Quote Originally Posted by samtheman
A friend of mine gave me an 980watt APC SmartUPS 1500 laying around that was hooked up to computer servers at one time and was wondering if I can use it in my Aquaponics setup probably to run the air pumps as a backup, I guess I could do a test and see how it performs, I wish it could run my 70 watt main pump also but no sure how long it could last. This is the link : http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/APC-Sm ... 23633.aspx

I also have one deep cycle 180aph 12v battery that I would like to integrate in my system, I have a total of 80watt solar power panels laying around that I wish I could somehow use it as a backup for my system. I guess what I am asking is if any of you guys can give me a couple of ideas about putting these item for something useful in the Aquaponics setup...
A 70 watt pump will drain 5.83 amps per hour. That means your battery can theoretically provide just under 31 hours of power, but you typically don't want to drain batteries under 40% even deep cycle batteries. The solar panel can offset the difference of the air pump. Assuming you get roughly 11 hours of good sunlight a day, you can theoretically get a maximum of 60-70 hours out of your battery and solar panel, depending on specific conditions. In reality, I wouldn't count on it for more than a day or in an extreme emergency more than 2 days.

The battery and UPS are simple. Use the contacts for the old battery to your new battery. The UPS should manage the battery charging and cycling on/off during outages. To add the solar panel, you will want to wire it in parallel to the battery. You will need a charge controller or at least a diode that will prevent the power from traveling in reverse. If you go this cheaper route, it can cause overcharging. Also, your charge controller for the solar panel should only kick in when the UPS is not charging the battery, which would work out great for you.