Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I found this searching the web. Kudos to Mark and Elisamuel.

Could somebody explain (possibly with another diagram) how to wire this without the charger and alarm.
Would the circuit still work if I just wired it up as in diagram 1 and just didn't connect the charger leads.

I'll probably just keep an on my batteries and charge them as required rather than pay big bucks for a flow charger.


American Version without Alarm



Australian Version with Alarm

Correct me if I am wrong but the required parts for this would be

12v power adapter
12/240v inverter
Bosch 12v 30/40A relay (optional 2nd)
AH3-3 AC220c 0-60 sec timer
12v battery
12v battery charger (optional)
12v wire
Wire joiners
Electrical components case
Solder and soldering iron (optional)

My AH3-3 relay was dead on arrival. After wiring it up it did not work at all.
I purchased a 240v DPDT relay and wired that up and it is currently working perfectly.
I will post some pictures tomorrow once I get it all neatened up.

Better use UPS.

A lot of good info in this thread, thanks to many members. viewtopic.php?f=8&t=9805&hilit=12+volt+backup

Essentially this is exactly the same as a UPS except you can use a very small float charger to charge the battery and have a very large capacity battery that will last a lot longer than a UPS. I was originally going to use a UPS that I had but it no longer worked.



Thanks chainsaw. I have read that thread many times. My intention was to continue using my 240v pumps without being required to buy dedicated 12v pumps. I have saved myself close to $200 by not having to buy dedicated 12v pumps for only about $15 more than the 12v only battery backup would have cost me to make.
I already had an inverter that I could make use of.

This system still uses a 12v power pack and the same relay as the 12v only version.
In addition it also uses a 240v DPDT relay wired so that mains power goes to the output cable when power is on.
When the power switches off the 12v relay closes and turns on the inverter. The 240v relay also closes and switches the output from the inverter to the output cable.

Just change batt.
search google image for detail.

Depending on what you have laying around you could also use a solar charge controller but with a wall wart instead of solar, they also sell a device called Battery Tender Plus that is like a battery charge but designed to be left on 24/7 to keep your batteries charged and in good condition.

On UPSes, a good tip is to not go too cheap of a brand/model; some of them are unreliable. Some of the worst if they don't switch over when the power goes out then you are out of luck until they get A/C power back on, even though the battery is fully charged.

All we discussed is supply side.
I think maybe we should look at demand side. Design system to use less power is much easier.
In most case back up only aerator is a good choice.
If you want to circulate water just use air lift pump. but you have to set your system something like this.

Interesting idea Ao...

How do you stop the distribution pipe for the growbeds from blocking up with such low pressure?

I never do this, somebody in this forum do something like this.
I think clog up is not a problem because airlift pump can lift water above grow media so it's just like over flow or water pump.

possibly a little more of a lateral shift off topic, though has anyone run a normal 240V pump from an inverter for along time?

Wondering if there is any shortening of life due to the harmonics produced by the inverter? This can be a problem on large 3 phase motors driven by power electronic variable speed drives, though not sure if it would be an issue with small pumps.

Issue is either with deterioration of bearings (probably not a problem as pump is insulated from ground) or insulation.