Intermittent Electricity

[keith1975]

We have a problem where sometimes electricity goes off for 2 hours at a time. This can happen once a day, every day. It generally won't last longer than 2 - 3 hours. And in some extreme cases it might be twice and sometimes even three times a day, although that is rare.

1. Will my plants suffer if their normal schedule is interrupted, but only for 2 hours a time? It might mean, for example, my plants get 16 hours and not 18 hours?
2. Should I look at getting a generator? Or are there other options?
3. If I should look at a generator, can anyone recommend one they've used for this purpose?
4. Should I maybe just consider leaving the lights on 24/7 while in veg and worry about it when I get to the flower stage? Or perhaps switch to 20/4 hours? That should cover me, even if I lose an additional 2 hours during the day.

Note: I can see that my total watt usage for my room is just under 700 Watt. That's for 2 lights, an extractor fan and 3 fans.

 

[keith1975]

Also, how do plants feel about having 6 hours on, 2 hours off, 6 hours on, 2 hours off etc. I know in blooming phase that's a no go, but is it a problem in veg?

 

[PE636]

They're not going to like it, especially in flower. If it happened only occasionally you might be ok but daily could be problematic. Get you a Honda inverter generator. Small quiet fuel efficient. I have the large eu7000is and its awesome, very quiet, 12+ hours on a tank. Expensive but worth it.

 

[keith1975]

You maybe have the specs of the one you use? I know my total grow room watt usage is about 700 watt. I have a watt meter that told me so. So I was hoping I could use that figure to find the perfect generator. Or rather, after reading a bit, an inverter generator. Apparently the others are waaaay too noisey.

 

[keith1975]

And also, does the inverter generator automatically kick in when the power goes off? Or do you have to go and put it on manually?

 

[PE636]

Yup the Honda's are amazingly quiet. I think they make a 3500 peak watt version which would do your 700w easily. Mine is a 7000, with 120 /240 outputs, electric start, fuel injected and 20 liter gas tank. Probably weighs a bit over 300 pounds and cost over 5k. They say the power is cleaner than household current. The 3500w version is quite a bit cheaper but still double the price of your average generator. Sucks but a cheap loud one will drive you nuts.

 

[PE636]

And also, does the inverter generator automatically kick in when the power goes off? Or do you have to go and put it on manually?

No but I'm sure can be done, people set it up all the time for their house you'd have to get an electricians advice but should be doable.

 

[keith1975]

No but I'm sure can be done, people set it up all the time for their house you'd have to get an electricians advice but should be doable.

I had a bit of a read and it sounds like it's not cheap to install a "transfer switch". So what do you do? When the power drops do you manually walk down and plug it in and give power where power is needed? And what happens if that is in the night time and you are sleeping?

 

[PE636]

Yup that's right. Well around here power failures are usually from snowstorms and the like and can last from a couple hours to a couple of days, so I can have things ready just in case if a storm is forecast. If it happens at night I'd just fire it up as soon as I realize.

 

[keith1975]

I also read now that inverters arent great for fans. Should I only use the inverter for the lights and just forget about the extractor fan and other fans for those two hours? Or 2 hours of not having fans also cause issues?

 

[PE636]

I can't imagine why it would be an issue with fans. My 4 inch inline extraction fan only draws 80w and circulation fans even less.

 

[keith1975]

I'm considering this: Ryobi - Inverter Generator - 2000W ... but still trying to see if it will do the trick, or if there isnt something cheaper.

 

[PE636]

Cool, looks like it would work

 

[TurboBucket]

Another option which would be much more simple and affordable than a gas powered generator would be an "uninterruptible power supply". I'd skip the HID lighting on it and just use a cheap shop light to preserve light cycles

 

[PE636]

Definitely a good option!

 

[keith1975]

After a long search, I found the solution: Ellies Power Inverter DC 1200w/2000va 24v

This has an Automatic Transfer Switch built in. So basically I plug this into the wall. And I plug my lights into this. and then if the power goes off, this thing will kick in. When the power goes on, it will stop, and start charging again. Literally exactly what I'm looking for. (Although, the price sucks a bit...)

Anyone use one of these or something similar? 99.9% i'll buy one so I'll let you know how it turns out for me.

p.s. the other one wasnt an option, because it requires a manual start and petrol. I need something that automatically kicks in. And also doesnt make that much noise.

 

[keith1975]

Another option which would be much more simple and affordable than a gas powered generator would be an "uninterruptible power supply". I'd skip the HID lighting on it and just use a cheap shop light to preserve light cycles

What I mention in my last reply is essentially a giant UPS. The normal computer UPS's only last about 15 minutes. This one can essentially go for 3 - 4 hours. I'm going to buy this one and then test it to see if it can actually last that long. Really hoping it does. And also hoping the battery doesn't wear out after a year. I'll probably do tests and see how long it can last in month 1 versus month 6 etc.

 

[TurboBucket]

Idk about "giant" that was the size I was thinking of haha. But they are cheaper here. Also run time is why I suggested a shop light vs the HID during power outages. If a plant loses a couple hours of light intesity a day it's not the end of the world. Its cloudy and rains in nature all the time, well maybe not there, but it rains here a lot.
My point is you can spend a bunch of money to get your plants a little bit more light each day or do enough to keep them from getting messed up. You don't have to run the HID the whole day cycle everyday. As long as it's not dark more than 12 hours the plants will be ok in veg.
DLI (Daily light integral) is how much light plants receive during a day cycle. 1000*12 hrs = 12000. If you lose 2 hours your at 10000. You could get back to 12000 by running 1200*10(your remaining daylight hours after outage) if you are really worried about their performance in flower. These are just examples to illustrate the concept not any sort of accurate calculations.

 

[keith1975]

Well, it's giant compared to the normal UPS for computers. But I guess in the growing world it's super tiny.

 

[Mars Hydro]

I don't think it is a good idea to have the light off ~ plants even hate to light leak during their growth. So 2 hours off light definitely not good. Maybe try to get the average light off time and adjust the lighting schedule according to it to avoid it? For example the electrity usually off during afternoon, then set the light off time during that time, so plants won't be influenced from it?