Your Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system will one time get old and obsolete, and there's nothing you can do to stop that from happening. However, what you can do is increase the lifespan of the unit so that it can serve you for a relatively longer time.
In this article, we educate you on the best practices you can follow to ensure your UPS system remains useful for long enough. We've simplified the concepts by stating what is to be done, and the respective benefits it brings on board. Now let's get started.
A Quick Overview of The Operation of a UPS System
Understanding how to take good care of your UPS system requires having at least some high-level idea of how it works. The first thing to note is the system's primary role, which is to supply your premises with backup power during outages.
Besides knowing the key role, we would like you to know that a UPS system has various components that must work together at all times. There's the battery, which supplies the DC to be converted to AC when the mains supply is down. Also, there's an inverter that converts the DC to AC power to keep your electrical appliances running.
Therefore, if you can take good care of the main components we've highlighted, there isn't any doubt your UPS unit will not have an extended lifespan.
The Most Effective Practices That Make UPS Systems Durable
Below, we've explained the four categories of the most effective practices for keeping UPS backups healthy and long-lasting.
Conducting a Thorough Pre-Purchase Technical Assessment
What we mean by a technical assessment is gathering information regarding what you want your upcoming UPS unit to do. You also need to know the environmental conditions of your area of residence. To avoid future problems, we urge you to determine your total electrical load upfront so that you can pick a UPS system with the appropriate load specifications.
You can estimate your total electrical load by listing down all the appliances in your home, business space, or organization. Next, you should read the power ratings of all the appliances, and then sum up the values to get your total load.
To lengthen the lifespan of your UPS unit, pick one whose power rating is slightly above your total load to leave some allowance. For example, if your total load is 1250 watts, we recommend going for a UPS system that can produce 1500 to 2000 watts. Having an allowance ensures the UPS doesn't strain, thereby increasing its lifespan significantly.
Then you should never forget about the environmental conditions in your location. We would like you to know more about the temperature and humidity range because they are the two main factors that influence the operation of UPS components like the battery.
If your area experiences extreme temperatures, you might want to go for more tolerant options like the LiFePO4 batteries. On the other hand, a Lead-acid accumulator might just be okay if your location is characterized by moderate temperature conditions.
Purchasing Quality Products
Increasing the lifespan of your UPS system begins at the purchasing stage. You can't expect good results when you take home just anything you come across in the market. If you want to avoid later problems or recurrent costs, you should pick the right quality. Do a quick study to identify the best UPS system brand.
One way you can use to identify the best UPS products is by checking reviews online. Search for what those who have used the products before say about them. But if you aren't an online person, you may want to consider asking for recommendations from friends. Just keep asking and you'll find someone who has had experience with UPS systems and knows the perfect brand to go for.
Alternatively, you can seek advice from a professional to help you with selecting the best UPS brand for your needs. Most UPS manufacturers or dealers also offer technical guidance, and by adhering to whatever they recommend, chances are high that you'll pick the correct quality.
Identifying a Conducive Installation Spot
The spot you install your UPS unit directly affects its performance and will dictate whether it will have a long lifespan or not. For good health and effective operation, your unit should be in a position where it can get enough fresh air 24/7. That means the room where the UPS is installed should have a window or ventilation that lets air in for cooling the system's electronic components.
Obtaining the recommended ventilation also requires leaving some space between the air vents on the UPS package and the nearest wall or solid surface. The space is necessary because it allows enough air to flow into the UPS unit efficiently, thereby adding to the cooling efficiency.
However, a perfect UPS installation spot isn't only about ventilation. Other environmental factors, especially temperature and humidity also matter a lot. Therefore, you should avoid installing the system where there's direct sunlight or high humidity. Direct sunlight may interfere with certain electrical components while high humidity can cause short circuits and rusting of metallic components. Keeping the two factors away can increase the durability of your UPS system and minimize maintenance costs.
Proper Battery Management
There are many things we would like you to understand regarding proper battery management. So, to get a clear idea of what we're referring to, it's great to note the things that shorten the battery's lifespan and how to prevent them. Here are some of the things that worsen the health of your UPS batteries and how to manage them.
- Higher Depths of Discharge - The Depth of Discharge (DoD) is the percentage of the total capacity of the battery utilized before recharge. To keep your battery healthy, it's always a good practice to maintain lower DoDs. We recommend extending your UPS storage capacity by installing additional batteries.
Having many batteries is instrumental if you have high electrical loads, with lengthy outages. Increasing the number of batteries increases the total maximum capacity, and lowers the possible depth of discharge for each battery. As a result, the lifespan of your batteries improves, and your UPS serves you for many years.
- Lack of Maintenance - Like other devices, your batteries need maintenance regularly. The most common and crucial form of maintenance is checking the electrolyte level and topping it up back to the recommended level if it's lower. Topping up of electrolyte is usually done using distilled battery water, and is most applicable if your UPS system uses the lead-acid accumulators.
Apart from checking the level of the electrolyte, you need to inspect your batteries visually from time to time to ensure that none is swollen, leaking, or cracked in any way. What's more, you should be cleaning the terminals whenever necessary and fastening any loose terminal connections. From experience, we've discovered that applying a special battery terminal jelly can also be more beneficial as it keeps the terminals free from rusting and other destructive elements.
- Unfavorable Temperatures - Temperature is another thing you should manage properly if you would like to keep your UPS batteries alive for long. As you might have already known, we have various battery technologies and each of them requires different temperature ranges for optimal performance.
So, we're urging you to always check your battery temperatures and ensure they're within the optimum range specified by the manufacturer. If possible, go for the correct battery chemistry for your location. For example, the LiFePO4 UPS batteries excel in areas with wide temperature ranges.
We can assure you of an extended lifespan of your UPS system if you're going to always manage the temperatures properly.
One thing we're happy about is the inclusion of a Battery Management System (BMS) in your UPS unit. The BMS helps you with seamless monitoring and protection of the UPS batteries against destructions that may result from the factors we've explained right above. You can also buy and install standalone Battery Management Systems for more robust and inclusive battery care functionalities.
Occasional Professional Inspection & Repair
Even when you do all the visual inspections regularly and follow the battery management practices we've suggested, a professional inspection and repair are significant. An expert has the knowledge and experience necessary for examining even the finer components of your UPS system. They understand that your UPS system running does not necessarily mean that all is well. Engaging UPS expert occasionally is vital for:
- Inspecting the electronic components - Some electronic components such as capacitors can keep functioning for some time despite having some faults. Unfortunately, this weakens the integrity of the UPS system as a whole and shortens its lifespan.
- Replacing faulty components - After identifying the faulty electrical components, a professional provider will replace them with new ones so that none of the associated components gets overworked or destroyed.
- Conducting various functionality Tests - Some functionality tests are so demanding that only an expert can perform them. Among the most vital ones include things like the maximum load test to see if your UPS unit can still run its maximum possible load. Others include the interruption and transfer tests. You should note that your UPS system should pass all these tests if it's not faulty in any way.
- Firmware checks - UPS technicians can also check if the firmware is up to date and perform an upgrade if necessary. Regularly updating the UPS management software to the latest version ensures your system is always energy-efficient and serves you for several years.
Key Takeaways
Keeping your UPS system healthy and effective long enough is a process that begins from the pre-installation planning to the operation phase. Some of the things to do include, picking a UPS system whose power output slightly exceeds your total load.
You also need to purchase quality and reputable brands. Another thing that's quite instrumental in achieving longer lifespans is employing perfect battery management practices and occasionally professional inspection and repair. Act today and enjoy a lasting uninterrupted power supply for your business or home.
