cliff its really quiet. Its definitely not a honda, but for the person that has an occassional power outage or tailgating party, I think its a great little invert generator. For the price and what our fish cost, its really something anyone with a tank or two of Discus should look into. This version on sale is EPA approved and CARB compliant so its a pretty clean runner.. They also have another model for another $50 at Sams club.. ($200 total)

https://www.samsclub.com/sams/1000w-invert-genertr-sine-wave-inverter/prod20640113.ip

Thats a step up and is called EPA and Carb approved... has a "quiet Idle:


I also have an older 2000 watt Ryobi invert generator I really love. The Ryobi is more expensive but not as much as a Honda. The newer ones they have even come with wifi AND some will even run ion propane... definitely check out the Ryobi Line up.

al

[pm9ljr]

Al thanks...this will give me some piece of mind. our last 2 outages the short duration made me know I needed something

will be ordering tomorrow

[brewmaster15]

Lloyd,
Be sure to add up the watts you will need to run.. This generator is small 800 watts . your heaters will be major consummers of that... If your tanks add up to more than 800 watts look at the 2000 watt range.. they cost a bit more but they will also run your sensitive home electronics and most refrigerators.

Hth,
Al

[ggillies]

Get a Tesla Powerwall; mine has saved my butt on three occasions in the last 3 months. Ours provides enough power to run the house for 2-3 days, depending on what devices we leave running.

We had a 14 hour outage last week and our house was the only one in our neighborhood with power. We kept the tank with lights, pumps, heaters, filters running, as well as fridge house lights, TV and sundry other devices no problem. Probably saved my fish from death.

[brewmaster15]

Get a Tesla Powerwall; mine has saved my butt on three occasions in the last 3 months. Ours provides enough power to run the house for 2-3 days, depending on what devices we leave running.

We had a 14 hour outage last week and our house was the only one in our neighborhood with power. We kept the tank with lights, pumps, heaters, filters running, as well as fridge house lights, TV and sundry other devices no problem. Probably saved my fish from death.

Ive looked at these when they first came out.. great concept. Do you charge yours off solar?

[ggillies]

Ive looked at these when they first came out.. great concept. Do you charge yours off solar?

Yes, we have a 7kw Solar array on our roof. Great combination, since the Solar produces all it's power when we are at work and the house is idle. When we get back at night, the Powerwall runs the house during peak $$$$ time and saves us a ton of money.

The fact that we don't have to worry about power outages makes me extremely happy, and means the chance of losing my tank is pretty minimal now.

Cheers.

[brewmaster15]

Id love to have a solar array here with that system but due to the nature of our electric company I can only do so if I buy the panels outright.Which takes away alot of the incentive for me at this time.
al

[SidJones]

Ordered. Thanks for the tip, Al.

[pm9ljr]

My tank is well below the 800 in the future I would like yo get one that would take care of the fridge/freezer but for now this gives some piece of mind
Thanks again for sharing the info

[brewmaster15]

When you guys get these be sure to watch the oil levels.. they have low oil shutoffs but its important to keep the oil levels good. Start them up and let them run a few hours to break them in. They may smoke a bit that first 30 min run.. its normal... after that its good to go.

For gas..I Run my generators down to no gas for storage. The ethanol they add to gas can gum up the carbureator if it sits in them as it draws in water to the gas. Best to add a fuel stabilizer like "stabil" to your gas storage... it really does help keep gas fresh for many months.

Its a good idea to run your generators every few months to be sure they are in good order for when you need them.

oh and dont start it with a load on the system.. start first.. then plug in your electrical cords.

Al

[brewmaster15]

Bump...

Memorial day sale at Home depot...


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These are both pretty decent prices.. They both are very budget friendly and even the 2000 watt conventional generator here is relatively quiet. For what out fish cost, a generator is an excellent investment. Pick one up before the next storm.

Al

[slicksta]

I agree... The inverter gen is the way to go.
I purchased a 6250w Generac years ago when the inverter tech was new and quite costly. Yes it can pretty much run all the essentials in my house and saved my tanks during the extended NE blackout a few years ago... but when the power is out and yours is the only house lit my neighbors really enjoy the speeding freight train sound level to break the silence.