Battery Backup Air Pump Setup Question

[jmarks]

I have been thinking more and more about adding a simple battery back up air pump to my aquarium for peace of mind just in case of an extended power outage. Penn Plax offers a cheap air pump that runs off of 2 D batteries. If I understand it correctly, it does plug into an electrical outlet, however it does not run this way. It can only detect no power from the wall and then kicks itself on using battery power.

I was curious on how to set this up. Could I simply install this into my existing air tubing and air stone setup? My idea would be to install a splitter just past the check valve of the current air pump. Then I would have the new back up pump and a check valve put in before attaching to the splitter. Does this make sense? Each pump would have a check valve just past its output and then be plugged into the splitter that would combine them into the existing air line running into my tank.

In theory, the normal pump would always be on with one of the check vales stopping air from going into the battery backup pump. Then when power is cut, the current pump turns off and the battery back up kicks on keeping air flowing through the exisitng air stone.

Thoughts? Anyone else do this?

 

[Coradee]

Bumping this up for you

 

[Gekco]

I know some pet stores have a **** ton of battery powered air pumps in a box just in case, but they don't have it set up.

All you'd need to do is unplug the wall powered pump then replace it with the battery powered one. Unless you want to have it set up if you aren't home when power goes out.

In that case get a T splitter and put that in the line before the check valve, I don't think you need to have 2 check valves.

 

[jmarks]

I know some pet stores have a ton of battery powered air pumps in a box just in case, but they don't have it set up.

All you'd need to do is unplug the wall powered pump then replace it with the battery powered one. Unless you want to have it set up if you aren't home when power goes out.

In that case get a T splitter and put that in the line before the check valve, I don't think you need to have 2 check valves.

Thank you Gekco! I figure if I'm gonna have a backup pump, no reason to not have it setup and ready for if I'm not home. I know the air will take the path of least resistance, but just wasn't sure if having the air blowing into the "backup pump" could impose any damages. That's why I figure a $2 check valve wouldn't hurt.

 

[Gekco]

You could put the check valve on before hand if you absolutely want to make sure the pump doesn't get damaged. $2 to save, don't know how much these cost, $30 is better than having the pump break when you need it the most. Since I am now on PC I can make a wonderful diagram lol.

I assume you mean something like that?

 

[jmarks]

You could put the check valve on before hand if you absolutely want to make sure the pump doesn't get damaged. $2 to save, don't know how much these cost, $30 is better than having the pump break when you need it the most. Since I am now on PC I can make a wonderful diagram lol.

I assume you mean something like that?

That's exactly what I was thinking. haha thanks for the diagram.

 

[jmarks]

so I set this up today and it would be perfect, however, the battery powered pump I bought doesn't have enough juice to get air through the check valve and to my bubble wand. My bubble wand is buried at the bottom of my tank (approx 18" of water head pressure above it)....when I take the check valve out, it barely puts a single bubble at a time out at the very front of the bubble wand...ill either abandon the back up plan or look into a slightly more powerful battery pump.....worse case, if the power cuts out while I'm home, at least I have a battery pump that I can throw in manually to a different air stone (it came with a small stone)