Power consumption and what we can do to reduce it

[Lynnzer]

As so many of us on here know, running a tank or 2 (I have 6) uses quite a bit of power. In these stressful times with the cost of electricity being extremely high, I feel I need to do something to reduce consumption.
My initial thought was to somehow install a small solar panel onto the roof of the kitchen that is directly below my main fish room wndow, then connect all my bits and pieces to it. However I haven't a clue how to DIY this sort of thing.
Then, DIY deficiencies apart, what would I need to store the energy produced? Would I need batteries, and if so how on earth does that enable 240v (UK 0f course) equipment to be used? Are there any such things as 12v filters, heaters etc that can be bought to run from a battery? Or can I get a transformer to up baterry voltage from 12v to 240v?
This is an important topic I think, in such economically stressfult times so if anyone has knowledge of anything to do with power reduction, DIY knowledge etc it would be useful to draw down on that experience.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Plenty more of instructional vids like this one on YT

 

[StevenF]

Thef first thing you need to do is to measure the power consumption of each device on the tank. but I wouldn't stop at the tank. I would check everything plugged into an outlet. It is entirely possible that your tank isn't the consuming that much power compared to other things in your home. This is an example of such a meter. Many people have found that cable and satellite TV receivers and DVR are actually large power consumers simply because they are on all the time and consume quite a bit of power even when you are not earthing TV. It would also he you determine how much solar power you need to generate the power your tanks consume.

 

[Sed6]

DIY solar is a lot of effort but can pay off. Below is a link to my install. It cost me about $3k, offsets about 10% of my energy use and saves me about $30/mo. That's a 100 month ROI, fairy typical for most solar installs. Have fun!

DIY Tesla powerwall

I did not think I'd ever end up here, in a solar forum showing off my stuff. But the CV-19 scare made me realize my energy dependence and I started collecting components a couple months ago. My initial plan was something portable and it worked out well. You can see some details in my 10kWh...

diysolarforum.com

 

[Rocky998]

Sorry... I really just had to

 

[itiwhetu]

Sorry... I really just had to
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Where is your sense of adventure? Wiring up your own stuff and getting a kick occasionally is a huge part of growing up. It is part of the passage between being a boy and a man. I can remember wiring up my heater/thermostats in the seventies, in those days you would buy a heater and then wire a thermostat to it. I did it with some connector blocks and a bit of electrical tape and a plug, I would stack the plugs about 4 deep on a multi box, anyhow one day when I was working on the top tanks, I discovered as I slipped off the ladder, that if I held on to both tank stands at the same time, I would get a bolt. I don't think I fried too many brain cells; well I remember doing it so that is a good sign

 

[Colin_T]

When doing solar power you need enough solar panels to produce 3 times the power you need. This is because the panels average production is only 8 hours per day. Some places get more light but they average out at 8 hours of power production per day. To run a fish room you need 3 times that so you have power 24 hours a day. (Lights will need 2 times but filters, pumps, heaters, need 3 times).

The old way to store power was in car batteries. You hook up a number of them together and connect a "Power inverter" to the batteries. The power inverter runs off 12 volt dc car batteries and converts that into 220/ 240 volt ac that can run normal household appliances. There will be different voltages for different countries. I am in Australia and ours are 220/ 240volt.

Power Inverters can be bought from camping stores, places that sell fixtures and fittings for caravans, and from auto stores. They come in a range of wattages, starting with 100 watt and going up to 3000 watts or more. The higher the wattage, the more they cost and the thicker cables you need to connect them. Why they charge more for higher wattage units I don't know. They all use the same parts and whilst there might be a few dollars difference between making them, the shops have horrendously different prices for them.

More modern solar panel set ups use batteries like the type found in laptop computers (Lithium ion). They are smaller, lighter and becoming cheaper. Again you get an inverter from the solar power company to convert the 12volt into 220/ 240v (or whatever you use).

 

[Colin_T]

Where is your sense of adventure? Wiring up your own stuff and getting a kick occasionally is a huge part of growing up. It is part of the passage between being a boy and a man.

I used to do stuff like that too. No idea what I was doing but you use a screw driving to undo that screw and put a wire in there and another in there. Tighten the screw up and plug it in, then turn it on and step back.

It was a different time back then and if you needed to swap a power socket or replace a light in the ceiling, you did it because you couldn't afford an electrician.

