• Welcome back Guest!

    MARSH is a private reefing group. Comments and suggestions are encouraged, but please keep them positive and constructive. Negative threads, posts, or attacks will be removed from view and reviewed by the staff. Continually disruptive, argumentative, or flagrant rule breakers may be suspended or banned.

How long did your EcoTech Battery Backups last? (1 Viewer)

Users who are viewing this thread

TX_Punisher

Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
669
Reaction score
514
Location
South Houston
Depends on speed settings. 8-12hrs on a fresh battery on ecotech for me

I’ll be looking at my system here soon as I have 2 batteries that may not be 100%
 

mwilliams62

Guest
Joined
Jan 11, 2011
Messages
2,664
Reaction score
43
Location
Houston, Texas, United States
I don’t have one of those but I used either 4 or 5 of battery power air bubblers and they where still going after 14 + hrs. All fish and what tiny bit of coral which is not much all survived. Tank temp I think was around 60 maybe I had wrapped blankets on it as soon as the power went out to keep it somewhat warm.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
OP
OP
Reefahholic
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Messages
10,899
Reaction score
2,066
Location
League City
Investing in small D/C pump with low watt draw when the power is out can save your reef. Not only that but also getting it ready and plumed for a rapid switch out.

Here is a good example. Something that has speed control that can be adjusted to the lowest setting. Enough to keep the water turn over in the tank and through the sump.


Another thing to keep in mind is how much power heaters and lights consume.

150 Watt heater is like running 6 VarioS 2 DC pumps above. That’s insane. They will drain you fast if not on generator power or have a good battery or multiple batteries.
 
OP
OP
Reefahholic
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Messages
10,899
Reaction score
2,066
Location
League City
Also, if you have a generator make sure your extension cord is compatible for indoor/outdoor use and is able to handle your load safely. There are plenty of different adapter/conversion plugs/cords to power basically anything. Get ready now and perform tests. Buy gas cans and make sure you have fuel for next storm. I’m fixing to convert my generator to propane as well. That way I have more options. Propane buns much cleaner and if you were to purchase a few 40 pound tanks....you’d be feeling quite comfortable being able to switch from gas to propane if gas wasn’t available. Generator extension cords need to be at least 12 gauge. I just bought a 10 gauge.

D296DBC3-EFD6-44BF-B8AA-F885F7539EBD.png
 
OP
OP
Reefahholic
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Messages
10,899
Reaction score
2,066
Location
League City
Mine was unreliable causing a flash of red and green on the controller and not running the pump. I wasn't impressed to say the least.

Thank God i had a generator to run and heat both systems.
Heard a lot of reports about this.

I keep a battery on a very low maintenance charge in the garage that I can use with a power inverter. A lot of these battery backups will be dead in 2 hrs. They are not big enough to handle a big A/C pump or 300W heaters.

I need to buy another larger inverter as I fried my last 1500W inverter in a panic I hooked the - to + and + to - and there was no safety fuse. You get what you pay for. If you don’t have a generator buy two batteries and a 1500-2000W power inverter. You can charge one on the truck/car with jumper cables while you’re running the other. THE REASON WHY I’M A BIG INVERTER FAN IS BECAUSE SOMETIMES YOUR GENERATOR CAN RUN OUT OF GAS OR IT’S SIMPLY NOT AVAILABLE AND THIS MAY SAVE YOUR TANK.

Another thing I learned and fixed since the last storm was that I didn’t have access to my garage door due to power being out (electric). So I took the lock on the side door off (apartments never gave me a key) and replaced it with a new one and now I have a key to get into my garage and grab things I need for these events.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
Reefahholic
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Messages
10,899
Reaction score
2,066
Location
League City
3CFAE7EF-4ED8-4BEC-947D-C917B98D996A.jpeg D417B40A-E023-4309-BCB2-E084FFFD77E0.jpeg
The perfect addition to any off-grid system, whether for a van or a cabin, the Renogy 2000W Pure Sine Wave Power Inverter acts as a DC to AC converter that allows you to power your household appliances. Unlike modified sine wave inverters, this 2000W inverter is a pure sine wave, capable of producing cleaner, smoother, and more reliable electricity to operate tools, fans, lights, and other electronics without interference. Many off-grid systems require a 12V solar inverter to power everyday electronics and this one includes multiple protections to help things run smoothly and safely.


