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What is a UPS System?

UPS stands for Uninterruptible Power Supply or Uninterruptible Power Source. The core purpose of a UPS system is to provide you with power if there’s a sudden loss of power caused by electrical surges, mains power failure or any other causes of power loss. UPS systems are designed to act as a secondary power source. Effectively an on demand instant switch battery, back-up for computers and any other memory-based tech hardware.

Why do I need a UPS System? UPS units have increased in popularity over the last few years. The systems can be found in offices or private homes. High end computers and network systems are quite delicate, and they can easily be damaged by a sudden failure of power . A UPS system allows your computer to stay powered during a power cut, thus allowing you time to save on going work and properly shutdown your computer or network system.

As a business having a trusted UPS system can guarantee you peace of mind in the event of a power cut. However, the effectiveness of your UPS unit is dependant on your preventative maintenance (PM). When making plans for your electrical systems you should also consider what preventive actions to take in order to repair & maintain your UPS unit.

3 Tips to increase UPS lifespan

 

Think about the operating environment

Temperature levels can cause UPS failures. The batteries used to power this unit are lead-acid, these batteries are designed to run within a certain temperature. The optimum operating setting temperature level is between 20°C - 25°C. Equally important, the failure rate of the battery increases by as much as 50% with every 10°C adjustment.

Dust build-up can obstruct air passages. When it comes to the location of your UPS unit you must think about the environment of the building and establish whether you need specialist cleaning companies. By carrying out regular cleaning of the air passages, you will boost the time between potential failing and increase the lifespan of the UPS system. Lastly, frequent cleansing of UPS systems, servers, buttons, and cooling equipment will manage ample airflow. This helps to stop overheating as it enables cool air to be distributed.

 

Carry out surveillance as well as management system

The aim is to spot potential problems and correct them before causing a major issue. These issues could lead to downtime, operations failure, and financial problems. You can set up a monitoring system that reduces downtime by notifying the user of potential faults such as, surges, drop-outs, and power failures.

Monitoring systems can be included in the overall BMS (Building Management System). The maintenance of UPS systems can be combined in the same package as your other services. Of course, the monitoring can also be undertaken as a stand-alone package just for the UPS unit. The most crucial point is that the systems the UPS supports should be monitored, and potential issues are resolved before they progress.

 

Schedule preventative maintenance (PM)

Another important part of the overall maintenance strategy is to have a preventative plan to carry out regular maintenance. You must conduct routine inspections to monitor the systems operation and highlight remedial works and replacement of parts. For example, Fans, AC/DC Capacitors, and batteries. This regular up-keep will keep the system operating as intended. Of course, this doesn’t guarantee a trouble-free system. You may still require unintended works if there was an emergency.

Preventative maintenance can expand the lifespan of your UPS system by 20-50%.  This allows you to future proof your business by minimising downtime and saving your systems from severe damage. We recognise that various clients have different demands, so if you think your organisation can gain from the maintenance of UPS or an upgrade, contact our highly experienced team to discuss the available options.

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