Petrol generators

[AMK]

Today, my place was hit with a blackout.

At the moment, my tanks are more over-stocked rather than under-stocked, so

after about 1 hour of down time, I decided to head out to purchase a generator, to at least run the air pump and some filters for the majority of my tanks.

I didn't have enough time to actually shop around and do any research, but I knew Bunnings sold generators. I bought a GMC 850W Generator, not enough to run the heaters but enough to keep the air pump and the filters going, which is most important.

Anyway, by the time I had come back, power had been restored. Therefore, there was no use for the generator.

Although this is the first time I have been hit with a blackout here, Im thinking about keeping the generator as an insurance measure, so I just wanted to know how many of you people out there have generators and whether there is anything in particular to look for when using one for the purpose of keeping a few fish tanks running during a long black out.

cheers

Andrew

[Bijengum]

Make sure you give it a run at least once a month. Also load it up so that it actually powers something. Nothing worse than thinking you have a generator and finding it won't start.

[Harry Morant]

I'm not saying that a generator isn't a great insurance measure but seeing as most fish can survive in a airtight bag for a few hours your should be able to have a tank without power for at all for some time before oxygen becomes an issue.

As to generators agree with the regular start up and operating it under load. Depending on how much fuel you have and how often you use it just be aware that petrol has a shelf life. After a time petrol goes off but it should be fine for at least three to six months without any degradation in its properties. Make sure that you bleed the fuel tank from time to time as you can get water in the tank from condensation.

In my LFS I've also noticed some battery powered air pumps which could be useful as a backup.