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A peaceable Sunday afternoon was interrupted by a phone call from a client with a serious concern. They had a power outage and four of five UPS did not function.
The question, ?What happened??
After taking the client the obvious questions of proper conductor connections the next question from me was, ?One of the UPS is working??
?Yes, it is only three months old,? was the response.
?How old are the other UPS?? was my next question.
?About three years old,? was the answer.
I asked, ?Who has the responsibility of exercising the batteries in the UPS as the owner?s manual states??
I was not surprised by the answer, ?What do you mean by exercising the batteries. We don?t have anyone that does that.?
?Like the battery in your car, if it just sits there and is never used, it loses its charge and you have to recharge it. If it is an older battery, invest in a new one.?
Most owner manuals recommend you trip the circuit breaker servicing the UPS once a month and run those things, computers mostly, until the UPS beeping noise becomes rapid, and then restore normal building/house power.
?I recommend you buy new batteries sized to the specific units and then after an initial charge with no attached loads connect the equipment to the UPS and then exercise them. Just as important, make a written record of each UPS and when it was last tested and by whom.?
It is a necessary fact of life that we follow the owner?s manual for all equipment we own, business or home.
We read in the paper or see and hear on TV or radio of firms that complain the battery back-up failed when there was a power outage.
Enjoy the day,
Bill
The question, ?What happened??
After taking the client the obvious questions of proper conductor connections the next question from me was, ?One of the UPS is working??
?Yes, it is only three months old,? was the response.
?How old are the other UPS?? was my next question.
?About three years old,? was the answer.
I asked, ?Who has the responsibility of exercising the batteries in the UPS as the owner?s manual states??
I was not surprised by the answer, ?What do you mean by exercising the batteries. We don?t have anyone that does that.?
?Like the battery in your car, if it just sits there and is never used, it loses its charge and you have to recharge it. If it is an older battery, invest in a new one.?
Most owner manuals recommend you trip the circuit breaker servicing the UPS once a month and run those things, computers mostly, until the UPS beeping noise becomes rapid, and then restore normal building/house power.
?I recommend you buy new batteries sized to the specific units and then after an initial charge with no attached loads connect the equipment to the UPS and then exercise them. Just as important, make a written record of each UPS and when it was last tested and by whom.?
It is a necessary fact of life that we follow the owner?s manual for all equipment we own, business or home.
We read in the paper or see and hear on TV or radio of firms that complain the battery back-up failed when there was a power outage.
Enjoy the day,
Bill
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