haole420
Active Member
i didn't want to hijack another thread that this came up in, so i started a new one.
it occurred to me a few months ago that i could put an old computer uninterpretible power supply (UPS) to use to backup my air and water pumps in case of a power outage, tripped GFCI, or tripped breaker. according to the calculator on APC's website, it says my particular unit will give me less than 16 minutes of backup power, hardly worth getting a replacement battery for.
so i priced larger capacity UPSs. if you do get a UPS, get an APC UPS. don't DIY unless you're really familiar with circuits and power. that shit can catch on fire or worse if you don't know what you're doing.
once you figure out your load (total watts), go to APC's website and use one of several tools to figure out which model gives you the run time you want.
http://www.apc.com/tools/ups_selector/
my power draw is 55watts. for $309.99 MSRP i can get a 1000VA UPS that will give me 80 minutes of run time, for $589.00 i can get 302 minutes (1500VA), and for $939.00 i can get 421 minutes (2200VA).
i want around 4 hours of backup power, so the $589 1500VA model seems best suited for me. replacement batteries cost $179.99 MSRP. in my experience, the batteries go bad after about 5 years. even before the battery dies, the max run time will get shorter and shorter from day 1, so better to go beefier while you're investing in a UPS. of course, you could always change your battery before it stops being able to hold a charge.
it would suck to spend money on a ups, have it just charging for 4 years, then when you need it, have it only provide 1/4 the time you thought it would. that's why 4 hours is sort of my minimum. worse case scenario, say, 4 years after plugging it in, even if the battery can only hold 1/5 a full charge, i'm still getting an hour of run time.
it's still only a band-aid. when the power goes out where i live, it is likely to be out for days, not hours. my neighbors will also be without power too, so running a generator won't seem so unusual. i could spend another $500 on a 3200watt portable generator that would run my entire room, including lights, for as long as i feed it gas, diesel, or propane.
so for a complete cover-my-ass during prolonged power outage solution, i'm looking at roughly $1000 for a small 4x4' 1200watt grow.
i'll think about it...
it occurred to me a few months ago that i could put an old computer uninterpretible power supply (UPS) to use to backup my air and water pumps in case of a power outage, tripped GFCI, or tripped breaker. according to the calculator on APC's website, it says my particular unit will give me less than 16 minutes of backup power, hardly worth getting a replacement battery for.
so i priced larger capacity UPSs. if you do get a UPS, get an APC UPS. don't DIY unless you're really familiar with circuits and power. that shit can catch on fire or worse if you don't know what you're doing.
once you figure out your load (total watts), go to APC's website and use one of several tools to figure out which model gives you the run time you want.
http://www.apc.com/tools/ups_selector/
my power draw is 55watts. for $309.99 MSRP i can get a 1000VA UPS that will give me 80 minutes of run time, for $589.00 i can get 302 minutes (1500VA), and for $939.00 i can get 421 minutes (2200VA).
i want around 4 hours of backup power, so the $589 1500VA model seems best suited for me. replacement batteries cost $179.99 MSRP. in my experience, the batteries go bad after about 5 years. even before the battery dies, the max run time will get shorter and shorter from day 1, so better to go beefier while you're investing in a UPS. of course, you could always change your battery before it stops being able to hold a charge.
it would suck to spend money on a ups, have it just charging for 4 years, then when you need it, have it only provide 1/4 the time you thought it would. that's why 4 hours is sort of my minimum. worse case scenario, say, 4 years after plugging it in, even if the battery can only hold 1/5 a full charge, i'm still getting an hour of run time.
it's still only a band-aid. when the power goes out where i live, it is likely to be out for days, not hours. my neighbors will also be without power too, so running a generator won't seem so unusual. i could spend another $500 on a 3200watt portable generator that would run my entire room, including lights, for as long as i feed it gas, diesel, or propane.
so for a complete cover-my-ass during prolonged power outage solution, i'm looking at roughly $1000 for a small 4x4' 1200watt grow.
i'll think about it...
. It runs for 4 or 5 days at a time as my power is at best sporadic with all these storms!!! As for the gas usage, 5 gals or 22 litres will get me around 15 hrs and it is a 4000 watt, so I think thats not out of reach for most people, fuck, sell an ounce a year to pay for the fuel and oil lol. But yes not a good option for apartments lol unless you can put in on the balcony!