Main thing to remember is to turn the power OFF in the meter box and pull the fuses out. Don't trust family members who say "yes, yes, dear, the power is off". Touches the screw with a screwdriver and gets thrown back across the room. Yells abuse about the "fuplie power is still on your stupid moo"

But for all you young people out there, do not do home electronics unless you have some professional help. Being electrocuted hurts after you wake up in hospital

 

[GaryE]

I looked seriously at solar for my fishroom, and the option is still in the air for the future. Locally, we don't have a sunny climate, and that is a limiting factor for the cost/return.
DIY can have serious insurance issues. The previous owner of this house was very resourceful, and fixing his brilliant hacks has been expensive. He thought outside the box, for sure, however, the box included instructions on safe wiring, properly working plumbing and using materials that didn't break down fast. I think we have everything he got his hands on fixed now...

We aren't all facing UK energy costs, but we probably will be soon enough. I have a simple solution - start keeping killies. Low tech, low energy consumption, beautiful fish that keep you busy channeling all your DIY urges in safe directions...

 

[outofwater]

Sorry... I really just had to
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But I'm an expert!!

 

[Sed6]

DIY can have serious insurance issues.

Fortunately not here in the US. And probably not in the UK either. Our insurance covers accidents and stupidly (yours probably does too) and that would include wiring up you own electrical stuff and subsequently accidentally burning down your home.

The previous owner of this house was very resourceful, and fixing his brilliant hacks has been expensive.

Sounds like my house! In my decade plus in my home I've rewired so many circuits! I did though make my solar easy to uninstall because I know it won't pass any inspections should I ever sell my home.

 

[SomethingsFishy24]

Where is your sense of adventure? Wiring up your own stuff and getting a kick occasionally is a huge part of growing up. It is part of the passage between being a boy and a man.

Sometimes these experiences lead to your destiny! My brother was shocked so many times when he was a kid, he went on to train and become a legit electrician.

I was mauled(like deep bites, several times, including my face) by a house cat (who ended up having a brain tumor which caused her to go ape) when I was 6 years old. I am a Vet Tech and handle crazy floofs near daily now

 

[Back in the fold]

Out of seven tanks I'm running lights on only two. One has a 3/4 watt LED so not much power there. The other is a conventional 15 watt fluorescent tube. I only run these lights because those two tanks are down low and I can't see in them without the lights. My six air pumps have a total of less than 30 watts. It's the 450 watts of heaters that run up the bill. I'm on the fence right now but leaning heavily in the direction of cold water. My tanks would never drop down further than 60 degrees Farhenheit and there's plenty of fish I like that would do well with that. If I ditched the heaters I'd have a pretty cheap fish room.
Now, onto the real culprits. I wish my wife would abandon her infatuation with the microwave oven. That thing runs at 1500 watts and it sprays radiation all over. Next is the TV. I think they draw a lot of juice too and give you nothing in return but the General Crisis (news) which airs the same old bull everyday at 5:00 PM. Clothes dryers aren't any slouch at power usage either. I use a clothesline quite a bit.

 

[GaryE]

Fortunately not here in the US. And probably not in the UK either. Our insurance covers accidents and stupidly (yours probably does too) and that would include wiring up you own electrical stuff and subsequently accidentally burning down your home.

Sounds like my house! In my decade plus in my home I've rewired so many circuits! I did though make my solar easy to uninstall because I know it won't pass any inspections should I ever sell my home.

It's good to check. Here, if you rewire your own house and it burns down, all they have to find is something not up to code (and therefore not done or signed off by an electrician) and your insurance doesn't pay. As it's easy to imagine, insurance loves to find such things.

As long as you know what you're doing and are up to code, you're good, but Saturday Night at the Improv can be expensive. My last fishroom could have been trouble, but I knew it would never burn down!

 

[itiwhetu]

It's good to check. Here, if you rewire your own house and it burns down, all they have to find is something not up to code (and therefore not done or signed off by an electrician) and your insurance doesn't pay. As it's easy to imagine, insurance loves to find such things.

As long as you know what you're doing and are up to code, you're good, but Saturday Night at the Improv can be expensive. My last fishroom could have been trouble, but I knew it would never burn down!

It's good to check. Here, if you rewire your own house and it burns down, all they have to find is something not up to code (and therefore not done or signed off by an electrician) and your insurance doesn't pay. As it's easy to imagine, insurance loves to find such things.

As long as you know what you're doing and are up to code, you're good, but Saturday Night at the Improv can be expensive. My last fishroom could have been trouble, but I knew it would never burn down!

That is because it was full of water