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View Full Version : Power Failure...while you were sleeping...


Reptile Kings
07-06-04, 05:18 PM
How many times has the power gone out while you were sleeping, and you weren't aware of it, until you woke up in the morning and saw your alarm clock reset because of it...and then running to your incubators, panicking, and checking to see how things are.

Well I just bought a Power Alert product about a month or so ago. Brought to my attention by a good friend Linda (Painted Desert Geckos).

And that's exactly where this product comes in handy. You simply plug it in somewhere in your room, and once power is out, it beeps. Now it's advertised as having 80db alarm sound, however it's about as loud as an alarm clock. Enough to wake you up, but not enough to wake the neighbourhood up.

Now another cool feature about it is that, there's a digital timer on it, counting down the seconds, minutes, or hours that time has elapsed without power. So when you arrive home from work for example, you can look at the digital readout on the unit, giving you precise time of power failure.

It's a great little product, and I highly recommend it. I'm absolutely at ease when i go to bed at night, knowing the unit won't let me down.

Here's the link to the website:
http://www.sleepestore.com/poalbefaisno.html

They've got absolutely great customer service, which is always a plus!

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/504/4086PowerAlert.JPG

Hope this was useful info :D
-Sam

mykee
07-07-04, 11:08 AM
I was lying in bed last night thinking of such a device as I stared at the ceiling stressing about my eggs. This product is brilliant!

Lisa
07-09-04, 08:32 PM
I find using a UPS or other like power backup system much better, and results in a better sleep.

It does me little good to know that there is no power if there is nothing I can do about it.

Save the cash and get (or build) a battery back up for your incubators.

mykee
07-09-04, 10:20 PM
Well, Sam and I both have the same battery backup and I for one believe this product can help alleviate the stress of coming home to find power out. Period. "Oh my God, how long has the power been out"? Solves that problem completely. Secondly, for those of us that do have a backup system, if the power goes out in the middle of the night, how you gonna know? How 'bout 80 decibels ringin' in your ears. Just the thing to get you up to switch over to the backup power until the power comes back on. Brilliant idea if you ask me.

VooDooMafia
07-09-04, 10:54 PM
Well most alarm clocks will reset to 12:00am so just minus that off the time and you know when it was out. As for going to put the power back up on after it goes out...you can just hook the incubator right up to them so if power goes out the incubators stay on.

I also think that the Helix systems will call a phone number that you have programed in if the temp drops to low. If your cell phone goes off and its your Helix system is calling you then you know that your power has gone out (asuming you have your incubators are reliably keeping the same temp and the helix is plugged into the power backup.

What did this device cost?

Reptile Kings
07-10-04, 02:32 AM
The device cost about $50-60CAN. I"m sure the helix system costs more than that. I"m aware of that unit calling cell phones incase the temps drop too low.
This is a very amazing product in my opinion, and it doesn't cost much at all. Now if you've got a UPS system, then there's no real need for you to have this product as the UPS will just switch over to backup battery. However as Mykee mentined, him and I, as well as some others on this forum don't have a UPS so the power alert would come in handy there.
-Sam

Stockwell
07-10-04, 03:35 AM
My system switches over to inverter automatically when the AC fails. I also have a cheap motorized elapsed hour counter on the output of the inverter, so it logs the time it's been on, if and when it switches on.

Having to switch inverters on manually is a huge drawback. If you're at work, or on vacation when the power goes off, you're screwed.