KEY FEATURES​

Safe
  • Optimized for 12 VDC system voltage.
  • Offers high quality waveform with little harmonic distortion.
  • Overload protection for both DC input and AC output to prevent damage to the components and the unit.
  • Special LED indicators for under-voltage and over-voltage protection, over-temperature protection, over-load protection, and short circuit indication.
  • High-speed ventilation fans to help keep the inverter running at a low temperature.
  • Ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protection
  • ETL Listed with Built-in 5V/2.1A USB port,and AC Hardwire Port. 4AWG Cables and Wired Remote Included
Quiet
  • No static or humming noises.
 
OP
OP
Reefahholic
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Messages
10,899
Reaction score
2,066
Location
League City
A Couple things to consider if you buy a Power Inverter.

1. Know how many WATTS, AMPS, VOLTS the equipment is that you’ll be running.

VOLTS X AMPS = WATTS
Example:
120V X 0.5A = 60

2. Look into Pure Sine Wave vs Modified Sine Wave before you buy.

3. Look into battery Ah (Amp-Hours).

Another thing that I never told anybody is that I ran my CPAP Machine off a Power Inverter as well the entire 4 days my power was out. Slept like a baby with no snoring or sleep apnea. Wife was happy. 🙂😅
 

Stickboy97

Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2009
Messages
784
Reaction score
625
Location
Humble & Conroe, TX
I have batter back-ups on all my tanks, and have only 1 circulating pump running of each, just the typical APC office type batter backup and they only last 30 mins or so. I had ecotech battery backups but the batteries have gone bad & to replace them you have to dismantle the white case.... just haven't taken the time to do it. Bad design that you can't replace the batteries.
 
OP
OP
Reefahholic
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Messages
10,899
Reaction score
2,066
Location
League City
I have batter back-ups on all my tanks, and have only 1 circulating pump running of each, just the typical APC office type batter backup and they only last 30 mins or so. I had ecotech battery backups but the batteries have gone bad & to replace them you have to dismantle the white case.... just haven't taken the time to do it. Bad design that you can't replace the batteries.
Those will be great in short-term outages. Kinda weird how EcoTech doesn’t design them to be easily dismantled.

Do the EcoTech backups require a maintenance charge? I thought all batteries would because they eventually loose their charge right? I guess that’s why my battery worked well initially. I’ve had it on a maintenance charge for the last 3-4 years. Does anybody know why batteries go bad or what other maintenance we need to be doing. Maybe a good test before hurricane season or the winter begins. :)

Thanks for commenting. These are all things that need to be discussed because I honestly don’t really know.
 

Stickboy97

Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2009
Messages
784
Reaction score
625
Location
Humble & Conroe, TX
@Reefahholic I'm not sure what happens to these batteries, but I had 3 ecotech back ups and all three are dead now (they are multiple years old). I kept them plugged in all the time. Not really surprising they make them not to be maintained, you have to replace them. But there are youtube videos out there showing how to drill out the rivets and how to piece it back together after replacing the battery..... I'm just lazy LOL
 
OP
OP
Reefahholic
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Messages
10,899
Reaction score
2,066
Location
League City
@Reefahholic I'm not sure what happens to these batteries, but I had 3 ecotech back ups and all three are dead now (they are multiple years old). I kept them plugged in all the time. Not really surprising they make them not to be maintained, you have to replace them. But there are youtube videos out there showing how to drill out the rivets and how to piece it back together after replacing the battery..... I'm just lazy LOL
That’s crazy. I didn’t expect that from a company like EcoTech.
 

RR-MAN

Supporting Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2003
Messages
5,690
Reaction score
1,222
Location
Pearland
I got 5 ecotech battery back up trashed in the garage. I had them daisy chained for about 3 years and then batteries started blinking red which is bad.

I opened one and noticed cheap $30 12 volt battery. See pic.

Best option is regular car battery (Walmart $80) with a cheap harbor freight inverter ($15) - it will run your tank for days and days.

Aesthetically definitely ecotech battery but for long term functionality I would choose DIY.

d51c36b942bf2dfb7b15f8bb07c70f1d.jpg 166fa4eed04e91c87d1ff30e4ca0dbfe.jpg
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
Reefahholic
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Messages
10,899
Reaction score
2,066
Location
League City
Yeah for anybody that doesn’t know or can’t see the blurry picture above, EcoTech uses a Kung Long WP18-121 12V 18AH AGM Lawnmower battery. :)

BF53012E-6FAE-407E-93C5-8C3AABE42040.jpeg
C8930328-85D4-401E-A85E-B948098B21B1.jpeg
E70CF9A1-0ECC-49D0-988F-1D90BDEE04CD.jpeg
Which can be replaced with this Expert Power battery.

The problem with batteries is that they need to be tested, maintained, exercised, & discharged appropriately. Otherwise they will go bad and be useless when you really need them. I’d highly suggest buying and few extra and keeping them on standby.
 
Last edited:
Top